Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey (Batch #6, 47%, Distilled 10-6-04)

Appearance:

Rich gold.

Nose:

Buttery, almost caramel.

Palate:

The same rich, buttery flavor comes through, in the initial palate, but adding a few drops of water unleashes a burst of sweetness and adds a creamy dimension to the whiskey.

Finish:
The finish lingers pleasantly with hints of vanilla coming through.

Comment:

I wasn't overly enthusiastic with any American whiskey when compared to European counterparts, but Stranahan's has changed my mind. I'm really looking forward to the 2005 bottling and hopefully a visit to the distillery during my next trip to Denver.

Grade: A

The Glenlivet Nadurra 16yr (2006,Batch 0606A,57.2%)

Appearance:

Light gold.

Nose:

Honey & fruits (possibly pear). With water, distinctly more biscuity.

Palate:

Fiercely alcoholic with hints of smoke. With water a more floral flavor with the smoke almost completely dissipated.

Finish:
Only the alcohol induced warmth last initially but with the addition of some water, the mild biscuit flavors linger for almost a minute.

Comment:

While this is only the second cask strength scotch I've tried, I found it more approachable then the Macallen cask strength. Overall a very enjoyable drink on a frigid Minnesota night.

Grade: B+

Talisker 10yo (45.8%)

Appearance: Liquid clings like glue, producing legs which descend at medium pace.

Nose: Divine medley of seaweed, iodine, peat smoke, iron oxide, and stewed peaches. Nutty sherry beneath it all. Light scents of fresh biscuits.

Palate: Slightly grainy and well-rounded but firm. Soft, clean oak profile. Elegant peach fruitiness immediately mirrors that of the rich smokiness. Swift undertow of sharp salt and licorice. Peppery alcohol lends a fiery glow while complementing the campfire smoke and understated tarriness. Deep rooted seaweed struggles upward through the blanket of peat. Deeply smoked, but there's plenty of fruitiness to enhance it. Distinctly peppery. Medicinal characteristics numb the palate.

Finish: Of course the peat smoke lingers for an eternity, as nutty sherry and iodine provide additional complexity.

Comment: There's a stunning assortment of complexity in this dram, and what fun it is to explore the depths each and every time. An exceptional whisky.

Site Changes

I made a few changes to the layout yesterday, mostly to the graphics (or lack thereof) and fonts. Let me know if anything's hideous or if something doesn't appear correctly for you. I also stuck the "Topics" on the sidebar so that we wouldn't have to scroll to the bottom to find a specific post and shortened the number of posts appearing on the page, so that scrolling all the way down wouldn't be such a pain.

Also, I know I've probably missed adding some really good websites to our resource section below. If you have any that aren't on there, go ahead and add them and indicate whether it's a retail or information website.

Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Bourbon 10yo (53.5%)

Appearance:
Legs are eager to form before slowly drooping. Enticing viscosity.

Nose:
Super concentrated richness of leather, nutmeg, wet paint, cinnamon, custard and char. Bright and polished.

Palate:
Oily and dense; liquefied wax consistency. Brightly leathery with tobacco and spicy char, primarily. Dense layers of sweet honey-glazed tobacco and maple ooze forth as a dried-fruit twang lies buried beneath the richness. Oak never intrudes, but provides support by pillaring substantial weight. Weighty with a deeply satisfying sappiness which soothes the tongue and wedges itself within the spicy char and drying alcohol.

Finish: Char lingers and anchors cinnamon sticks and aniseed. Extremely long.

Comment: A late-at-night bourbon seemingly constructed for late-night pondering. Pure and decadent. Beautiful stuff.

Glassware Comparison

Some of you might remember my musings over glassware not too long ago. Well, I finally got my hands on a glass from Celtic Malts--for free!--and I've been fairly impressed so far. Prior to this acquisition I was using a large (10-12oz?) brandy snifter, which also comes in handy for much of my beer consumption. I will attempt to compare the two glasses over the next few reviews. Rather than writing a boring pros/cons list, here's my muddled thoughts as of this moment...

First, the snifter. The aroma amplification is insanely good, as you might expect with the giant bowl and narrow opening. The bowl is very large, which allows for a good contact area with my hand. If you like your whisky on the cool side, this might not be so good. Sturdy blown-glass construction and quite cheap--I don't think twice about throwing it in the dishwasher. Whiskey aromas come across very bright in the snifter, though I couldn't say if the aromas come across correctly. The major downside is the huge, stingy alcohol-nose that comes with using a glass with a giant bowl (evaporation rate and all that good stuff). Also, the tongue-coverage isn't perfect and a little swishing is required to really hit all the tastebuds.

And then the CM glass. The aroma amplification isn't quite as massive, but it's still forceful. Only when I go straight from the snifter to the CM glass do I initially have a problem with this. The bowl is smaller and I find it a little more difficult to properly warm the dram. Same blown-glass construction and it feels quite solid. This one was free, but at something like $8 retail, I'll be a little more hesitant to put this one in the dishwasher. Aromas are much more earthy in the CM glass: a dram of Talisker that was all about pepper in the snifter now has insane loam and peat aromas. Most notable of all the characteristics, nearly zero alcohol in the nose. Even my bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail has its alcohol tamed in the CM glass. That's 54.2%, by the way. Tongue-coverage is very nice and aided by the tulip-flare to the lip of the glass.

So, for now, I'm definitely getting more enjoyment out of the drams poured into the CM glass than my standard snifter. Like I said, I'll try to do some comparisons here to further illustrate the differences. I was never able to locate a quick and convenient method for ordering the CM glasses (a phone call seems to be required), but was fortunate enough to find out one of my wholesalers carries them and was given a free one when I brought up the subject.