High West Rendezvous Rye

Grade: B+

Type: American, Rye

Age: N/A

ABV: 46.00%

Price: $56

Availability: Better Whiskey Stores

This expression is a vat of 6 year 95% rye from Indiana and a 16 year 80% rye from Kentucky. The nose is floral with rye spice and tree bark. The palate is spicy but a little different than a typical rye, lots of wood, nice sweet balance, dried barley. The finish is full of heat but in a pleasant way, tastes like a cask strength rye with a great balance and a lot of character. A must try for rye lovers

Bushmills 10 Single Malt

Grade: C+

Type: Ireland, Single Malt

Age: 10 yrs

ABV: 40.00%

Price: $40

Availability: Wide

The palate has that floral grassy nose that I frequently get with Irish whiskey, malty. The palate is fruity and dry, sweet, malted balls. The finish is medium with more floral notes. This is slightly better than the standard Bushmills expression

Angel’s Envy

Grade: B-

Type: American, Bourbon, Kentucky

Age: N/A

ABV: 43.00%

Price: $44

Availability: Wide

This is a bourbon that was finished in port pipes. The nose has a lot of wine on it and quite floral. The palate is woody with more wine berries and dried fruit, though very light on all of the above mentioned. Nothing really stands out as a significant quality or taste. The finish is faint with the slightest taste of port. This is a very drinkable expression but not complex at all and hardly worth the money when considering the other options in this price range.

Colorado Gold Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Grade: B-

Type: America, Bourbon, Colorado

Age: N/A

ABV: 45.00%

Price: $55

Availability: Not available yet in many states

Here is a nice blend of corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley. The corn is the dominating ingredient. The nose is mostly rye with some roasted corn. The palate has some nice maple/brown sugar and honey to it. The finish is light and sweet, smooth and tasty. This is actually a decent craft bourbon here. I stress this because I have sampled many “craft” bourbons that are just terrible. I do think this expression is worth trying.

Jameson 12

Grade: C+

Type: Irish, Blend

Age: 12 yrs

ABV: 40.00%

Price: $43

Availability: Wide

The nose is almost nonexistent, has some sweet malt. The palate is grainy, floral and orange. The finish is fast and has a touch of sour fruit to it. Overall it’s and easy drinking expression. There just isn’t  much going on here….outside of boredom.

George Dickel No. 12

Grade: C

Type: American, Whisky, Tennessee

Age: N/A

ABV: 45.00%

Price: $23

Availability: Wide

The nose is great and has some nice maple and spice to it, reminds me a bit of the JD single barrel. The palate is a different story, kind of bland with a slight bit of rye and spicy sweetness, almost like a cheap syrup. The finish has some sort of burned flavor to it, burned caramal maybe. Not much is going on here and slightly offensive in the finish. I’m not a buyer.

Great King St. Artist’s Blend

Grade: B

Type: Scotland, Blended

Age: N/A

ABV: 43.00%

Price: $43

Availability: Better Whiskey Stores

The nose of this has a lot of fruit and white wine, splendid nose. The palate has vanilla, oak, and lots of spice. There is even a touch of sherry here. The finish is short but very pleasant. This expression is made by Compass Box. Considering that this is a blend and with the price….this expression is a steal.

Chivas Regal Royal Salute

Grade: B+

Type: Scotland, Blended

Age: 21 Yrs

ABV: 40.00

Price: $170

Availability: Wide

The nose on this has some fresh berries and chocolate with a dash of spice. The palate is well ballanced and rich, silky, fruit, raisins, malty. The finish is long and has some orange to it. This stuff really does caress the tongue and is by far one of the best blends I have tasted in this price range.

Duncan Taylor Bladnoch 23 Yr

Grade: B

Type: Scotland, Single Malt, Lowland

Age: 23 Yrs

ABV: 54.00%

Price: $155

Availability: Limited Run

The nose on this is dark chocolate and port. The palate is rich, lots of port flavors, syrup, cream sherry, nice ballance here and a lot of complexity. The finish lingers for a long time, the richness coats the entire mouth. This tastes almost like a big vintage port. A lot of complexity here, I would say that this expression would make for a great dessert malt.

Arran Single Cask Sherry

Grade: B+

Type: Scotland, Single Malt, Island

ABV: 56.60%

Age: 9 Yrs

Price: $90

Availability: Limited Run/Semi Rare

Cask Number 69, Bottle 316/592, Distilled 03/02/98 Bottled 28/08/07…….. The nose on this is sherry, sweetened raisins, spiced rum cake. On the palate there is a massive amount of sherry, spicy sweet syrup, pancakes. The finish is medium and goes down like a high end dessert wine. If you have not ever tried one of these single cask expressions by Arran, I highly suggest that you give one a taste. Esp. the sherry expressions