Lagunitas Sucks

Hey, don't blame me.  That's what they called it.  The "story" about the name is in the fine print on the label.  I'm 99% sure it is just a bunch of bull so I won't bother with it here.

Pretty typical Lagunitas.  Fairly hoppy, a decent ale flavor, and a bit of sweetness to this one.  Not bad.  Not as good as what I was drinking earlier in the day, but the variety was good.  I'd drink this any day, but I don't think I'll be buying it again for myself.

Cheers,
Andy

Flying Money El Matador

This was a very interesting drink..  An Imperial Rye Ale, aged in Spanish Cedar.  Definitely has some of the wood aged feel of a barrel aged product, but the cedar is a little different.  A little softer, a little rosier.  More sandalwood type feeling.  As it was cold, it was very, very smooth.  The more it warmed, it picked up more of the typical rye bite and harshness.  Now, I happen to like the taste of rye, so I was good with that.  I was also pretty great with the smooth feeling as well.

Let's just say I went back and bought another bottle.

Cheers,
Andy

Ommegang Three-Eyed Raven

Another beer?  It's like I keep forgetting to document what I'm really doing or something.

Anyway, this is an interesting tie-in to Game of Thrones, and with the season 5 finale yesterday, sure.  It describes itself as a Dark Saison Ale.  I'll buy that description.  It was a little more malty and rye grainy than I would describe any Saison, but I also wouldn't call any other Saison I've seen a 'dark'.  It reminded me of a richer, thicker Negra Modelo.  If you know me, that is one of my all time favorite beers.  Unfortunately for this, part of that is the way the Modelo gives the maltiness without the weight.  All in all, this was a fairly full and filling beer.  Nothing bad with that, but it is probably more suited when winter is coming than during the middle of June.

As it is, this is recommended and perfectly amusing to watch characters that you get invested in get killed off.

Few Barrel Gin

Weird!

Gin that has been aged in a barrel.  Take a whiff... it is gin, but there's more going on.  There's a nice little bit of whisky-like oaks and vanilla type things on the nose, but not a ton.  Just enough to let you know that something is going on.

Drinking it neat, it is kinda odd.  I don't drink a lot of gin neat, and it doesn't work quite like a whisky there.  As I don't really like drinking gin neat, no surprise that neat doesn't really work for me here.  But there is enough interesting going on that you think "this is gonna be great for something."  My problem has been that I have no idea what that something would be.

Gin and Tonic.  Nope. Nope, nope, nope.  Get that taste out of my mouth.  ugh.

Manhattan...  now lets's talk.

This worked pretty darned well.  It was a nice blend back towards a good martini from the manhattan.  However, the cherries after sitting in Gin for a half hour were not good.  Added great flavor to the drink, but not good on their own.

Up next, maybe a Negroni?  I need to pick up some Compari.

Blanch de Namur

Again, not much of a beer reviewer, but this was really tasty.  A rich and deep wheat forward Belgian with some nice pepper and citrus notes.  Surprisingly lightly carbonated, mouthfeel was almost more like a nice wine.  Had to go back to Costco and pick up a couple of bottles.

Cheers,
Andy

Lot 40 Canadian, Second Review.

No more release year on the bottle, purchased 4/2015

Nose: vanilla, toffee, alcohol, menthol, young wood.

Palate: sharp tannins, vanilla, toffee caramels,

Finish: harsh, bitter menthol.  Hits really high and hot on the back of the tongue.

Normally, I have no intention of doing a second review... But this new bottle is way different than the 2012 release.  That stuff was great.  I loved it.  See the previous review.  This is similar.  Similar nose, but a younger feel to it.  The palate has a ton of the same notes, but is a lot sharper.  The finish on the new stuff, however, is horrible compared to the first.  I wonder if there is a lot of batch variation, or if they are just trying to capitalize on the success of that first trial of good stuff.  I went out of my way to purchase this, it isn't available in Michigan.  Really disappointed.

As I still had a sample bottle, here is a little head to head comparison...  The older has a great tobacco type note, like you went into a fine lounge where somebody had a nice pipe or cigar.  In the newer, that tobacco note feels like you went to a dive bar and somebody smoked a pack of menthols and blew the smoke at you for a couple of hours. Familial resemblance, but not the same thing.  The finish on the older is also hot and spicy, but it is a warming glow through the mouth, not the fiery belch as the newer.  Don't get me wrong, the new stuff is still pretty good, but it isn't great. It also doesn't represent the price point the way the other stuff did at all. 

WhiskyFest 2015

Just a quick bit of notes from the event… I’m sure I’ll write more later, specifically when I do a further examination of any of these whiskies, but not right now. Some basic Stars (1-5) rating below.  This mostly does not reflect value, some of these are horrible values, but still pretty good drinks.

Sampled:

High West Midwinter Night’s Dram ****

Koval Barrel Strength Rye *

Redbreast 21yr. ****

Forty Creek Confederation Oak ***

Forty Creek Evolution ***

Crown Royal XR Lasalle ***

Old Forester 2014 Birthday Bourbon **

Redemption Rye 7yr. ***

Woodford Reserve Pinot Noir *

Woodford Reserve Rye **

Clyde May’s Special Reserve *

Larceny (in Seminar) ***

Bernheim Original Wheal 7yo (in Seminar) **

Parker’s Heritage Collection Original Batch Wheat (in Seminar) ***

Heaven Hill Select 8yo Cognac Cask Finished (in Seminar) *****

Hibiki 17 *****

Nikka Coffey Grain ****

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof ****

Jefferson’s Ocean Aged *

Michter’s US1 Sour Mash **

Hudson Whiskey Maple Cask *

Jim Beam Distiller’s Masterpiece ****

Jim Beam Harvest Collection Rolled Oat ***

Jim Beam Harvest Collection High Rye ***

J.P.Wiser’s Rye (in Seminar) ***

J.P.Wiser’s 18yr (in Seminar) ****

Pike Creek (in Seminar) ***

Lot 40 (in Seminar) ****

Don’s Phd Blend (in Seminar) ****

J.P.Wiser’s 30yr (in Seminar) *****

Glenfarclas Family Cask 1984 *****

Few Rye ***

Few Barrel Aged Gin ***

Few Single Malt ****

Overall, an excellent time and some very interesting whiskies were sampled.  The ones that struck me most (Heaven Hill Select, Wiser’s 30yr, and Few Single Malt) are sadly all completely unavailable to me.  The one that I figured I’d have a shot at was the Few.  Unfortunately, the two stores that I looked at downtown had both been cleaned out of that.  I won't mention that I did rescue some of that Wiser's 30 year...

Henry McKenna 10yo BiB

Nose: peaches, leather, and spice.  Some tobacco and dark tea.

Palate: chewy leather, tannins, good spice with darker burnt sugars.  Plenty of heat but not burn feelings.

Finish: long and strong. Holding on to the bitter tannins and stronger tea and leathers.  Thick and full mouthfeel, even long after it is gone.  Strong, and if you happen to like what it is doing, you will enjoy it.  If the bitterness gets to you, it will be a stain you have trouble cleaning off.

I like this.  It isn't in my top pantheon of great values, as I like more Carmel and vanilla in my flavor profile, but it is a great drink at a good price point.  It is also a bottled in bond whiskey, which is a great identifier of at least a pretty strong indication of attempt at quality.  At 10 years, it is also getting on in years.  Made by Heaven Hill, they are the current kings of old whisky, even though many of those are too old for my tastes.

New Trombone Parts

New to the herd...  A complete Shires Bell section.

Specifics:
-Traditional rotors.  Not my favorite, but surprisingly open and nimble.
-BII 7YM Screw Bell. Feels pretty stout, unlacquered.  Has a nice vibrancy and solidity.
-C drawn Tuning Slide.  I only briefly played a B, and never back-to-back so I cannot really comment.

Overall a nice sounding, solid and full bass trombone with my Edwards Dual-Bore Orchestral Weight slide.  I'll have to try this with my Standard Bach slide, but I'm thinking this will be the winner.  The valves aren't as open as my Thayers (duh.), but they have plenty of punch down low and only are a hair slower responding.  That is really picking nits, but it is enough that I do have to think about it when sliding around down there.  I wasn't planning on this being a horn that I had... the valve section came on a trade.  I tried to move it, but not very hard.  This flare and tuning slide just came up as an opportunity that was too good to pass up.  I may eventually sell the entire bell section, but it will be a good horn to blow for a while as I re-work my dual thayer Bach.

Cheers,
Andy

George T. Stagg 2014

Huge, big nose.  Can't contain itself to the glass.  For the high proof, surprisingly little alcohol.  I find I have to be careful with most whiskies not to just blow my nose away with the alcohol and sneak up to get the hidden vapors.  Not this guy, smells like there is a big ball of caramel taffy sitting on top of the liquid. Caramel, taffy, cotton candy, vanilla, honey... Name your sugar and it is sitting right there.  I'm not a huge nose guy, but just sniffing this stuff is almost enough to leave you happy.  On drinking, all those big sugar flavors take a full frontal assault on your tongue.  Straight over the front and top it engages everything.  And it is hot.  Tingly through the whole mouth, even with the tiniest of sip.  Here is the odd part for me... I experience zero burn from it.  All that heat does not translate into a burn.  Just a rich peppery-ness to pair with the abundance of sweet richness in all of those caramel and vanilla flavors.  Either by itself would be way too much and would make you want to gag. But together, man they are locked arm in arm and taking full command of your mouth.  You will have no other tastes before them.  Nor after them.  The finish is long.  Like get your stopwatch out and amuse yourself for just how long it lasts. It is truly ridiculous.

How I'm drinking: tiny pours, savoring every last drop. Heck, I'll be licking my glass now.

Value? Ha. Yeah right.  Would I buy it again? Yup. Bought the first and only bottle I was offered at my local haunt.  I've purchased BTAC from them before, but usually the Handy.  I like the Handy, it is tasty.  But this is in another world, man. I'm on the in now with my local place.  I hope to stay there.  This is probably the best bottle I've ever purchased. Over the Van Winkles that I used to get before the crazy increase, above the Handy or Sazerac.  My all-time favorite is probably either the PHC promise of Hope or a W.L. Weller from a few years back. I've had some Stagg before during a sampling and at a WhiskyFest, but this is my first bottle.  Granted, I don't hunt.  I didn't even ask for this when it was offered.  I was however, buying another bottle of the PHC wheat, mainly because they still had it and it is darned good, but you might already know that.

Parker's Heritage Collection 2014 Wheat Whiskey

Nose: burnt sugars, a little cough syrup, fresh baked bread. Even though this is a wheat whisky, I find the fresh bread to be really interesting.

Taste: spicy and warm, with lots of interesting spices.  Some peppers, but not a normal ground black pepper.  Maybe more of a Chinese type ground white pepper.  Some slight anise and cardamom. I don't notice any cloves and cinnamon notes are way to the back.  While very similar to most whisky profiles, it feels like an inverse look at all the spice flavors with everything shown like a photographic negative.  Extremely recognizable, but still foreign.  Interestingly, I feel like this (along with last year's release) really benefits from breathing a little bit.  The nose gets a nicer, softer feel to it. The heat becomes more fierce, more intense.  The sweets become more luscious and candy like, forming a nice thick rope of toffee and caramel, still rolled in that interesting spice drop mixture. To me this seems to change more than a lot of others.  Most often, I'll pour a glass of something and sip on it over more than an hour.  After a half hour of air time, I don't notice a lot of change in most drinks.  This is about the time the window seems to open for the PHC for me.

Back to my normal rattling on, the finish is the nice long finish you would expect at this price point.  Gently balanced with a pleasant oakiness that lasts for as long as you are willing to pay attention to it.

Overall, I was very surprised by this.  I don't like Bernheim Wheat.  Kinda hate it, to be honest.  I've kept trying it at tastings over the last 6-8 years, but it has never been interesting to me.  I always think, 'that would be a great mixer.'  This extra age has immensely helped.  As always, a nice bit of work by the Heaven Hill gang.  My initial thought on this one was that it was clearly a high quality product with a lot of interesting flavors.. I just wasn't sure if I liked it.  After about a third of the bottle down, I'm in love with the stuff.  There is far less left now.  Great flavors, great balance, delivered with just enough subtlety and fire.

Dickel Single Barrel

Nose: notes of anise and cough medicine. Not nasty medicinal, more like comforting medicine.  Tingly on lips and tongue, bitter and ashen on the swallow.  Again, with the quality here it isn't unpleasant, but it is a different taste to most bourbons. Sweetness is more toffee than caramel, but everything comes with the ashen smokiness over it.  If you have fond memories of somebody smoking, particularly having a drink, I find it reminiscent of that.  For me, I'm reminded of my father (who on the record didn't smoke), having a bourbon and water while the kitchen sink was smoking nearby.  That said, while working my way through a glass, the smoke and char flavors tend to add up and coat the inside of my mouth.  Much like you used to have to abandon the clothes that you wore out to the bar when they stank of smoke, your mouth may need a cleanser after this.

I drank most of this a shot at a time over a nice sized ice cube.  Water opened it up a little and the temperature took the edge off of the ash flavors.  This was a selection that lasted almost a year on my shelf.  I rarely reached for it as a desire, but grabbed it when I just wanted something and didn't want to sit and savor it.

Final remarks, it was good, probably a decent value in the upper $30s.  Interesting to sample for a little something different. Not sure I'll intentionally pick up another bottle without a specific recommendation on a barrel.

Michters Unblended American Whiskey (posted 02/13/2015)

Nose: Rich caramel, cloves, vanilla

Palate: Full of caramel and vanilla.  Good dose of spice, with clove and some anise.  Some pepper-y taste, but not too hot.

Finish: Warm and spicy.  If I am looking for flaws, it leans into the anise and becomes a hair bitter.

Last whiskey I reviewed was obviously flavored.  This is a spot for the whiskey I would least be surprised to learn uses artificial flavoring and coloring.  Talking to the Michter’s rep at some event, they call it ‘American’ because they don’t use all new oak barrels.  This company is shady enough that I don’t believe he knows any more about their production than what is printed on the bottle (which, oddly enough, contains a reference to their proprietary filtering process).  They don’t make anything; they are a non-distiller producer.  However, time and again, the stuff they put in bottles is delicious.  This stuff is nice, and it is at a mostly reasonable price point and compares nicely to others there, so I’ll continue to support it until they do something so stupid that I have to move on.

Clyde May's Conecuh Ridge

Nose: Apple, Apple pie spice, alcohol

Palate: Apple and burn, butterscotch, some hint of baking spices.

Finish: Burn and still more apple.

Ugh.  I really should not have bought this one.  First, it is geographically challenged. It is ‘Clyde May’s secret Alabama Recipe.’ BUT-- it is distilled in Kentucky, bottled in Florida, and owned by a Texas company.  Also note the words Bourbon and or Rye do not appear anywhere on this bottle.  This is a flavored whisky product, and it isn’t good.  Tons of burn at only 86 proof, and even ice and water don’t help that.  I’m sure I could use this as a mixer of some sort, but who knows in what.  I already have good apple pie liquor if I want something like that.  This has way too much burn to just play with.  Maybe an old-fashioned could make it work, given enough sugar, but it already starts fairly sweet as well.  I have to remember when my taste is better than those that are giving the recommendation.  Side note: does anything that is actually good come in this shape bottle?  I’ve got three not really good whiskies, all in this shape bottle.  Maybe the other stuff from Clyde May’s is OK, but they won’t likely be getting any of my money.  It is hard to pull that trigger a second time after getting burned. Additional note, my favorite store was out of both Elmer T. Lee AND Wiser’s Legacy.  Ouch.  Not that I’m in a bad place needing stuff to drink, but that hurts.  I should have stuck with my gut and just picked up a bottle of the new Beam Bonded like I wanted to.  I didn’t want him to have to get the ladder out, so I took his suggestion.  Remember: sometimes you know what you like and what you want to take home.

Free to a good home.

Hidden Lake Scotch & Whiskey Club

This group hosts an annual event that has been growing to crazier levels.  Fantastically crazy.  This years event featured a fully catered meal, a live band, and a guest speaker, Ricky Crawford from Glenlivet.  Wow.

Let's start with the food selections:
-Prosciutto & Melon
-Tuna
-Filet of Beef with Brioche and Horseradish
-Oyster Sliders
-Chicken and Lettuce Wraps
-Beef Tips and Crostini
-Chocolate truffles

Each 'station' was paired with a selection of whiskies.  If I were smarter, I would have cataloged them all.  As it is, I recall some of what I sampled, so a brief rundown of where I went on each table, respectively:
-Glenmorangie Nector d'Or -Port finished.  Very sweet and smooth, there were five up here, but I didn't come back to it.
-Aberlour 12, a NAS Aberlour limited release, and the Auchentoshan Triple Wood.
-Glenfiddich 19 -Very nice, good spice and a nice sharp kick.
-I avoided the oyster, but did sample the Tallisker Storm.  Nice salt and brine with these selections, which also included Lagavulin 16.
-Forget which brand, but a nice Suntory 10/12 year here.  Three Japanese whiskies available at this station.
-American Whisky table (mostly), Woodford, Elijah 12, Famous Grouse, Johnny Walker Black, and a Four Roses Single Barrel.  I went with the Four Roses and never looked back.
-A Speyside Table, I went with a Tomatin and a really nice Glenfarclas 12.  Probably my favorite of the table selections of the evening.

Glenlivet presentation:
-Nadurra. Nice spicy cask strength whisky.  Were it not for the next one, this would have been my favorite on the night.
-Aberlour Abundah. Great cask strength beauty here, only this time as a full Sherry Bomb.  Needs a good dolop of water, but so nice even at full strength.
-Glenlivet 18.  Stands as an excellent brand, Ricky gave a great speech for why this is his favorite, and I could support that as a daily drinker for the rest of time for anybody.

But wait, there's more....  Everybody brings a bottle.  Picture below is of the bar when they were beginning to be rounded up at the end of the night.  There was a great selection here, and surprisingly little overlap.  The exception to that being there were 3 or 4 bottles of Balvenie 12 Double Wood.  Which, I'm ok with that, it is a pretty great whisky, particularly for me as more of an American Whisky fan.  Some selections that I noticed:
-Whistlepig 10
-Balvenie 14 Caribbean Cask
-Balvenie 15 Single Cask
-Basel Hayden's
-Macallan 12
-Glenmorangie Astar
-Glenmorangie Taghta
-Several Dahlwhinnies
-Nikka 17 (My contribution)

All told, there were in the neighborhood of 50 whiskies here.  I may have sampled 15.  Gotta be careful at these tastings.  Really easy to go overboard.  Takes restraint to take small glasses and to sip or not finish some.  I didn't find anything that I didn't like this time, which is surprising, as I do dislike certain flavor profiles in Scotch, but I must have chosen well.

All in all, an excellent evening hosted by an excellent group of guys.  If you meet them, you are sure to have a great time.

Cheers,
Andy

Sophie - Goose Island

Sunday was a football day, so beer seemed to be in order.  As has been noted, I love the variety available from Costco.  Particularly the Belgian style, which fits right in my wheelhouse.

Nose: sharp wheat and a slightly aggressive yeast

Palate: Definitely a soft wheat ale, but not as polished as many macro-type.  Fitting for a self styled "Belgian Farmhouse Ale"

Finish: pretty clean with a slight bitter tweak.

I  like this beer.  Very nice and slightly better to my palate than its' sibling, Matilda.  I'm not sure if I would choose it blind over the La Fin du Monde, but it is a good beer and beats most of what I'd be willing to stock most of the time.

Cheers,
Andy

The Mitten- Virtue Cider

Not and overly documented review today.  Still have a little lingering cold that is preventing me from full tasting and nosing.  Hence, not much to review recently, as I've just been drinking from my well decanter.

Anyway, this was a bourbon barrel aged cider that I had been looking at for a while.  With the label and the bourbon barrel aging, it was screaming for Andy to try it.  Josh over at Sipology blog recommended it. I find a good portion of my tastes line up with Josh's fairly well and I trust his reviews pretty strongly.  Also, his basic format is a lot of my influence so far for this.  That isn't where I specifically want to go with this, but I haven't had time to put that together yet.  Nevertheless, I picked up some of this cider at Costco.

Nose: Tart apples, lots of effervescence.  I think this bottle was a little over carbonated, frankly.

Palate:  Not too sweet, definitely a lot of nice tart apple.  Fairly dry.  A surprising lack of any bourbon barrel influence.

Finish: Maybe a bit of alcohol and a hint of the bourbon barrel spices here, but otherwise just a fairly straightforward cider.

This wasn't to sickly sweet like so many ciders can be.  For $16-17 or so, it is a pretty decent drink and wouldn't be out of place to be served as a fancy champagne like item when you don't want to use a sparkling wine because they suck.  The slightly cloudy appearance of the cider may be a knock against this for use in that role, but it was a nice drink with my salmon caesar salad.

Cheers,
Andy

Dead Bear Brewery

Well, when in Rome.  Or more precisely, when in Grayling, Michigan..  There happens to be a brewery right in front of the Days Inn where I had a room.

The Dead Bear Brewery.

Decor is not much, pretty 'rustic cabin' type stuff, but not too tacky.  They had a good selection of not just their own, but other Michigan Brews.  A few Short's, Dark Horse, Bell's, and a couple of others as well.  I wanted to sample a bunch, but it was late and I had to work early in the morning, so I just had one.  I tried their Hefeweizen, and it was pretty good.  Not a ton of depth, but no nasty off flavors and a very clean finish.  This would work great for a spring summer outside workin' beer.

I also ate there.  Menu had some sandwiches, a couple of steaks, and some homestyle favorites.  I had an open face Ribeye sandwich and my traveling partner had the meatloaf.  The meatloaf came out with a nice stack of onion rings on it.  I knew I was going to be OK when the waitress thanked me for ordering the ribeye rare.  It wasn't a ton of food, but it was a nice portion for only $11.

I'd eat there again.  Especially if I have to go to that supplier again.

Lot 40 Canadian Whisky

Nose: mint, leather, rye grain.  Slight cloves and spice, but not overpowering.  It opens up nicely, a little tingly on the nose.

Palate: smooth, not oily. A gentle rest onto the middle of the tongue.  Sweet rye and spice, smooth grass and whole grain. 

Finish is long and lingering, never gets too bitter, stays balanced as it gently fades away.  The peppermint is a low undercurrent throughout, never dominating and running away like some ryes, just gently supporting the earth and spice.  Not that this is terribly earthy like many Single Malts, but it is present.

A very nice drink at an immensely drinkable proof that requires nothing more than an open bottle.  I surprise myself continually when I reach past the Four Roses limited edition to drink this.  Although this isn't available in my state, I will find myself going out of my way to get more again very soon.  At ~$45 bucks, the value is pretty amazing as well for a relatively sought after whisky.  It is almost enough to push it into the daily drinker category, but I'm still a little too cheap for that.

Elmer T. Lee

Nose: spice and wood. Slightly pepper minty.

Palate: spice, a bit of heat with an undercurrent of rich caramel. Not terribly sweet, but sweet enough to balance the bite.

Finish: nice and long, drifting towards the tingling heat and the caramelized sugars. A twinge of vanilla that has been lurking throughout shines a bit near the end. Reminds me of swallowing the last bite of creme brûlée.

You know those things that fit right, those old slippers, that comfy pair of pants, that but groove in your couch.  That's where I am with ETL.  I've mentioned it a lot before, but this is the first time focusing on it.  I love this stuff. It is great for the price point, readily available, and always delivers. If I had to choose only one bourbon to have constant access to at retail price for the rest of my days, this would probably be it.

Jack Daniel's Single Barrel

Nose: old wood and leather with a bit of smoke.

Palate: sweet spice, leather, and a bit of ash and oak with varnish

Finish: short, slightly acidic, and a mouthful of just whisky.

I actually kinda like this bottle.  Not a fan of regular JD, even the gentleman Jack leave me with a mouth full of ash and smoke. This doesn't do that. It is there, but just as an accent flavor.  It is pretty sweet, but we knew that with Brown Forman, right?  There is a lot of similarity with the Woodford Reserve profile. Not a bad thing for this, but not a ringing endorsement for the price point either. This bottle came to me as a 'liberated' open bottle from a tasting by the Detroit Wine Organization.  Hey, they can't re-seal it and offer it anywhere else, right? 

Caribou Crossing

Nose: soft rye bread, light cinnamon spice.  Very subtle nose, not much there.

Palate: sugary sweet, mellow and even. Spice is very minimal.  Unimpressive, but inoffensive.

Finish: no burn, light tingling. Still pretty sweet.

So, this is a Canadian whisky offering from buffalo trace.  See, BT named themselves after a buffalo crossing, and this is their Canadian whisky... Get it? Ha.

Not bad stuff, but nothing to write home about. Got this on a whim and a recommendation from a store owner (over on Woodward).  Another customer came in while I was browsing and bought a couple of bottles as it had been out of stock.  I was not overly impressed.  I am also quite unimpressed with the other two selections recommended to me by this owner.  Side note, I'm not going to bother with this store anymore.  I'll stick to our buddies at the Canopy in Brighton from now on.  Not to say that this is bad, quite contrary, it is pretty good.  Just it isn't anything special and the price tag is too much for what it delivers.

Parker's Heritage Collection Promise of Hope (2013)

Nose: thick spice, deep caramel, luscious vanilla.  Big, big, nose.

Palate: matches the nose beautifully.  Full caramel, vanilla, some chocolate.  All topped with a dash of cinnamon, some cloves, and some allspice and pepper.  Full flavor bourbon.  The caramel feels more dominant to me, but man is it tasty.

Finish: tingly and peppery, a nice compliment to the candy sweet nose and palate. 

This not only supports a great cause, much more palatable than dumping ice water on your head, but is an all time great whisky.  In the words of Heaven Hill Brand Ambassador, Bernie Lubbers, "greatest there is and there won't be another quite like it!" This was in response to me complimenting Craig on having made this a fantastic product, Bernie leaned over with that response and filled my glass.  This was at WhiskyFest in Chicago. I normally only go for things that I am unfamiliar with there, but I made my way over there, specifically for this.  Darned is it tasty.  I really wish I had bought more.  This was my last sip of my saved sample.

Four Roses Single Barrel Limited Edition 2013

Nose: rich and velvety, decent amount of alcohol, as should be expected given the obscene proof of this. Chocolate and cinnamon stick out to me, along a solid backdrop of oak and leather.

Palate: hot fire and cinnamon. Pretty intense, water tames it some, and opens some caramel bits, but it is a fun drink a full strength.  While it is hot and intense, it isn't too much.  Doesn't feel like varnish being applied to your teeth, just like a nice hot candy. Funny note, I hate red hots and other similar candies, but love this stuff.  Dunno, maybe I need to revisit that policy.

Finish: nice and long, twisting towards bitter, but never unpleasant. Picks up a little tang that is escaping me right now, but I want to say it is related to the yeast strain.

For all the great press that the 2012 and 2013 small batch limited editions got, I found this to be better for me in a blind tasting.  Dunno, maybe I liked the higher proof and the hotter feel, maybe just the extra push of chocolate did it for me?  Also no bottle picture of this.  The tasting this evening is coming out of the sample library, which is soon to be sent away to its' intended target. The bottle for this was gone probably last April or May. 

Block Brewing

As I have been made aware of my audience, I have been negligent in keeping updated.  The new place in town here, Block Brewing, has been a hang-out of sorts in the last couple weeks.  Three meals and a couple of Beers.  I don't take detailed notes when eating with friends, so that's not going to appear here.  Anyway, a sampling of some beers that I had of theirs:

Hop Genius
Love Me
These two were very hoppy... not my favorite category.  Drinking partner Dr. Green and White really enjoyed the contrast between the hop notes, with one being more citrus-y, but I unfortunately cannot remember which.  Both seemed very hop forward without much other flavor.  No real off-notes, but just a bit bitter without much of a pay-off for me.  Good, but if I want hoppy, I want a Two-Hearted.

Atlas Amber
Pretty good amber ale, good robust beer flavor without anything offensive to it.  Decently bitter and interesting.  Had a pair of these on my second visit.

Cross-Eyed Moose
Transporter
?Blackout Stout?
Not 100% sure this was the stout that I had, but I think so.  There wasn't as much contrast with these three as I think there should have been given the descriptions, but they were all solid malty beers with nice dark roasty flavors.  The coffee flavoring of one of them was nice, but for something billed as a coffee flavor, I want more coffee forward.

Now, I've heard good things about a couple others, but they were out both days I was in there.  For reference, those are the Blood-Red Orange IPA, the Blonde, and the Black IPA.

For food, they focus on Barbecue. They did, however, keep the pretzel sticks and cheese from the old Shark Club menu.  My son and his little friends greatly appreciate that. I got the 'Big Block Burger' twice and the Brisket sandwich once.  I also saw/sampled the pulled pork sandwich.  All pretty solid.  The variety of sauces is nothing to write home about, but they are good.  I found the Texas Hot to be most to my liking with the beef, though the others worked well too.  The Kid's mac and cheese was huge and pretty darned good.  I was stealing forkfuls of that with a little dip in the sauces.  I saw a pizza at the next table that looked pretty decent as well.

Altogether, my expectations were very low... I thought this place was doomed.  The Shark Club always had great beer selection, but the atmosphere was horrible and the food was just OK.  The atmosphere is 100% better with a nice new dark wood interior and better tables.  The food is good, though perhaps a more limited menu.  They still have a handful of rotating taps for other craft brews, and the selection was more than decent, but not the expansive list that the Shark Club had.  I really hope these guys can make this a successful place.  Can't beat the location from my house and it is way easier to get the family in and out of there than most other places around.

Cheers,
Andy

Eagle Rare 10YO

(Canopy select barrel)

Nose: nice spices, cinnamon, pepper, clove.  Plenty of hotter pepper; cayenne, crushed red pepper, paprika type.  Pretty minimal on the vanilla and caramel tones.  There is plenty of alcohol, especially for 45%, but it is a good whisky alcohol strong nose.

Palate: delivers exactly what the nose promises.  The pepper is flavorful, but not too hot.  Easy to sit and hold or sip this one.  Fades to some more minty flavors after the pepper and spice rush.  The vanillas and caramels really do play a side role in this whisky,

Finish: well in line with the nose and palate.  Still fading to the minty notes. Never turns bitter or acidic. Also turns hotter, but not unpleasantly so.

Another great gift from Dr. Green and White and family.  My personal booze provider it seems.  It has been a long time since I have purchased a bottle of Eagle Rare, mostly because it is in the same price range as Elmer T. Lee, and as you know from reading this, I like that a lot.  Like another brand, 1792, it is good but hard to make the hand reach past the ETL just for the variety.  This whisky has me thinking of making an intensity scale of some sort.  The reason for that is this doesn't beat you over the head with spice.  It is a nice thrust, but it isn't so intense that it burns anything in or out.  Like flexing muscles from a distance.