I have a buddy who loves Scotch and keeps trying to convince me I do as well. Unfortunately for him, there is something in my palate that just doesn’t “get” Scotch. I used to hike and camp a ton as a younger man, and drinking scotch reminds me of sitting with the wind in my face right next to a smoky fire. Everything ends up tasting and smelling like smoke. It is not something I enjoy.
Highland Park Magnus
I poured a dram into a Glencairn Whiskey Glass and tried not to let the smell of smoke keep my from taking a sip. I tried it. It just doesn’t do it for me.
All I can say is thank you for the bottle! When I offered to give it back he said to just give it whomever I like. Thankfully my adult sons have a few friends that do enjoy Scotch so I just pour them a few drams when they come over.
Highland Park Magnus Scoring
I just don’t find it enjoyable. Don’t hate me, but I have to give this Highland Park Magnus Single Malt Scotch a 0/100 as I could only take one sip of it before pouring the rest of the dram down the drain.
Pros:
It was free.
If you come over, I have a bottle of Single Malt Scotch you can enjoy.
This was the only bourbon the flight had when I was heading out to Seattle. I splurged as I had ten hours of travel in front of me, and an Uber ride after that – so I wasn’t going to be driving. What better way to spend a travel day than day drinking right?
Woodford Reserve
Sadly, it is hard to enjoy day drinking when they want $13 bucks for this 50ml bottle. Was it worth it?
The Nose
The nose was underwhelming but for some woody notes. Granted, by this time I was at 30k feet and that may have impacted my olfactory senses, but the nose wasn’t anything special.
The Palate
The palate is where things really fell apart. When I asked if this was worth the $13 bucks, the answer is no, absolutely not. I know I paid more because I was on a plane, and maybe the altitude effected my taste, but I did not enjoy this Woodford Reserve at all. It was all bite and sharpness. It was so rough I had to ask for a can of soda to mix it with, and even then my plan to day drink fell apart because I could not bring myself to order another bottle.
The Score
Overall I’m giving this Woodford Reserve a 29/100. I drank it, and I might again if it is the only thing available, but by god I’m not going to enjoy it.
Color
Toffee colored river water.
Proof
45.2% ABV
Pros
If it is the only bourbon they have on the plane, well, I guess it’s better than nothing.
Cons
Super expensive when bought on a flight.
All sharp edges and hit you in the face alcohol strongness.
Pops McCann is available in a small number of states at the moment and offers several different offerings. I actually picked it up by accident because the little liquor store I found it in had put it with the Irish Whiskey and I thought I’d found a new Irish Whiskey offering.
At least I’m 99% sure it’s not Irish Whiskey based on my reading of Irish distilling laws. Those laws state:
Must be distilled in Ireland
Must be aged for a minimum of 3 years in Ireland
Must be aged in barrels.
Based on my reading of how they make Pop’s McCcann Whiskey it is distilled in Dundalk, County Louth and shipped to Michigan in vats, called totes. Once in the states it is bottled, labelled, and shipped to a few select states. It says it is finished in Bourbon barrels but there is no age statement, and the bottle says “…Recipe of Irish Tradition & Heritage”.
Please correct me if I’m wrong in the comments, but this isn’t Irish Whiskey.
Okay, so now that I’m done with the research, let’s crack it open and try it.
The Nose
The nose was subtle. There is some wood char and some alcohol but not much else.
The Palate
Pops Mccann has some real funk to it and not in a good way. It tastes chemically and half done to me.
The Score
Pops McCann Whiskey is one of those bottles I actually regret buying. It was just a waste of $40 bucks. I could not even drink Pops McCann in a mixer. I had to pour it out. Pops McCann scored a 0/100 and I Had To Pour It Out because I just couldn’t imagine ever drinking another sip of it.
Unmute To Hear The Pour out
Color
Light Straw
Proof
40.0% ABV
Pros
It’s not widely available, and I like to try new things.
Cons
The flavor’s were a mix of American and Irish and they just didn’t work for me.
This is did not sit well in my stomach.
I wasted $40 bucks on a bottle I only got two drams out of before I couldn’t take it anymore.
I am always on the look out for new whiskeys whenever I am out and about, so i was super excited when I saw this Breaker on the shelf at my local store.
Breaker
I poured my usual two fingers into my favorite Yeti Tumbler and swirled it around so I could breath in the sweet aroma of this deep amber bourbon before I took a sip.
The Nose
The nose on Breaker hits hard, but in a good way. There are a lot of things too appreciate on the nose. There is vanilla and citrus that blends really nicely with caramel that ends with a nice bit of spicey pepper.
The Palate
While the nose was amazing, things really fell apart on the first sip. The Rye and spice just don’t work for me.
The Score
I know I don’t like strong Rye whiskeys, but I keep trying. Unfortunately, I found that Breaker was not something I enjoyed. I’m giving it a 29/100, making it Just Bad. I was able to drink a few sips before pouring it out and going to my stand by, Basil Hayden’s.
Color
Overly brewed tea.
Proof
45.0% ABV
Pros
Sweet nose with hints of vanilla.
Deep amber color that invites you to sip.
Cons
Surprisingly rough. I expected this to be smooth.
The nose was better than the palate.
Too expensive to use for mixers but not smooth enough to drink straight.
Finding new bottles is hard in my little town, so when I found this bottle of Pure Kentucky I was genuinely excited, especially when I saw it had won a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Unfortunately the high proof and 12 years in the barrel turned this into something my palate just couldn’t enjoy. I’m scoring this as a 28/100 due to the sharpness this whiskey hits you with straight out of the barrel.
Pure Kentucky
The Nose
Other reviewers have commented on fruit and spice which are really forward on the nose. For me the alcohol was more forward, and while I could appreciate the spice, I could not appreciate any fruit.
The Palate
Pure Kentucky is a bit vicious and oily. Combine that with the higher proof and wood notes and this was just a bit too overpowering for me. I felt more slapped in the face than kissed on the lips by this one.
The Score
Pure Kentucky just wasn’t for me. I like to sip my Whiskey, not get slapped in the face by it. Pure Kentucky scored a 28/100, making it Just Bad. This is not a bottle I will be buying again.
Color
You’ve been punched in the kidneys, are poorly hydrated, and have just a touch of blood in your urine.
Proof
53.5% ABV
Pros
Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
The Brass Tap Craft Beer Bar was the low point of our trip through the establishments in National Harbor. It’s not that large, was packed, and the music was so loud you had to scream to talk to the person next to you. Ordering food and drink? Don’t even try to talk to the server, you just have to point at stuff on the menu because no one is going to hear you.
The Brass Tap
You can hear the music outside, which is probably what helps them pull people in, but someone needs to tell the owner they can put a speaker outside (or hide it in their sign) and then turn down the inside volume.
Could amazing drinks have saved our impression of The Brass Tap? Sure, it could have, if the drinks were decent.
My son and his friend got tap beer. No surprises, its beer.
I ordered a Basil Hayden’s Manhattan. I’d had one at dinner so I had something to compare it too fresh in my memory. It is really hard to say they were remotely similar. What I got was anything but recognizable.
The Brass Tap Manhattan?
The color was really dark, and the flavor was anything but bourbon. It reminded me of when I’d fill bottles with water so my dad didn’t know we were into his booze. The Manhattan was watery and bland, and honestly I have no idea what bourbon they used, because it definitely was not Basil Hayden’s. Or, if it was, it was 9/10s water.
My wife ordered what should have been a safe choice. She went with a bottle of lite beer – which the bartender dropped while handing it over the bar to the server. The bottle hit the ground (I think there was a rubberized mat on the ground) but didn’t break. A minute later the same beer was served to my wife, with about 50% of it foam. Unfortunately none of us took a picture of it.
We each drank our one drink and left half our appetizers uneaten as it was time to go. It was just too loud inside and the quality of the cocktails was Just Bad.
The Brass Tap scored a 25/100, making it Just Bad. This is not a place I’ll be going back to.
I’ve read several rave reviews of Stranahan’s Single Malt, and was looking forward to a wonderful experience drinking this American Bourbon.
Stranahan’s
This is different, it is essentially an American single malt scotch made in Colorado. The nose on this whiskey is sweet vanilla that floats on a layer of marshmallow. With its clean sweet nose this Whiskey begs to be sipped.
This is where things fell apart a little for me.
I’m not huge fan of Scotch. I don’t enjoy smoky, oily alcohol. I love bourbon and Irish Whiskey as long as they aren’t peated. I had to look up Stranahan’s Single Malt to make sure it wasn’t peated. It wasn’t. So I was surprised at how strong the burnt sugar and char notes are. Stranahan’s Single Malt has a blackened, burnt marshmallow flavor that is just a little oily, and which coats your palate. If you like Scotch, you might find this whiskey to be quite enjoyable. For me, the burnt flavor killed the experience.
Stranahan’s Single Malt is scoring a 27/100. I will finish the bottle in mixers, but I wouldn’t buy something this expensive to make Manhattan’s with.
Color
Rusty water with a touch of honey.
Proof
47.0% ABV
Pros
Who doesn’t want to try an American Single Malt?
If you like burnt marshmallow, you will love this whiskey.
Cons
The char on this whiskey is super strong. It brings up blacked, burnt marshmallows and the flavor is super clingy.
The char is hard to escape, it is really overpowering the sweet vanilla.
I few weeks ago we went to Big Fish Grill for lunch with my sons and their girlfriends. The seafood is always good, but it does get pricey.
For my drink I ordered a Manhattan and didn’t specify the Bourbon, so I ended up getting Jim Beam as their default whiskey – or at least on the day I was there.
Big Fish Grill Spirits Menu
How was it?
Honestly it was fairly tasteless and not that good, and when you are paying a premium for the meal, that kind of sucks. Still, the seafood is always good, I would just skip the pasta seafood dishes, your paying a lot for a dollar of pasta and a handful of seafood in the sauce.
The Jim Beam Manhattan at Big Fish Grill is getting a 10/100, making it Just Bad. I will make sure I order the Bulliet or Makers next time. My advice is to go for the food but not if you are looking Whiskey Dreams.
I like to try new bourbons. Sometimes I find things that surprise me by how good they are, and other times I end up with something like this Winchester Extra Smooth Bourbon which left me feeling cheated that I spent $30 dollars on it.
The first sip made my eyes go wide as the whiskey slid over my tongue and hit the back of my pallet. It feels thin and has a strange aftertaste that is hard to describe, other than it reminds of me of my days working at a chemical plant and accidentally getting a whiff of petroleum products that made your throat burn.
The distillers at Winchester Extra Smooth Bourbon pride themselves on using a purification/accelerated maturation process to remove harsh-tasting congeners from their whiskeys. The whiskey itself is aged a minimum of 6 months. Both those sentences should scare you. Whatever they did, it results in some really funky flavors.
Overall, Winchester Extra Smooth Bourbon earned its 15/100 score and I’m still shivering at the memory of the taste.
A blend of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and a unique honey liqueur of our own making, for a taste that’s one-of-a-kind and unmistakably Jack. With hints of honey and a finish that’s naturally smooth, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey offers a taste of the unexpected. -Jack Daniel’s
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey
Clearly Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey was an attempt to compete with other flavored whiskeys. Even if technically its not even a whiskey. It’s a Liqueur because of how its created.
The nose is all sugar. Yes, it smells a bit like honey, but really all I get is sugar and alcohol.
The mouth feel isn’t much better. It is sweet, but also sticks to my tongue as if it is just a bit too much like syrup. It only gets worse on the swallow. As well as being sickly sweet it has an odd aftertaste. Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey is one of those drams that I kept licking my mouth as if I was trying to physically scrub away the flavor.
These drams are always hard to score. Instead of how much did I like it, the score becomes how much did I dislike it? It is basically a rating of how to torture me with Whiskey once the rating goes below 29. So if you want to torture me someday Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey scored a 10/100 making it just bad.
I’m not a huge fan of Flavored Whiskeys. Whiskey should taste like Whiskey as far as I’m concerned. I know the segment is expanding in lots of markets and some people love them. I’m just not one of those people. If you love Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey or other flavored whiskeys let me know int the comments and I’ll try the out.
Color
Way too much potassium in your pee.
Proof
35.0% ABV
Pros
If you like to drink syrup this might be a Whiskey for you.
Its super sweet and at only 70 proof might be good for new whiskey drinkers?
Cons
Too sweet.
Feels like a dessert but doesn’t taste good (to me).
