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Whisky
Tasting Journey: December 2006
By Brett
Calish
a “smattering” of bourbons |
If you’re a Scotch whisky
aficionado, and you’ve always turned
your nose up at the thought of bourbon,
it’s time to reconsider! After all,
bourbon (and other American whiskey) is
NOT Scotch’s poor relation. They are a
delicious alternative; sometimes sweet,
sometimes “bitey”, and in some ways more
authentic than Scotch. After all, some
Scotches put so much caramel color in
their whiskies; they could have started
out green, for all you know. But,
bourbon is pure. No artificial colors –
just corn, barley, rye &/or wheat (or
sometimes both), water, and yeast. What
you see (and taste) is what you get.
There are some excellent bourbons out
there.
Here’s a few:
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Buffalo Trace: A wonderful nose;
full of tangerines, a hint of
cinnamon, vanilla, and a
pronounced sponge cake essence.
Buffalo Trace has a very honeyed
palate, full of lively heat that
seems to dance around on the tongue.
My co-taster seemed to pick-up some
toffee, but that was lost on me. A
medium finish, Buffalo Trace seemed
to waft away with a spicy, toasty
goodbye. A classy bourbon, yet one
that I could drink all day
at a barbeque. |
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W.L.Weller 12:
A fresh, grassy nose gives way to a
slightly chewy body. The body
has a cereal character with
reminiscences of burnt almonds. To
me though, this one is about the
finish – the heat comes at you in
waves,
alternately tame and fierce. There
is vanilla here, and I just know
that I
picked-up a little marzipan as it
sat in my glass.
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Eagle Rare Single Barrel 10:
Wow! This is like drinking a
carnival, which may not make much
sense, until you nose this. Candy
corn, raspberries,
lavender, french
toast (without the syrup), cotton
candy, with soft burnt caramel
undertones. To use a technical term:
very yummy. The caramel on the
palate doesn’t disappoint, and
neither does the finish, full of
orange zest, the missing maple
syrup, and unpopped popcorn kernels.
A beautifully complex bourbon. Get
some!
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Blanton’s Single Barrel: An
earthy nose, full of hay, and
something that reminded me
of a New York egg cream. The
Blanton’s had flavors of licorice
and
roasted nuts, with a nice medium
body, and a dry, warming toffee
finish.
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Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 20:
Tastes much younger than its age.
There’s
oranges in the initial nosing that
give way to a sweeter oak with
water. The vanilla and peppermint
flavors on the palate carry over
into the finish, and help tame the
heat. If you like your whiskeys
straightforward, then this is the
bourbon for you.
Questions or comments are welcome, I can be reached at
brett@whiskyguild.com |
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Nov
06 |
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