Scotch Review: Glenkinchie 12

Lackluster at best. Not a good way to start off a review eh?

I saw this dram at the local store and I wanted to try something new. Usually I do my research and try to pick my next winner by going online and reading reviews. If only there was some blog out there that reviewed whisky.... Just kidding ;). Anyway here is the so-so Glenkinchie .

Color: light gold

Nose: salty, smoke and fruit

Palate: smoky with a little peat an some sweet honey

Body: watery, thin

Finish: feint and smoky, nothing that good here

This was just an ok whisky. It wasn't awesome and not terrible, but that's it. And at the 50 price range, you can do so much more. I would not recommend this boring whisky to many people. It is like a stale Highland Park. Overall, I give this whisky a disappointing 6 of 10. Sadness my friends, sadness...

Questions for YOU: What was your most disappointing whisky purchase?

Cigar Review: CAO LX2

Double the ligero, double the awesome (at least in this case)!

This was one of my favorite CAO's if not one of my favorite cigars. I do have to warn you, his cigar isn't for the light of heart. The flavorful punch packed by its ligeros can be a little difficult to handle...  

"LX2" stands for ligero times two. This blend has twice the ligero and hence twice the full flavor. The blenders at CAO really did a nice job though. Its full, peppery taste is balanced well and tames down the cigar a bit. You will still get lots of spice but there is a smooth sweet in there too. The fillers come from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua; and they work well to calm this ligero beast. The long leaves are wrapped in a semi-oily, Nicaraguan ligero leaf to top it off. 

This is one of those cigars that you just have to keep in the humidor. It is great to have the full range to choose from; light to full cigars.  And when you are in the mood for a full cigar, look no further. This is your ligero lover. Full and spicy but just sweet enough to be impossible to put down. The complexity and the build of the cigar were also impeccable and there is really nothing to dislike. That is why I give this cigar a very well earned 9 of 10.

Questions for YOU: What is your favorite "strong" cigar?

Scotch Review: The Macallan Fine Oak 10 Year

Pretty well behaved for a 10 year old.

If you have ever read my blog before, you know I am a fan of The Macallan. So I try to be fair and not give biased reviews of their drams. It is hard though when you start to like the brand itself... (a note to marketers out there)

I was looking for a different taste than my other Macallan's so I figured a nice traditional oak cask would do the trick. If I didn't mention this before, Macallan is a Speyside Distillery and they are known for their very small stills. Instead of going with bigger stills, they decided on making more small stills. They claim it keeps the flavour more consistent and they tout a very selective "cut". The 10 Year Fine Oak is triple matured in an American Oak, a sherry oak, and a Bourbon oak cask. This should create a very complex smokey, sweet, and honey like drink. So, here we go!

Color: It is a pale straw like yellow, very light and pilsner like

Nose: it has a floral, heather like nose with lots of honey and a spicy citrus, like a spiced apple cider, very small hint of smoke

Palate: a gingery fruit taste with the traditional honey of the oak casks, but there is the smokey Bourbon taste towards the end

Finish: the drink itself leaves a smokey citrus for a long smooth finish, was great with a sweet cigar

It was a sort of watery Scotch, but it made its presence known the second it hit your tongue. The tingle starts and then your mouth is filled with a great medley of smooth flavour. Nothing too crazy here, just well behaved and balanced. I really liked this whisky. I know it may be due to my bias, but I don't care. It is a little sweet, a little floral, a little honey like, a little smokey, and a lot Macallan! I give this a 9 of 10.

Questions for YOU: What is your favorite Mac?

Cigar Review: Rocky Patel Decade

Bringing out the Big Guns

It was a FREEZING night (hence my sweet gloves) but I had to have a cigar. I just reached into the humidor and pulled out a Rocky. I have never had a Rocky that I didn't like, and I knew this one wouldn't disappoint. Just looking at this cigar, you notice the label right away. A great label is an easy way to get the smoker ready to enjoy a cigar. The Rocky Patel Decade has a classic, heavy hitting label and that is exactly how I would describe the actual cigar...

Upon cutting it had an average draw and construction. I had a little problem with the head (coming unwrapped) but I was using a lousy cutter with gloves on. No points being deducted on that one.

It had a great earthy smell and the burn was about average, with a nice circle all the way around. It was a little stronger than I expected. Most of the Rocky's I have had, are more medium to mild. Even their "stronger" cigars haven't really hit me as that strong. This one actually did a little. Whether all Decades are like that I don't know, but this was a full bodied cigar. It had a very deep toasted taste like hazelnut or some other earthy nut.

It was an excellent smoke, just not what I was expecting. It had a very strong smell so make sure to smoke outside! I really liked it and thought it was a nice little change from what I had been smoking. All in all, very nicely done Mr. Patel! Nothing too complex so it is gonna lose a few points there but, I give this fella' a solid 8 of 10!

Scotch Review: Cragganmore 12 Yr

I reached a major milestone in my life, and you know what that calls for....a fine new whisky! So I decided to get one that has been on my list for quite some time. I always try to buy Scotches that are in the middle price range 40-60 dollars, and this one fit the ticket. I decided to buy the Cragganmore 12 yr. It is a Speyside single malt, and distinguished as a Classic Malt of Scotland. 

 

Color: a pale gold like, similar to honey

Nose: intense, sulphury with floral notes. Somewhere in there is a burnt sweetness
Palate: thin and watery, with a mouth watering effect. It is sweet and potent with an obvious floral taste, simple

Finish: warming but short, the taste lingers as a smoky sweet. Very good

I am fairly happy with my purchase of this malt. It is very aromatic and has a nice finish. Its actual taste is so-so, but the experience is enjoyable none the less. It is definitely worth having in your collection. The fact that it is part of the Classic Malts is kind of cool as well. Getting one of every  Classic Malt is a fun way to build a collection.   Overall I give this Speyside a 7 of 10.

Questions for YOU: Have you tried any of the Classic Malts?

Whisky Review: Glenmorangie The Lasanta

It is better to give than receive, unless you are dealing with Scotch. Then it is much better to receive (of course).

I received this bottle of Glenmorangie Lasanta as a Christmas gift from a colleague. I don't know what could have been a better gift. Who doesn't want great booze for the holidays!? Anyway, I am a fan of the Glenmorangie Original and I had very high hopes for this dram.

Color: Pale Straw
Nose: brown sugar sweet, syrupy with a little cinnamon
Body: medium and malty, had a mellow mouth feel
Palate: mmmm vanilla, smooth nutty taste with some spice
Finish: long and soft, oak plays it part here as it ends

This tasted a little like a Macallan 12 but at the same time, different enough. It was smoother and felt rich. When I say smooth, I mean there was no bite to it. Plus the sweet and syrupy tastes really added to the "smooth" characteristic. You could easily drink more than you realized with this whisky. It just tastes so good! Not the most complex, but it was just so nice to drink. Its sweet taste reminds me of a Dalwhinnie 15 but with the carmel and spice of a Macallan. I was very impressed and liked this whisky way more than the Glenmorangie Original. I give this sweet whisky a strong 8.5 of 10. This is a must own from the Glenmorangie Distillery.

Question for YOU: What was the last Glenmorangie that you had?

Cigar Review: Olivia Master Blends III

If this gloomy weather has you down and out, I have a solution for you. Yup you guessed it, my solution is this excellent cigar from Olivia. This Master Blend is exactly that , a masterful blend of delicious flavors and smells. As the weather gets a little colder and the clouds come in, warm up your day with a darker and heartier cigar.

The construction of this cigar is excellent and I could see no wrong wrong here. It has a rich oily sungrown broad-leaf wrapper and is constructed with  a Nicaraguan blend of Habano-seed, ligero tobaccos . This gives the cigar a great balance between full flavor and spice with a smoother finish. The cigar has some very obvious earthy and spicy notes. It is a tad strong but perfect for a seasoned smoker or for a colder day (hence this post). The flavor gets a little more amplified as it burns down, the earthy notes really start to come out, finished with a little brown sugar sweet. 


This cigar tackled my winter doldrums with ease! I have had mixed results with Olivia but this cigar has restored my faith in them. I give this subtlety awesome cigar a great 9 of 10. Seriously it's good.


Questions for YOU: What is your favorite wintery smoke?