Chris Rentsch

This bottle was disappointing and I think others must think likewise because I see Castle’s Curse sitting on shelves unsold more than any other Orphan Barrel release.

Later in NYC I found a dusty old bottle of Rhetoric on the bottom shelf behind some other Orphan Barrel. This was >5 yrs post-release, very hard to find.

Rhetoric 23 has a very pronounced butterscotch note that I’ve not experienced in another bourbon yet.

Was fortunate enough to get to try William Larue Weller, Rhetortic, and Old Forester Birthday in a DC tasting room.

I would say the Forester wasn’t very interesting, but the other two were special. Glad I tried them (but I’ll never spend >$1k on a bottle of WLW)

We had one day so far this April that was >75F and sunny. So it’s time for the first G&T of the year.

We tried a few other new bottles as well, it’s always more interesting to taste a variety of scotch back to back than to sip on one glass all evening.

But this was the real gem of the evening, which I tasted it blind: clean finish, novel oak flavors I mostly associate with high-end bourbon. My guess was 20 yrs on oak, then a sherry cask finish. But it’s actually *34 yrs* in a refill sherry cask. This is now the oldest scotch I’ve ever tasted.

Sampled a retail Glenlivet 15 yr head-to-head against an independent bottling of a single cask Glenlivet 15.

After cutting the 63.8% ABV a bit, the single cask was very pleasant and had a much more noticeable spiciness than the retail Glenlivet. I like the single cask better.

New Glenmorangie showed up in my local store, picked up a bottle tonight.

There were only about a dozen bottles for sale at Costco, so one had to go home with me. 110 proof goes well with a big ice cube and a backyard fire.

Taste is subjective. According to a tasting guide book, my #1 favorite scores only 83/100.

Biggest challenge is blind tasting is the ABV. The higher proof whiskeys are at an inherent disadvantage.

I’m inclined to dilute the higher proof to harmonize ABV, but it would no longer be tasting the as-bottled spirit.

Earning a perfect score was The Dalmore 15, my favorite.

Why single-blind tasting is important:

Got a nice lineup of 12-18 yr old scotch. Time for a blind taste test

tldr:

I’d never heard of the Speyside distiller GlenAllachie, neither had my scotch sherpa. Something was intriguing about it and I was looking for another non-sherried single malt. The box claimed to have raisin & marzipan flavors. I will put this one in a blind taste test with some other 15-21yr.

Great bottle I was talked into by the gal behind the counter at the shop. No peat, no spice, clean finish, reasonable price (<$80). Pairs well with a good show or a stock market crash.

If you want to drink whiskey neat but currently can’t handle it, this is your starter kit: Mix 2:1 rye whiskey with Barsmith old fashioned mix (everyone loves this mix). Pour over ice, add a really good cherry.

On your next drinks gradually decrease the mixer until it’s just whiskey on rocks.

Wine is not my thing, but there’s this one appellation that I really enjoy: Chablis. Especially those with minerality and low acidity. I think this bottle was $15 at Costco and I went back for six more bottles.

To me, this is a good bridge between bourbon and scotch: it still has the sweetness of bourbon, but because it ages in refill casks, the oak barrel flavors are more mellow. Just a hint of smoke, no peat. My favorite when there’s snow on the ground, lit Christmas tree and an evening fire.

There are several things I love about this whiskey, but people always ask me if it is coffee flavored. No, it’s not.

“Coffey” refers to Aeneas Coffey, inventor of the distillation tower in 1830 that concentrated the alcohol before barreling.

Markets are down about 10% now. Alcohol sales tend to do better in downturns and depressions. I’ve always wanted to post about scotch and bourbon. Now is as good a time as any.

This post literally made me think “I wonder if @gradybooch.bsky.social has a bsky account.” And he does, working to rebuild my follows from X

Wow! Thank you.