curious drinkers

In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of Weller Full Proof Bourbon, from my good friend Lee aka @thirstybelgian. If you'd like to support this podcast please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

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In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of Elijah Craig Single Barrel Bourbon, 8 year old bottling from the 90’s from Henrik Brandt from the Nordic Bourbon Community. If you'd like to support this podcast please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

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In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of Compass Box Whisky - Orangerie Scotch Whisky Infusion from The Dram Team. If you'd like to support this podcast please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

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In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of Mackmyra Vinterglöd Swedish Single Malt Whisky provided by an unknown legend in the whiskey community. If you'd like to support this podcast please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

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In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of That Boutique-y Whisky Company - Bourbon Whiskey No. 1 (24 year old - batch 1 bourbon whiskey) provided by an unknown legend in the whiskey community. If you'd like to support this podcast please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

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In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of Ben Riach 2005 12 year PX cask Single Malt Whisky provided by my good friend Ian, also known as PoshScotch in the online Whisky Community. If you'd like to support this podcast please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

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In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of Santa Teresa 1796 Ron Antiguo de Solera Rum provided by my good friend Henrik from Nordic Bourbon Community. If you'd like to support this podcast please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

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In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of Loch Lomond 21 Year Single Grain Whisky provided by my good friend Ian, also known as PoshScotch in the online Whisky Community. If you'd like to support this podcast please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

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In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of Wild Turkey Longbranch Bourbon provided by my good friend Sam who used to work for Wild Turkey. If you'd like to support this podcast please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

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In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of Savanna Herr Blanc 57% Reunion Island Rum provided by my good friend and rum extraordinaire, Steven who runs the world famous Rum Diaries Blog. If you'd like to support this podcast please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

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Check out Steven's Blog here: https://rumdiariesblog.wordpress.com/

In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of Arran 21 Year Single Cask Single Malt (Norway exclusive) provided by Norwegian Whisky Enthusiast Rolf aka Ebbhead around the interwebs. If you'd like to support this podcast please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of River Antoine Rum 69% (Tourist bottling) provided by my good friend Steven aka Rum Diaries around the interwebs. If you'd like to support this podcast please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of Antiquary Blended Scotch Whisky & Strathclyde 27 year old Single Grain Whisky Rare Auld Duncan Taylor. If you'd like to support this podcast and get access to the behind the scenes video recordings from this episode, please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

Feel free to follow along with a dram of any of these or any other spirit you enjoy as I try to uncover the aromas and flavors of these 2 spirits. My tasting notes from this episode can be found below:

Spirit A - Antiquary Blended Scotch Whisky (46% ABV)

Appearance

• Clarity: Clear
• Intensity: Dee
• Color: Gold
• Suggested texture: Medium

Nose

• Condition: Clean
• Intensity: Medium
• Aroma characteristics: Overripe sweet apples, grapes, vanilla, cinnamon, baked sugar crystals, fragrant, hints of toasted oak
• Other notes: Has an initial profile of a warm apple pie, and a vague hint of perfume at the back of that sweetness. The nose is quite dense and heavy. The sweet apple note turns a little bit sour after a while. Bourbon or brandy cask?
• ABV: ~46%

Palate

• Sweetness: Dry
• Texture: Silky, warming, medium viscosity
• Intensity: Medium
• Flavor characteristics: Overripe sweet apples, grapes, fragrant, oak, hints of black tea, cereal/malt.
• Other notes: Palate carry the aromas nicely, good balance of the different characteristics, the cereal note could mean a younger spirit (10 years) although the balance of the body could also suggest a bit longer maturation (15+ perhaps).
• Finish: Medium with some complexity (apples and cereal/malt)
• ABV: ~50%

Conclusion

• Quality level: Outstanding
• Blind guess: Single malt, first fill bourbon cask, 10 years old

Spirit B - Strathclyde 27 year old Single Grain Whisky Rare Auld Duncan Taylor (53.5%) (Fully matured in Sherry Cask)

Appearance

• Clarity: Clear
• Intensity: Light > medium
• Color: Amber
• Suggested texture: Medium > high

Nose

• Condition: Clean 
• Intensity: Medium
• Aroma characteristics: Dates, baked apples, vanilla, ground cinnamon, brown sugar, molasses, marcipan, undefined smoke element
• Other notes: A little bit more subdued on the characteristics than spirit A, but way more dense and dark on the overall profile. Wine or port cask?
• ABV: ~50%

Palate

• Sweetness: Dry
• Texture: Silky, mouth filling, medium > high viscosity
• Intensity: Pronounced
• Flavor characteristics: Dates, raisins, brown sugar, molasses, roasted nuts, dried orange peel
• Other notes: Does not taste like a whisky, but it still smells like a single malt profile. Has more of a brandy profile, so could have some heavy cask influence like full maturation in a brandy cask. Could also be rum as I kept getting hints of molasses throughout, but feels more like a brandy profile on the palate.
• Finish: Medium to long and very complex (dates, orange peel, roasted nuts)
• ABV: ~50%

Conclusion

• Quality level: Outstanding
• Blind guess: Single malt, full maturation in brandy cask, 10+ years.

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me at any time on Instagram @spiritspeople

In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of Kalevala Small Batch Distilled Gin & Kyrö Koskue Small Batch Rye Gin. If you'd like to support this podcast and get access to the behind the scenes video recordings from this episode, please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

Feel free to follow along with a dram of any of these or any other spirit you enjoy as I try to uncover the aromas and flavors of these 2 spirits. My tasting notes from this episode can be found below:

Spirit A - Kalevala Small Batch Distilled Gin (46.3% ABV)

Appearance

• Clarity: Clear
• Intensity: Waterwhite
• Color: Colorless
• Suggested texture: Medium

Nose

• Condition: Clean
• Intensity: Medium
• Aroma characteristics: Juniper, lime zest and pith, licorice root, hints of aniseed and cumin, mint
• Other notes: Has an earthiness to it, but also has a quite sharp and acidic citrus spike on that lime note. A mint leaf note appear after a while, almost like the leaf before you smack it to extract the oils. Quite a dry minty note.
• ABV: ~45%

Palate

• Sweetness: Dry
• Texture: Silky, low > medium viscosity
• Intensity: Medium
• Flavor characteristics: Earthy, herbaceous, bitter lime pith, licorice root, aniseed
• Other notes: No juniper or other sweet/fruity notes on the palate, just very earthy and quite bitter.
• Finish: Short > medium with some complexity (lime pith and licorice root)
• ABV: 40%

Conclusion

• Quality level: Very good
• Blind guess: A dry gin

Spirit B - Kyrö Koskue Small Batch Rye Gin (42.6% ABV)

Appearance

• Clarity: Clear
• Intensity: Pale
• Color: Lemon
• Suggested texture: Medium

Nose

• Condition: Clean 
• Intensity: Medium
• Aroma characteristics: Juniper, all-sorts licorice and gummy bears, star anise, sage, cloves, cardamom, black currant, beeswax
• Other notes: Very sweet up front with those all-sorts licorice shining through quite a lot. Much less Juniper forward than spirit A. A light beeswax or honey note comes up after a bit.
• ABV: ~45%

Palate

• Sweetness: Dry
• Texture: Watery, low viscosity
• Intensity: Medium
• Flavor characteristics: All-sorts licorice, sage, cloves, cardamom
• Other notes: Flavor profile is very aligned with the aroma profile, but it’s very thin in the mouth.
• Finish: Medium to long very complex (all-sorts licorice, sage, cloves) 
• ABV: ~45%

Conclusion

• Quality level: Outstanding
• Blind guess: A dry barrel aged gin

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me at any time on Instagram @spiritspeople

In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of the Old Weller Antique 107 & Old Weller Antique 107 La Maison Du Whisky Single Barrel. If you'd like to support this podcast and get access to the behind the scenes video recordings from this episode, please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

Feel free to follow along with a dram of any of these or any other spirit you enjoy as I try to uncover the aromas and flavors of these 2 spirits. My tasting notes from this episode can be found below:

Spirit A - Old Weller Antique 107 (53.5% ABV)

Appearance

• Clarity: Clear
• Intensity: Medium
• Color: Amber
• Suggested texture: Medium

Nose

• Condition: Clean
• Intensity: Medium
• Aroma characteristics: Butterscotch, caramel, vanilla, coconut oil, charred oak, burnt toast with butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried orange peel, Gingerbread?
• Other notes: Very sweet and deep character straight out of the glass. Overall, just extremely pleasant and nicely balanced nose.
• ABV: Feels like 50%

Palate

• Sweetness: Dry
• Texture: Warming, moth filling, medium viscosity
• Intensity: Medium > pronounced
• Flavor characteristics: Caramel, vanilla, orange oils, burnt toast, oak, cinnamon, black pepper corn
• Other notes: Typically I’m getting the bitter notes of cinnamon and pepper corn on the palate, and a lot of that sweetness from the nose has taken a step back on the profile.
• Finish: Medium > long very complex (black pepper corn, caramel, orange)
• ABV: Feels like 50%

Conclusion

• Quality level: Very good > outstanding
• Blind guess: Old Weller Antique 107

Spirit B - Old Weller Antique 107 La Maison Du Whisky Single Barrel (53.5% ABV)

Appearance

• Clarity: Clear
• Intensity: Medium
• Color: Amber
• Suggested texture: High

Nose

• Condition: Clean 
• Intensity: Medium
• Aroma characteristics: Butterscotch, caramel, vanilla, charred oak, burnt toast with butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, dried orange peel, Gingerbread?
• Other notes: Very similar nose as expected, but less sweet and more oak driven aroma profile than spirits A. Also feels very pleasant and well balanced.
• ABV: Feels like 55%

Palate

• Sweetness: Dry
• Texture: Warm, mouth filling, high viscosity
• Intensity: Pronounced
• Flavor characteristics: Caramel, vanilla, orange oils, burnt toast, oak, cinnamon, black pepper corn, licorice, leather
• Other notes: More oak and more signs of age/maturation. Also feels less astringent on the bitter notes, more integrated and more sweeter notes coming through on the palate.
• Finish: Long and very complex (oak/char, licorice, cinnamon)
• ABV: Feels like 55%

Conclusion

• Quality level: Very good > outstanding
• Blind guess: Old Weller Antique 107 La Maison Du Whisky Single Barrel

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me at any time on Instagram @spiritspeople

In this episode of the Spirits Blind Tasting podcast I'm doing a blind tasting of the Tormore 24 year Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection & Hazelburn 10 Single Malt Whisky Springbank Society. If you'd like to support this podcast and get access to the behind the scenes video recordings from this episode, please join me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/spiritspeople

Feel free to follow along with a dram of any of these or any other spirit you enjoy as I try to uncover the aromas and flavors of these 2 spirits. My tasting notes from this episode can be found below:

Spirit A - Tormore 24 year Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection (45.2% ABV) (Distilled 1992, Bottled 2017, Matured in Hogshead casks 5687 and 5696)

Appearance

• Clarity: Clear
• Intensity: Medium
• Color: Gold
• Suggested texture: Medium > high

Nose

• Condition: Clean
• Intensity: Medium > pronounced
• Aroma characteristics: Toffee apples, pineapple, ginger ale, ripe bananas, vanilla pod, sultanas, fresh lemon peel, toasted oak
• Other notes: Quite sweet and floral on the nose. Feels like a first fill bourbon cask single malt in the 10 year range
• ABV: 45%-50%

Palate

• Sweetness: Dry
• Texture: Silky, warming, medium viscosity
• Intensity: Medium
• Flavor characteristics: Lemon sorbet, lemon peel, vanilla, underripe bananas, black pepper corn, toasted or dried oak
• Other notes: A little bit of tannins coming through. A bit “quick” but everything I’d expect from the nose came through but nothing else. Predictable & reliable.
• Finish: Short > medium with some complexity (Lemon peel and oak)
• ABV: 45%-50%

Conclusion

• Quality level: Very good
• Blind guess: First fill bourbon cask, Single malt, ~8 years

Spirit B - Hazelburn 10 Single Malt Whisky Springbank Society (55.9% ABV) (Distilled 2007, Bottled 2018, Matured in refill sauternes hogsheads)

Appearance

• Clarity: Clear
• Intensity: Pale
• Color: Amber
• Suggested texture: Medium > high

Nose

• Condition: Clean 
• Intensity: Medium > pronounced
• Aroma characteristics: Raisins, dates, cherries, sea salt, stone fruits, baked pears, light caramel, vanilla, dried orange peel, charred oak? 
• Other notes: Darker and more dense nose than Spirit A with a whiff of smoke? Feels similar age-wise to Spirit A, but perhaps in a first fill PX cask which gives those dark sweet notes.
• ABV: ~50%

Palate

• Sweetness: Dry
• Texture: Mouth filling, warming, medium viscosity
  Intensity: Pronounced
• Flavor characteristics: Fresh pears, raisins, cherries, stone fruits, baked pears, dried orange peel, dark chocolate, roasted coffee beans, charred oak
• Other notes: Feels like an evolution from the nose, lots of carry-though but also new elements
• Finish: Long and very complex (cherries, fortified wine, oak, pear)
• ABV: 50%-55%

Conclusion

• Quality level: Outstanding
• Blind guess: Single malt, first fill sherry cask, 8-10 years

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me at any time on Instagram @spiritspeople