Welcome to Nice Sipper
Weller Special Reserve
After quite a bit of a hiatus, Nice Sipper is back with a review of the much hyped (and price inflated) Weller Special Reserve. Is it worth all the fuss? If so, at what cost?
Maker’s Mark Private Selection
Next up is Maker’s Mark Private Selection by @TheWhiskyGuys of Gordon’s Wine. The private selection program at Maker’s allows you to pick a combination of 10 staves from 5 different stave groups. This creates 1,001 possible combinations of staves….click to read more about this alchemy….
Penny Blue XO Rum (Batch #2)
Summer’s coming to and end, but that doesn’t mean that rum season is coming to and end, especially with this versatile Mauritian Rum. Today we will be reviewing Penny Blue XO Batch #2….
SMWS 71.80 “Powershake”
Our next review is going back to the world of independent bottlers with another Scotch Malt Whisky Society release. This one is 71.80 “Powershake” which, according to the internet, comes from the Glenburgie distillery, owned by Pernod Ricard and predominantly used for blending. Let’s see if this release belongs in a blend or if it can stand up on its own as a Single Malt expression….
Bulleit Bourbon “Frontier Whiskey”
Today’s post is a trip down memory lane for me. Bulleit Bourbon is, largely, my bourbon origin-story, to put it in comic book parlance. Prior to this, I hadn’t purchased a bottle of Bulleit in a long time, but it was about time that I did a review on this staple release.
Mossburn Vintage Casks No. 21 Benrinnes 10 Year (Distilled in 2008)
Hitting up another independent bottler for a Speyside single malt scotch review — Mossburn Single Malt Vintage Casks No. 21, a Benrinnes 10 year old distilled in 2008 and bottled at cask strength. I have never had a scotch from Benrinnes before, so let’s see how it tastes….
Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon
Bourbon shot to punish your friends while you were in your early 20’s? Or a great value bourbon sipper to enjoy in adulthood?
Jefferson’s Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon
What better bottle to review on Independence Day than a bottle named after the man who wrote the document declaring America’s independence….Jefferson’s Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon.
RY3 Rum Cask Finish
Next up is a newer expression of a rye that I have really enjoyed over the past year or so – RY3 Blended Rye Rum Cask Finish. For those unfamiliar with this brand, get familiar with it! I really enjoyed the core release, which is a blended rye and I purchased a bottle of the Cognac Finish release for my Dad for his birthday this past Spring, so when I saw the Rum Finish, I had to give it a sip….
Putnam Rye & Putnam Rye Red Wine Barrel Finish
In honor of Father’s Day, the next review is for Putnam Rye made by Boston Harbor Distillery. I first had this bottle when my wife took me to the distillery for a tasting on my first Father’s Day after my oldest was born…On the 6 year(ish) Father's Day anniversary of my first visit, I thought it appropriate to do a double tasting of the rye and rye finished in red wine barrels….
Old Forester 1910 “Old Fine Whisky”
For the next review, we will revisit another Old Forester release from the Whiskey Row Series, the 1910 Old Fine Whisky. I really like Old Forester and previously reviewed a couple of 1920 Prohibition Style, but this will be the first time I’ve sipped the 1910…..
Old Elk Straight Bourbon 5 Year (store pick)
Next up is an Old Elk Straight Bourbon Whiskey 5 year old store pick from @thewhiskyguys at Gordon’s Wine in the Greater Boston area. This bourbon has a high amount of malted barley compared to rye, so I am intrigued….
GlenAllachie 10 Year Cask Strength (Batch 5)
Next we have The GlenAllachie 10 Year old to make back-to-back 10 year old Speyside scotches this week. The only other GlenAllachie I have tasted was the SMWS Oven-Ready Moomin that I reviewed a bit ago so I am interested to see how the core lineup compares to the single casks as this is also a cask strength (like SMWS)…..
Benromach 10 Year
Next up is a Benromach 10 Year old. I initially tasted this bottle over a year ago, albeit under the old label. Assuming that nothing has changed except for the marketing, let’s check it out….
SMWS G9.5 “Cargo Floating By A Varnished Boat”
Next up we will revisit another bottle from Scotch Malt Whisky Society, an independent bottler who I have done a few reviews on in the past. From all of my purchases, this one was a ginormous leap of faith on my part given the price point and the fact that it is a Single Grain Scotch Whisky, not a Single Malt. Let’s see how it went….
The Balvenie DoubleWood 12
For the next review, we will visit the Balvenie DoubleWood 12. I previously did a review on the 17 year old version of this release, but that’s a bit pricey these days, so let’s dig into the more affordable option, which is also their core product. Check out my previous reviews (here, here, or here) for some backstory on Balvenie and the DoubleWood releases and to see some of their other releases….but this single malt was first aged in American Oak and then in European Oak.
A Midwinter Nights Dream Act 7, Scene 6
Our next review is High West’s A Midwinter Nights Dram Act 7, Scene 6. As evidenced by the Forsythia in the picture, I am a bit late to review this one as the Forsythia is the harbinger of Spring for my area, but then again, I have never been one to limit my whiskey intake based on the season. …
Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength
The last Bottle Kill Week review is Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength. This was my first Glenfarclas and it was recommended to me by someone whose whiskey tastes I highly respect. I had been eyeing a few of their bottles for quite some time so I was easily persuaded to check out this release.
Barrell Rye 13 Year Canadian Rye Single Barrel Cask Strength
Barrell Craft Spirits is a new(er) whiskey maker. If you recall, one of my early reviews was for the company’s other label, Stellum, which focuses on younger and a more affordable price point. Barrell Bourbon and Barrell Ryes, however, tend to be more Batch focused with higher age statements, as well as a few staple labels that are ongoing releases (I’ll review more of those at a later date).
This particular release is a store pick from Gordon’s Wine. Barrel # L941 (Bottle No. 127) which is a 13 year old Canadian Rye which was aged both in Canada and in Kentucky…..
Glendalough 13 Year Mizunara Finished Single Malt
We will be tasting Glendalough 13 Year Mizunara Finished Single Malt for our fourth Irish Whiskey of the week.
Initially, my good friend mentioned this bottle to me as something he had heard from his local liquor store guy. I remembered reading about this bottle in Whisky Advocate so I bought one the next time I saw one in my own local store. I figured I would crack it when my friend visited next….but things kept coming up and then COVID happened and well, this is my long winded way of saying that this bottle has collected dust, unopened on my shelf for 3+ years now. What better time to crack it open than for my debut St. Patty’s Day Week of Tastings?