Demi Tastes Things

Nikka uses this malt in many of its blends, including Taketsuru, which I have previously reviewed, and Nikka From the Barrel. This quite lovely and lively dram definitely stands up on its own. The label emphasizes ex-sherry cask maturation and the influence is certainly there but not heavy handed. The floral and peppery aspects make me think Mizunara oak is probably involved as well, but I'm not sure on details of the casks and maturation breakdown. Name: Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt (newer bottling, purchased 2020) Brand / Distillery: Nikka / Miyagikyo Age: NAS Strength: 90 proof / 45% ABV Color: 0.5 yellow gold TL;DR: wonderful. Apple orchard, plums, incense smoke, delicate tea, tropical fruits, veggies and mushrooms. Strong and distinct flavors and a lot of them. Complex and well-integrated. Handshake: lovely, earthy peat and fruity malt. Powerful and distinct. I'm excited to taste. Nose: apple orchard: earthy, wood, trees, loamy soil. Fresh perfumy apples. Background of

A Canadian blended whisky from Costco. I loved the first bottle of it I got a few years ago, before I started developing my palate, but sadly was disappointed by my second bottle. Age: 6 years Color: 1.0 deep copper Strength: 40% ABV / 80 proof Handshake (drops drying on the hand): nearly non-existent. Nose: isopropyl alcohol and caramel Palate: very light in flavors. Almost 0 ethanol burn on the tongue but a bit of burn going down. A bit thicker than water, almost oily viscosity. The mouthfeel is nice. Taste: caramel leaning towards butterscotch, raw sugar syrup, cinnamon bark Finish: cinnamon, and a bit of that isopropyl comes back After-nose: light brown sugar and old books Overall: This doesn't nearly nauseate me the way JD honey did. I recall the first bottle being great actually, but I was very disappointed with rebuying it after I started sipping neat for taste. I probably didn't ever drink it neat before. Off notes and missing Strength of flavor. The burn going d

Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey. This is one of my oldest bottles, predating the proper beginning of my collection. I noticed the bottle getting low and felt it was time for a review. Woodinville Whiskey is owned by Moët Hennessy (LVMH), which maybe explains why they seem to have relatively good distribution for a small craft distillery. (Between that and Remy Cointreau owning Westland, it has been said that all the best WA craft distilleries are now owned by big brands, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.) Name: Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey Distiller: Woodinville Whiskey Co., Woodinville, Washington Brand Owner: Moët Hennessy (LVMH) Mashbill: 72% Corn, 22% Rye, 6% Malted Barley Strength: 90 proof / 45% ABV Age: Straight bourbon NAS, meaning at least 4 years but apparently the company has stated that it's 5 years old. Take that for what it is: not on the label. Color: 1.2 chestnut TL;DR: Sweet caramel confections with just a bit of fruit adding some complexity

This bourbon was my first attempt to find a respectable, workhorse, value whiskey, and boy did I hit the nail on the head. I made this the bottle of my first road trip post-lockdown and could not have been happier with that choice. Bonded American whiskey in general may or may not be a well-kept secret (looking at you Mellow Corn), and other things close to 100 proof (like Wild Turkey 101) get a lot of love For the value. So far Evan Williams is the only brand I've tried from Heaven Hill, but I'd say they've earned a fan based on this expression alone. For a couple bucks extra it's a lot nicer than Evan Williams Black Label. Can't wait to get my hands on an Elijah Craig Barrel Proof... Name: Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond Distiller / Brand Owner: Heaven Hill Served: Neat in a glencairn, rested 15 minutes Strength: 100 proof / 50% ABV Color: 0.8 Deep Gold Handshake (a few drops drying on the hands): Light wood varnish Nose: Dusty corn, Cavendish banana. A bit of bread

I was trying to clear some space on my bar cart tonight by transferring a the last servings of low bottles into tiny sample bottles, and I ended up with enough left of this bottle in particular to do a review. Going in, I remembered liking this better (though not very much) than the standard Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 (Black Label), but that I found it really difficult to do anything with, so it stuck around entirely too long. I'm glad to finally be done with this bottle and to see it off with a review. (I'd meant to do this review on April Fool's because I felt it's a bit silly, but I didn't end up having the time. Oh well.) A side-by-side with standard Jack Daniel's may still be in the future because I kept a serving of this in a sample bottle. Name: Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey Brand/Distiller: Jack Daniel's Brand Owner: Brown-Foreman Strength:  35% ABV (i.e. not whiskey anymore; it's a blend of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and honey liqu

I decided to start my Irish Infinity Bottle tonight by taking 2 oz each of the 3 bottles of Irish I currently have, and since it would be only 6 ounces (about 175 ml) I wanted an empty bottle that was smaller than the standard 750ml. As luck would have it I was one drink away from being done with this 375ml bottle! I've really enjoyed and savored this bottle which is part of why it stuck around so long waiting on the right mood or pairing for me to finish it up. Why not review it on its way out? Background: Finnriver is a farm and cidery located on the Olympic Peninsula in western Washington. I'd enjoyed their cider on tap at bars in the past but didn't know they had other products until I ran into them at a farmer's market where they were selling fruit wines made from the fruit grown on their own land. Their apple wine was pretty good and true to the cider I knew, but this Apple Wine with Pear Brandy was a step above and really quite something. I gladly bought three bo