See that little Lego guy in the above photo (I call him Seamus) that's carrying a camera in one hand, and a pretzel in the other one? He was behind Door #2 of this year's 2015 Lego Advent Calendar. While there's no denying that the Lego Advent Calendar is good fun for kids between the ages of 5 and 12 (I know this because it says so right on the box), Daddy-O doesn't get all that much to do once the boys are old enough to put these things together on their own (well, I do get to use the Lego bits as props in beer and booze shots, so I guess I have that going for me!).
A Whisky Advent Calendar is more to my liking. They look exactly like this:
While I may not have received a Whisky Advent Calendar this year, I did get a lovely bit of booze mail a few weeks ago in the form of three whisky samples from the Jewish Whisky Company. Their Amrut, Cooley, and Undisclosed Islay #2 ( click here to read about Undisclosed Islay #1) whisky releases are what I received. Since Limpd is our designated Irish Whisky expert, he took the Cooley sample. This left me with the other two samples to review which just so happen to be the subjects of this here blog post.
Here are my thoughts on two of the latest whisky releases from the Jewish Whisky Company ...
- ABV: 62.8%
- Barrel Type: 1st Fill Bourbon
- Age: 5 Years Old
- Appearance: Pale, rose gold color. Not quite a rose gold colored iPhone 6S, but pretty darn close.
- Aroma: Well well well! I'm getting a slight tropical vibe from this whisky. Lightly toasted coconut. Overripe pineapple. Vanilla. Cinnamon sugar. Nougat. Orange zest.
- Taste: Really interesting mouthfeel. Oily, yet a bit watery too. As far as the taste, this whisky is definitely not shy. It starts off hot with a chili pepper heat that's backed with some burnt sugar sweetness. In the middle, those coconut notes come through along with some hints of vanilla (perhaps a Toasted Coconut Creme Brulee? Is that even a thing???). The heat never lets go and builds steadily as you approach the finish. Gets really dry and astringent at the finish with lots of chili pepper spice mixing with the sweet coconut notes. And if all that weren't enough, all of these flavors linger for a really long time.
- The Verdict: Well that was quite the fun ride. Lightly sweet, fruity, and fiery hot. This whisky was chock full of delightful surprises! I really liked it.
- ABV: 57.8%
- Barrel Type: Refill Bourbon Hoggie
- Age: 7 Years Old
- Appearance: Pale golden color.
- Aroma: There is no doubt that this is an Islay whisky. The signature peatiness is front and center. This time around there's a bit of Mesquite BBQ going on. After that, there's fennel, eucalyptus, and some Granny Smith apple peal coupled with unripened pear.
- Taste: There's a good bit of viscosity in the mouthfeel. Nice dose of smoky sweetness at the start. I'm thinking that Mesquite BBQ smoke with some light brown sugar and vanilla. Get's hot at mid-palate with some red pepper flake spiciness. At the finish, things mellow just a bit with some baked cinnamon apple notes coming through along with the smoky heat. The aftertaste brings some herbal notes and lots of lingering sweetness.
- The Verdict: I love young, cask strength, Islay whiskies! They have a bold intensity that bombards you with flavor. Brian Cox called the Lagavulin 16 a depth charge...
If that whisky is a depth charge, then this whisky is more like a tomahawk missile (KABOOM!). Much like the Amrut, this whisky is a wild ride. If this were a Six Flags rollercoaster, I would totally get back in line to do it all over again.
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Many thanks to the Jewish Whisky Company for sending us these very generous samples!
Categories: Amrut, Booze Review, Single Cask Nation
Tagged as: Amrut Cask No 2635, Boozeography, Drinkwire, Lego, Photogaphy, Review, Reviews, Scotch, Single Cask Nation, SIngle Malt Whisky, Undisclosed Islay Cask No 613-2, Whiskey, Whisky
