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    Rye / Spirit Reviews

    Stellum Black Rye 57.13%

    Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee blended Ryes...

    March 8, 2022
    Bourbon / Spirit Reviews

    Stellum Black Bourbon 54.61%

    Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee blended Bourbons...

    March 8, 2022

    ryeamlegend

    With the arrival of yet another decades-old Inverg With the arrival of yet another decades-old Invergordon, I felt it necessary to finally review the previous bottle I received from @dornochdistillery.

Ages ago I had a wonderful Oloroso cask Invergordon from Dramfool and I've been searching for a similar dram ever since. Old, grain whiskies I find can be quite fun so I'm willing to give these a gamble.

Full review notes can be found on my website #linkinbio or over on r/scotch. I'll be dropping the 35yo companion shortly!

N - Light butterscotch and the burnt sugar top of a creme brulee. Grainfields, clover, and summer honey. Cornbread and bran muffins.

P - Rougher alcohols. Toasted wheat and corn cereal pieces. Sweetness like toasted oak barrels. Sweet but sugar substitute flavors. 

F - Leans bitter. Burnt edges of birthday cake and thin delicate honey/almond cakes. New leather upholstery conditioner. Cedar cabinets and woodchips.

I found myself really wanting some kind of salinity and pairing it with mild cheese and pretzels really enhanced this dram nicely. Good expression but could be better especially so on the finish.
    A little wine cask Irish whiskey is just what the A little wine cask Irish whiskey is just what the night calls for this St Paddy's Day. 

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#stpatricksday #stpaddysday #stpattysday #irishwhiskey #spotwhiskey
    Quick review this week as I'm getting over a bit o Quick review this week as I'm getting over a bit of a cold (I blame my recent chilly southern NJ trip on my sniffles).

Blind sample that I completely lost and happened to find last week when doing a bit of cleaning. I'd blame the 1oz boston for losing it but it was an entire set of samples I forgot about!

Spoiling the reveal and it was a bizarre one! @decadentdrinks 2005 Ballechin from a 2nd fill sauternes barrique selected for @edradourianknights.

I have limited experience with sauternes and Ballechin in general. I've had plenty of Edradour but maybe the addition of peat or just the cask threw me for a loop. A lot of lost moments just trying to explain the wild flavors I was getting. 

Full notes just posted right here! Maybe a couple additional details can be found on my website #linkinbio

Nose - This was the most bizarre nose to me. Sulfery and has a bit of a funky gym shoe smell. Vegetal astringency like over-steamed broccoli or asparagus. Bitter medicinal cherry. After my first sip, the funk turns to brine. Dank kelp notes and smoked fish. Dilution showcased some salted caramel flavors. Sweet rice cakes and a lactic blue cheese note.

Palate - Absolutely oddball palate. I guessed it was an unfamiliar wine cask and definitely malt whisky. Hot and viscous. Jammy, stewed fruits. Prunes, dates, and cherries. Metallic copper and tin flavors like sweaty pocket change. The bounce between salt and fruit is extreme here and each sip presented both.

Finish - The finish was a bit more focused. Fruited friendship bread and yeast rolls. Toast with both butter and jam for that sweet and salty bite. I’m noticing now it’s slightly peated with some roasted seaweed flavors. Briney note lasts forever on the palate. A pleasant grilled pineapple tropical fruit flavor develops with a touch of water added. 

It’s a unique whisky and one that will get me to try more Ballechin in the future. A little less of the funky feet aroma though would be preferred!
    The second review of @santafeboutiquewines Willett The second review of @santafeboutiquewines Willett selections and their lone rye pick. Couple more bourbon picks in the pipeline but this "Billy the Kid" rye had my interest the most. 

At nearly 10 years old I was really curious how this would turn out. That's a lot of wonderful time in new charred oak and one of the oldest Willett distilled expressions I've seen at this point.

I enjoy my ~8 year old pick from Jack Rose but my all time favorite has still been the 90 proof "For the Bar at Willett" 4 year pick. (Can find those reviews on my website!)

Full notes are up on my website and r/bourbon #linkinbio Some quick notes below.

N - "Bourye" nose. Sweet rye, brown sugar, molasses. Preserved lemons and sweetened black sun tea.

P - Delicate rye. Dominate sweet molasses cookies, oats, and puffed barley cereal. Tangerines and grilled lemons. 

F - Dry pipe tobacco/humidor. Dry, long finish with dilution. Butterscotch, salted caramel. 

I think this is a good whiskey but just not as rye-forward as I'd like personally. Takes water well and is incredibly sweet for a rye but I guess at 10 years all of those vanillins and caramels have fully saturated this rye. 

Every once in a while, especially on the finish, you get those hearty rye notes but it needs more for me. Dive deeper into the black tea that I adore.

A bourbon drinkers kind of rye. Good whiskey, just not my Willett rye preference. 

Huge thanks to @cuznasty for the sample!

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#bourbon #rye #willett #willettfamilyestate #santafeboutiquewines #whiskey #review #whiskey
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