Spirit Reviews (Whisky, Rum, Agave, other)

From left to right:

• Dormoy peanut punch. Imagine Amarula but it's peanut flavored. It's god damn amazing!!!
• Depaz rhum agricole hors d'âge XO. This brown rum is fantastic. It's so smooth, and you can really taste the sugar cane. I've barely touched it because I want to keep it for special occasions. But I'm realizing there aren't enough to celebrate with all the 'special' bottles I have. Maybe I'll just go buy some cigars and have one with a glass of this from time to time.
• Trois Rivières rhum vieux agricole. Brown rum, VSOP special reserve. This is by far my all time favorite. I've already finished this bottle and I can't find any other brown Trois Rivières rum anywhere. I'm going back to France soon and I hope to find some there, maybe.
• Nesson rhum agricole blanc. White rum. 100 proof. The hard stuff. It's delicious, especially in cocktails. The aroma is amazing and the cane sugar notes really come out. This, with some cane syrup and a wedge of lime for a traditional Martinique ti-punch is just awesome.

Most of these are distillery exclusives. Left to right:

• Dalwhinnie Highland single malt scotch, distillery exclusive. I've opened this one and it's absolutely fantastic. It's super smooth with notes of honey.
• Isle of Rasay, Hebridean single malt scotch. This one is fairly new and the whisky they sell is probably at most 5 years old. I've had it in a restaurant during my trip and I had to buy a bottle because I found it so interesting. It's the first whisky I've ever had that had nutty notes.
• Tomatin Highland single malt scotch, exclusive single cask poured straight from the cask at the distillery. I haven't tested this one yet. I'm saving it for an occasion.
• Talisker single malt distillery exclusive. I haven't opened it yet, but I'm expecting an incredibly smoky and salty whisky with some notes of iodine.
• Dewar's anniversary release blended Scotch whisky. I hadn't bought a blended whisky in my trip and I thought I'd get one for variety. When I tried it at the distillery I found it to have the same notes as Canadian rye whiskey. Well it's because they used the rye for this blend actually. This is my go to for an evening drink.

🌿🍵 "Mint herbal tea & lime juice poured from an oak barrel" 🌳

This Ed Hamilton selected rhum was purchased from Astor wines in NYC. Neisson 🇲🇶 produces a cane juice, column still, agricole rhum, and this particular one is aged exclusively in ex-bourbon before being bottled at 50.8% ABV.

On the nose I find vanilla, caramel, grass, herbal notes, lime juice, mint, ginger, green apple and milk chocolate.

The palate is herbal, grass, mint, lime, clove and oak.

The finish is short to medium in length with dry oak.

Lovely nose on this one, but the palate was a tad oaky and not overly complex. Dry finish. Good but I hear there are better aged expressions.

6/10

1423 ApS Jamaica 2020 Selection Cavavin Belval

🍍"Barbecued pineapple atop vanilla & ginger mint ice cream"🍦

Here's a Hampden 🇯🇲 rum, marque with a short 28 month continental virgin oak cask maturation. Coming in at 57% ABV.

On the nose: classic Hampden with grilled pineapple, orange zest, lime, vanilla, bubblegum, mango, caramel, clove, slight solvent & olive brine. With water: more vanilla, sea water, floral, perfume, honey.

The palate: pineapple juice, ginger, lime, mint, vanilla, bubblegum, cinnamon. Water brings more cream, less heat and a nicer balance.

The finish is mint, vanilla, slight oak, pepper. No change with water.

Overall this is a touch hot, but still brings classic Hampden notes, slightly improving with some water.

7/10

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