Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

It’s the season of holiday parties and social gatherings and not too long ago I attended high tea with a group of co-workers for a special occasion. The tea I got was enjoyable but on the spicy side. As I drank it I smiled and in my head thought I said, this tea is spicy just like me. The problem was that I didn’t say that in my head but rather out loud and in front of my co-workers. I still shake my head every time I think about this event, there are just something’s co-workers don’t need to hear. It is also one those things that every time I think about it, I re-live the embarrassment.

If you are wondering why I am sharing this story it’s because I thought about it when I first tasted Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. You see, the word spicy was the first word that came to mind when I took that initial sip. It was spicy, in a very good non embarrassing way.

I’ll go on by saying that there are a few people in my life that swear by how great this Bourbon is. It’s also one of their favorites. I’ll be honest it’s not my absolute favorite; however this is some darn good bourbon.

My friend Brian has recently started trying Bourbon. Since he travels a lot to through Kentucky and Tennessee, he’s always looking for recommendations so I am going to tell him what I am about to tell you, Basil Hayden’s bourbon is a bourbon you should try.

To all my non whisky, whiskey or bourbon drinkers, if you still don’t know the difference between these drinks, look at my post written on July 25th of this year:

http://wp.me/p3Zt2k-h

Now before I get to the tasting I’d like to say that the Basil Hayden's bottle is a nice looking bottle. The bottle is dressed in an extremely creative way that definitely draws attention to the eye. It has a look at me feel. You can’t help but notice it and if you are walking down the bourbon aisle, it will make you want to pick it up. It sort of has a bib, with a little bit of its history written on it and what I am going to call a belt wrapped around it. It’s a very well dressed bottle to say the least.

On taste, as I had mentioned before, one of the tasting notes Basil Hayden’s has, is spice. You can pick this up right away as you smell it; there is a spicy smell on the nose. On the palate the taste notes I get are pepper and spicy. It does have a burn to it; however it is still very smooth bourbon.

Any bourbon distillery that has been distilling bourbon for over 200 year must certainly have a very good product in its hands. This 80 proof bourbon will cost you around $36 or so, depending on where you buy. So, if you are looking for a new bourbon to try and have not tried this one, then I recommend you do.

Finally, if I share a glass of Basil Hayden’s bourbon with friends I can certainly tell them it is as spicy as me without ever feeling embarrassed. And if you are ever feeling the need for a little spice, give this one a world.

Cheers!

The Glenlivet Nadurra 16 year old Cask Strength

Note: I am slowly transitioning to WordPress so please also note my new address: http://whiskeywench.wordpress.com/

Back to the daily grind I go feeling a few pounds heavier and somewhat broke after the sales this weekend. I will fight all temptations and will try to refrain from participating in Cyber Monday. If you however can’t, I wanted to give you another whisky to consider if you are looking into the gift of whisky for someone.

Back in July I wrote about The Glenlivet 15-year-old French Oak Reserve. To summarize, I was not a fan of the 15 year French Oak and place it in my dislike column.

http://whiskeywench.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-glenlivet-15-year-old-french-oak.html

When coming upon The Glenlivet Nadurra 16 year old Cask Strength, I certainly had reservations about trying it, but it was a friend who provided it so why not give it a chance. According to The Glenlivet website, Nadurra is Gaelic for natural.

Before jumping into the whisky I wanted to make sure that anyone who isn’t very knowledgeable with whisky knew exactly what Cask Strength means. Most distillers after maturing whisky will dilute the whisky with water after removing it from the casks. This basically balances the alcohol and makes it more consistent. It also slightly reduces that alcohol strength. When a whisky is Cask Strength it means that the whisky is bottle exactly how it was aged in the casks without it being diluted. This does mean that the whisky will be stronger and at times more expensive.

The Nadurra 16 cask was definitely stronger than the 15 year French Oak, however I liked it a whole lot better than I did the 15 year French Oak.

On the nose the Nadurra 16 cask smelled sweet and fruity. Upon tasting it you do get a slight burn, which I always appreciate. The tasting notes were oak and vanilla. I also found it to be dry. It was certainly a different experience from when I first had my first Glenlivet product. It was well balanced and the bourbon casks do help with that sweet taste.

If you were like me and didn’t like the 15 year French Oak then I think you might like this one. The Nadurra 16 cask would range at a $65 price.

If you have a love one that loves whisky, a bottle of whisky certainly makes for a good gift. If you don’t know what to get them consider looking throughout the blog to check out the other ranges and bottles I have written about. Most of the other whiskies range in prices and tastes. I am certain there is information there for everyone’s palate. If not the blog you can always ask your local liquor store vendors to suggest something in your price range.

Good luck with your shopping!

Cheers!

Bruichladdich 19 year-old Cask Strength

Note: I am slowly transitioning to WordPress so please also note my new address: http://whiskeywench.wordpress.com/

It was not too long ago that I wrote about Bruichladdich Rocks; actually it was this very month on Nov-04. I wouldn’t have written so quickly about it again, however I feel it’s a must. Now that the pumpkin, sweet potato, and apple pies are done I can concentrate on this weeks post, Bruichladdich 19, right before Thanksgiving.

Last weekend my boyfriend and I spent an evening at The Last Hurrah in Boston, our whisky go to bar. Our main reason for going there isn’t only the whisky but also Frank their bar manager. Frank is amazing and extremely whisky knowledgeable. He is pictured below with me. Bruichladdich 19 is one of their newest additions to their menu. Now if you want to try this one you better hurry. There were only 296 bottles distilled bottles of this 19 year-old and Frank was good enough to acquire one of them. So if you are so inclined to try this one, hurry to The Last Hurrah before it is all gone.

Although they bare the same name Bruichladdich 19 is not like the Bruichladdich Rocks. Bruichladdich Rocks is a product of what the Bruichladdich distillery is now. The Bruichladdich distillery was first built in 1881. Since then it has come to close to closing down, in 1907 and again in 1993. It was due to that last close call that Ducan Taylor acquired a surplus of this whisky from Bruichladdich, which was first distilled in 1992. They acquired it before maturing in casks and then bottled it in 2012.

Knowing that there isn’t that many bottles of these out there made tasting this single malt a lot better.

My Experience:
Smell: Sweet and fruity

Taste: It is extremely creamy and light. I get hints of salt and pepper.

Finish: Although cask strength, the finish is very smooth, however one of these made me extremely happy and I was certainly done drinking afterwards.

In most places I looked, this bottle was sold out. The price in those places was $200+. You will not find this whisky in your local liquor store or whisky vendor. If you are in the Boston area definitely visit The Last Hurrah to try. I highly recommend it if you come upon.

For all my non-whisky drinkers, you may not feel it at first because of the smoothness but this whisky is strong. If you are trying this for the first time, take it easy, drink slowly and enjoy. It is a single malt that can help all that turkey dinner go down. If you’ve tried it before drop me a note in the comments section and let me know your thoughts.

Finally, if you are in the US, may you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Safe travels and cheers!

Glenmorangie: The Original and Quinta Ruban

With so many options out there for whisky it’s always hard to know which ones you are actually going to like and not like if you’ve never tried them before. If I am out for dinner or out in the city, I always look at the list of whisky, whiskey and bourbons, if there is something I haven’t had before I will give it a try. However that’s not how I always try new whisky, one thing I love to get are recommendations. A recommendation from two lovely ladies is exactly what I got for today’s post. Thank you Fiona and Whitney!

Glenmorangie is a Highland single malt whisky. One of the things that stuck out to me the most when I was sharing a dram of The Original with Fiona, was that she noted that she didn’t like strong whiskies but love this one because it was on the sweeter side and wasn’t too harsh. I tend to agree with her, this whisky is definitely on the sweeter side. For any ladies out there or guys looking to try a sweeter whisky then this one might definitely be a good try for you.

The Original:

Smell: Citrus and fruity
Taste: It’s a whisky lighter than most others I’ve tried. It was sweet, fruity with hints of vanilla

Now the Quinta Ruban is slightly stronger but it is just as sweet as The Original. Both the Original and the Ruban are matured in American Oak casks; however the Quinta Ruban is then transferred to port pipes from Portugal to mature even longer. This process certainly separates the two. You can also tell the difference in the colors they have. The Original is a pale golden color while the Ruban is a deeper golden hue. The final differences are in the taste and smell.

The Quinta Ruban:

Smell: Sweet, spicy and woodsy
Taste: Smooth with a slight burn. I could make out hints of port steaming from the port pipes. To me it had also notes of spice.

If you were to ask me which one I’d prefer, I’d go with the Ruban just because it is slightly more complex and has a lot more notes to make out, although both are very good whiskies.

If you are looking to buy, the average cost for The Original is about $40-$50, while the Ruban is slightly higher at about $45-$55. For whisky, these are actually fairly priced. Now another way you can get these two is in a miniature gift set that include about four of their whiskies to try. It's a good way to give a gift, or keep to try yourself. 

So, if you are looking for something sweet to try this holiday season I’d recommend you give this one a try. It’s a great whisky to have in hand while cooking a delicious turkey meal.

Now if any of you out there have any other recommendations for me, please drop me a line on the comments sections and I will certainly do my best to try it.

Cheers!

Maker's Mark

Amazing how time flies, in just about two weeks Thanksgiving will be upon us. As we get closer to the day, I am sure we all stop to think about all the things that we are thankful for. For me, aside from being thankful for my family, friends, career and roof over my head, I am also thankful to have this blog to write about whisky, whiskey, and bourbon which is something I am passionate about.

I first started drinking bourbon because I wanted to fit in. That bourbon was Maker’s Mark. Having attended a military college, where females were the minority at the time, I drank it to be one of the guys.

When I first started drinking it, it took me a long time to like it. I’ve said this in a post before, the first time you try bourbon or whisky, chances are that you will not like it that 1st time… the 2nd, 3rd or maybe even the 4th time; in my opinion it really is an acquired taste, and something you eventually build a great appreciation for.

Maker’s Mark is actually a great way for anyone to start their bourbon tasting if they have been looking to start. It is a Kentucky Bourbon that is very smooth and is extremely affordable. If you like bourbon/whisky/whiskey and you have not tried this one yet, then I do believe you are missing out. To me it is one of the best Kentucky Bourbons out there.

My experience

Smell: Amazing is the first thing that came to mind. The minute I opened the bottle it brought back great memories. I can just close my eyes and smell the great aroma for a good while. It also smells very woodsy, like oak. I also get hints of sweetness.

Taste: Oak, vanilla, smooth. I added a hint of water and through brought out the sweetness in the bourbon.

To me the finish just leaves me wanting more. It is very tasty and it’s enjoyable bourbon. It’s bourbon making at its best. Also, how can you not enjoy the detailing of the wax top. A nice feature that certainly makes for a great looking bottle.

If you want to try it out without having to break the bank, all you have to do to enjoy this iconic bourbon is to purchase their 50 mL bottle. It’s a great way to try it out and know whether you like it or not without spending the money on a full bottle. The 50 mL will give you a fingers worth. You can’t beat that when trying out a good quality product.

In my opinion, I wish all bourbon and whisky distilleries offered more of these small bottles. It would make it easier to try something and know whether you like it or not before spending the big bucks. So if you haven’t tried this wonderful bourbon before, then I’d recommend you do, it’s definitely well worth the try.

Cheers!

Ardbog (From Ardbeg)

NOTE: First and foremost, thank you to all those soldiers and sailors (past and present) in the armed forces who dedicate their lives to protecting their countries. Cheers and Happy Veterans Day!

A little over a week ago my boyfriend and I went out to The Last Hurrah here in Boston.  It’s a spot we like to frequent because of their whisky selection. When I was about to order from the bartender what I thought was going to be smoky whisky, the bar manager Frank overhears me and interjects. I was confusing my Peat and Smoke. The whisky I was ordering was not smoky but rather peaty, Frank clarified. People generally do confuse the two and it’s a topic I certainly plan to explore in another blog post. Franks recommendation was to try the Ardbog.

Ardbeg I’ve had, but this one I had never heard of before, even though it is from the folks at Ardbeg. Ardbeg released Ardbog during the 2013 Islay Festival of Music and Malt. Usually the distilleries at the festival release a special whisky during the festival; however these special whiskies are only available there in the Island. Ardbeg changed that by releasing a limited amount of Ardbog outside of the festival and the island.

My message to Ardbeg, THANK YOU! Most of my blog readers will know that I loved Ardbeg and it’s one of my favorites, Ardbog has now changed that. I love Ardbog more than Ardbeg! Yes off course this is only my opinion and others may not agree with me, but to me, this was one of those whiskies that left me speechless. I forgot about trying to make out the notes, I just sat back in my barstool and enjoyed. My next thoughts were I want a bottle of this.

If you are starting your whisky experience this might be too strong for you to start with. I don’t recommend you try this one if you are tasting whisky for the first time. I do recommend you try after you’ve become accustomed to whisky tasting. 

I found Ardbog to be more smoky than peaty, which is probably why I enjoyed it more. With Ardbeg I found that there was a perfect balance between peat and smoke, which is still great, but if I had to choose one note over the other, I’d say I prefer a smoke note.

My Experience

Smell: Smoke and Salt
Taste: Wood, salt, smoke and burn
Comments: AMAZING! Loved every single bit of my dram!

This is a bottle I can only hope to acquire and add to my collection. For those whisky enthusiasts if you haven’t tried it and come across it, then I recommend you try it. It may not be for everyone, but it’s certainly a unique tasting experience. I can only hope Ardbeg continues to produce it.

I very much enjoyed tasting this whisky so, thank you Frank! Not only for the recommendation, but for also letting me ask a few too many questions about whisky. If there is one thing I appreciate is, knowledge from someone far more experienced than me who didn’t mind giving me the time of day… If only there were more people out there like that, we would all be a little bit more knowledgeable in all kinds of things.

Cheers!

Bruichladdich Rocks

It’s the Monday morning after daylights saving time, so if you are like me, you are probably trying to adjust to the time change and are still trying to wake up from the weekend. The chilly crisp weather certainly doesn’t make it easier, but the thought of a new fresh day and week is pretty sweet sounding to me and helps me segue to a very sweet, crisp tasting and refreshing Bruichladdich Rocks.

To me it’s probably one of the hardest to pronounce. The pronunciation of this Islay whisky has evolved throughout the years. According to their website (see link below) the way it is pronounced today is ‘brook-laddie’.

http://www.bruichladdich.com/library/distillery/how-to-pronounce-bruichladdich

This whisky was given to me as a birthday gift from my good friend Fiona. Thank you Fiona! What she didn’t know was that I almost picked up a bottle the weekend before since it’s a whisky I enjoy.

For all my non-whisky drinkers, in my opinion this would be a very good whisky to get your start on, if you are looking to start somewhere. Although hard to pronounce the taste is pretty smooth and easy on the wallet (when it comes to whisky that is) as a bottle would cost about $45-$55. It’s light and un-peated.

My tasting experience:

When I opened up this bottle, on the NOSE I smelled sweetness, banana and vanilla.

On the PALATE, it was smooth, creamy, and sweet with a delightful burn. It is the kind of whisky that just made me smile.

This whisky has loads of flavor and left a refreshing taste. It’s a whisky that is light enough on the palate for those just starting their whisky experience. It’s also good enough for those experienced drinkers, as I enjoy it every time I have it. 

So if you are looking for something new to try, give this one a world, in my opinion it won’t disappoint.

Cheers!