Some Catch Up Reviews

Below are a few of the assorted whiskey reviews, cocktail ideas and drinks-focused travel suggestions I've put on Facebook in the past, just transferred over here. Future posts won't be as bulky, and be more tailored to a specific thing, but this should give you a brief overview from the start of 2024.

May 20th, 2024 Standard old fashioned and whiskey sour with Dettling 2018 bottled-in-bond. A strong bourbon on its own, it holds up incredibly in these cocktails with a rich flavor profile that is complimented well with the acidity of lemon or the aromatics of bitters and orange. Neat, the aromas from the Dettling are warm brown sugar and vanilla, with flavors of vanilla bean up front that follow a quick burn to an almost molasses thick sugar sweetness and oaky finish.

Weller's special reserve isn't quite strong enough to mix into a cocktail with its lighter flavor, in my opinion. Considering itself "the original" wheated whiskey (similar/the same mash bill to the famous Pappy Van Winkle supposedly, as the distilleries did merge in the 1930's) it has baking spice up front that quickly tingles away to rich honey and caramel flavors with a very smooth profile. Its almost got a tinge of a classic root beer flavor right at the finish for just a second, after a lightly bitter orange peel mid-sip kick.

Anyway, two good finds and I'd say worth their respective prices if you ever see them floating around.

May 13th 2024 The wine I brought back from Bertelsen Winery up in Mt Vernon, WA; their Carmènére. Probably the first wine I can actually smell the peppercorn aromatic profile, which comes through over light raspberry and elderberry. It's smooth, with low acidity and a lightly peppery flavor up front with warm berries that mellows quickly into a touch of vanilla and spices. Pretty subtle overall, but accessible and enjoyable for a bit of a less common style I've not had before.

Additionally, a few choice pics from some must-visit spots if you are ever in the area: The Four Horseman Brewery and Terramar Brewstillery. And obviously a nice view of Mt Ranier.

March 30th 2024

The Loch Lomond 12yr.

I stayed on the shores of this famous Loch during the rain storm, finding the last room available at a local pub and wading through water almost too deep for my rental car down a closed road that I swerved around the warning sign and waved my way past a few fireman to access. I was following an obvious local, so I think they just assumed I knew what I was doing. Anyway, I felt like I had to purchase at least a little bottle of this when I saw it in the shop at Edinburgh castle.

Fortunately, it's quite a good whisky, and despite being sold at a tourist shop, it's actually worth buying.

Rich cream, dark fruit and wood aromas give way to a peach forward flavour with hints of pear, a kind of tingly spiciness and then a light damp smoke taste that rounds things out in a very pleasant way.

March 12th 2024

Found a place with that High West Prisoner's Share for $20/shot. Glad I didn't spend $170 for the whole bottle, though it's good enough.

Warm cinnamon, allspice, vanilla, and a dry oak aroma up front with a sweet honey and cherry flavor with a little bit of a woody kick on the end. It's good... but not what you're going to find it priced at outside of UT. $20 or so, worth a try. But beyond that, pass.

February 21st, 2024

A Basil Hayden I haven't tried before. Their malted rye is classic with spices and warm sweet rye on the nose, a crisp light flavor up front with a touch of pepper immediately followed by a pop of sugar and some caramel that evolves into an almost milk chocolatey sweet finish with a touch of oak and heat. Very smooth.

There's more in there, but those are the staples I get and it's very enjoyable! Just about $60 here in UT, and I'd say it's worth in that $50-$60 range pretty easily the way things are priced these days. I prefer it over their standard expression, and definitely prefer over their dark rye.

Anyway, easy sipper and worth grabbing if you get the chance, in my opinion. Unless it's priced over $60ish. Then maybe skip until you can find it cheaper.

February 8th, 2024

An interesting cocktail.

1oz Logi barrel aged bochet style mead from Iceland

2oz Michter's bourbon

A few dashes of plum and oak bitters

A drizzle of maple syrup

Logi is not very sweet, despite being mead, it's got a very oaky, caramelized and alcoholic kick. So it needed a bit of sugar from the maple syrup to round out the flavor. The result is a rich fruity aroma of plum, oak, and a hint of smoke and vanilla. Flavor is almost like a spiced orange peel with a bit of the rind left on, followed immediately with a shift to honey, caramel, vanilla and oak. A bit of water opens up the flavor a bit more as the ice melts (or if you were to stir in some ice for maybe 30sec-1min or so and then pour over whiskey stones to keep chilled without further diluting. Definitely not a sweet cocktail, less sweet than a typical old fashioned for sure.

In the Icelandic naming convention of just naming things after what they are, we will call this cocktail:

Viskímeðmjöðioghlyn. "whiskey with mead and maple." And yes, that's just Google translate, but it should be reasonably close, minus maybe proper grammar.

January 24th, 2024

Latest Utah whiskey bargain is a Suntory blended whiskey featuring 5 different whiskeys produced by the Beam-Suntory group of distilleries. Irish, Scotch, American, Canadian and Japanese distilleries under their umbrella contribute to this blend, called Ao.

Vanilla, cream, light tropical fruit and very light wood on the nose, smooth and sweet with light smoke and cinnamon on the palate, finishing with sweet smoke, a touch of spice and wood. Very drinkable even if you aren't a lover of scotch, as it's nicely balanced.

Utah price: $59.08

Online: $68-$200 with an average around $80