Bulleit Rye Whiskey

Bulleit Rye Whiskey is one that I've seen quite frequently, but have never had the pleasure of sampling (or any rye whiskey to be honest). The smell is strong and pungent, but you can smell a bit of fruit and the sweetness of the rye. The first taste is much smoother than you would expect, but it does have a strong, lasting after-taste, not bad at all.

The Bulleit website describes the taste as spicy and complex with hints of vanilla and honey. I get the complexity and honey, but I'm not picking up on the vanilla. Either way though- it's really good and something I will definitely be drinking again. 

For more reading and information from Bulleit themselves, check the website here: http://www.bulleit.com/whiskey/bulleit-rye/

Glenlivet 12

This post is a good 18 months in the making.  The journey began with two guys wanting to expand on the alcohol flavors that we consumed.  So we set our sight on Bourbons, Whiskey and Scotch.  Little did we know how similar and different EVERY one of these was going to be?  We started grabbing any old bottle put it over rocks and started to drink.  Within that first month we took a recommendation from the random drinker at some bar and took home the first bottle of Glenlivet 12.  This has been the drink we compare everything else to ever since.

When we began this adventure into the wonderful world of Single Malts it was like the blind leading the blind across the Grand Canyon.  Needless to say we had a lot of trial and error going on.  This blog will help us share some of our experiences and hopefully allow us the opportunity to guide the next person that would like to head down the path that we have chosen.

Just as wine has many levels of aromas and flavors a good Scotch will have many different levels as well.  At the end of the day the most important piece for us is that you enjoy it and for us we enjoy Glenlivet 12 way more than we should.  It is very smooth from the initial smell and sip.  It is from the Speyside region, not smoky at all for those many folks that love that flavor this might not be the one for you.  This one can be enjoyed neat or on the rocks or in our case one big rock.  My goal here is not to get too technical, but rather keep the descriptions a bit on the simpler side to serve as a general guideline for what our readers might enjoy as there are many different resources out there to help with the specifics of the brands we sample.  Below we have linked and listed the tasting note from the Master of Malt as an example.

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

Nose: Sweet creamy vanilla, honey, pineapple, vanilla, pressed apples and a little cinnamon.

Palate: Apple cores, fresh and fruity trifle and creamy citrus.

Finish: Long and delicious, almonds and apple.

Overall: One of the best selling malts in the world, well-worth re-visiting.

https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/the-glenlivet-12-year-old-whisky/

After it is all said and done why not check out the Glenlivet  official website!  You will be able to see what they say about their own 12 year old product as well as you would be able to take a look at the other items that they offer.

Character: The smooth and welcoming one
Colour: Bright and lively gold
Nose: Fruity, summer-like fragrances
Palate: Well-balanced and fruity with strong pineapple notes
Finish: Creamy and smooth with marzipan and fresh hazelnuts

Craft facts
The delicate and complex character of the 12 Year Old derives from the height and width of stills at The Glenlivet Distillery.

This expression is matured in a mixture of cask types, including American and European Oak.

Maturation in American oak imparts vanilla notes and gives the whisky its distinct smoothness.

The mineral rich water from Josie's Well ensures the best possible results during mashing and fermenting to form the flavours that define this expression.     

http://us.theglenlivet.com/the-whisky/the-classic-range

So time to go out and get your own bottle of Glenlivet 12, open it up and share it with a good friend!  Until next time!

Cheers!

C & D

Lismore Single Malt Scotch

I picked this up from Trader Joes for about $17.00 just to experiment. It is a Speyside Scotch and turned out to be way better than I expected especially at that price point.

Glass 1: As you know, I'm a big Speyside fan and this is a treat- it is very easy on the nose with hardly any aroma (full disclosure, the wives were cooking stir fry so that probably wasn't the best environment to focus on smelling Scotch). The initial taste is interesting and I mean that in a good way, it starts out with a quick peaty taste that almost instantly disapates and you're left with a smooth, slightly fruity taste that is not gritty or smokey. After the first couple of sips, it is dangerously smooth and goes down super easy. I'm thinking that this is going to be a fantastic go-to for an every occasion type of drink. 

Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Bourbon - 9 year

The sweetness is strong with this one. We've never tasted this one before and the aroma is sweet with some smokey flavor added.