As The Spirit Moves Me

  Nose: Oily smoke, raisin, leather, old oranges, Virginia pipe tobacco, soy sauce, lemon peel Palate: Oily. Wood smoke, figs, creosote, bitter orange, dark chocolate, hazelnuts Finish: Dark fruit, smoke. Rich and amazing. Lingering and long. Sweet and acidic and then dry and a little tannic. Final thoughts: This is fantastic. Rich and smoky and Oily and delicious. Enough fruit and nut and chocolate to balance it all.  Would I buy this: I would, if someone said I could have a bottle right now for $250 I'd snap it up. Would I order this in a bar: Yes, big yes. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Definitely. Verdict: Two thumbs up!

Nose: Malt, pine tar, vanilla, spiced apples, dry wood smoke, lemon pith. Weirdly reminds me of lemon filled jelly donuts. Palate: Lemon meringue pie, bright clean wood smoke, parker house rolls, vanilla, coconut, custard. Finish: Vanilla, black pepper, smoke, lemon, slate. Final thoughts: Very nice. Balanced, delicious, bright and sprightly. Not much of an after dinner dram, honestly. It's bright and exciting. Would I buy this: I would, as long as it wasn't too dear. Would I order this in a bar: It would be a fantastic aperitif! Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Definitely. Verdict: Thumbs up!

  The last of the 'Lost reviews' where I can't find the picture from the day I noted down the review. Nose: Green apple, raw malt, brown sugar, buttered biscuit, honey, cream, lavender, a hint of grassy smoke like a far off prairie fire.  Palate: Flamed orange peel, buttered toast with honey, burnt almonds.  Finish: Pepper, cardamom, oak, bitter orange, burnt flowers.  Final Thoughts: I still feel HP12 is the perfect starter single malt Scotch for anyone to try. There's enough going on it's not boring, but not so much it's overwhelming. There's peat, but not smack you in the face peat. There's a little of everything, and while it's not a stand out, it's nice and solid. Would I buy this: I would! I like HP. If you can't tell by my hat. Would I order this in a bar: It's a solid go-to if the bar doesn't have anything I would prefer. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Why not? Cheers! Verdict: Thumbs up.

  Another where I can't locate the photo I recall taking. But my notes say this is the Gin and Tonic I made with it. Nose: Coriander, lemon and orange, pink peppercorn, and a little juniper.  Palate: Coriander, orange, juniper, cardamom, cumin, black pepper, curry leaf.   Finish: Light and short. Orange, a little juniper, black pepper.  Final Thoughts: The spiciness is really great in this. It's not as juniper forward as some, but there's plenty there. It seems exotic with the spices and the botanical mix overall. It's fun neat, and superb in this cocktail. Next time though I won't use mint as my garnish.  Would I buy this: I would! I like this gin. Would I order this in a bar: Definitely Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Oh again, definitely. Verdict: Thumbs up!

  One of the lost reviews, I have the notes, but this is the only pic I can locate from my stash. Nose: Warm peat, oak smoke, red currant, toasted oatmeal, fresh milled malt Taste: Dry red wine, sweet malt, BBQ strawberries, hot smoke, a touch of salt, and some mineral earthiness. There's a lot going on.  Finish: Shorter than I expected. Smoked salt, earthy umami, a bit of sweet vinegar, black pepper.   Final Thoughts: I cannot believe I got this for 55 US dollars back when K&L shipped out of California. How freaking delicious. No idea what red wine they held in those finishing barrels, but it pairs well with the smoke and malt. Would I buy this: Yes. So very yes. Would I order this in a bar: Also very yes. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Yes, please! Verdict: Yes. By which I mean Thumbs Up.

  Nose: Brown sugar, papaya, passion fruit, yellow cake, a hint of latex Palate: Brown sugar, honeycomb, toffee, a touch of wax.  Finish: Sweet, then bitter. Honey, then earthy almost creosote, that floats back to bitter earth.  Final Thoughts: While not bad, it's sure not great. Like so many rums from Plantation the real joy has been buried under their Cognac cask finishing.  Would I buy this: I no longer purchase anything from Plantation, and will not do so until they change some of their practices (see  https://www.rumrevelations.com/post/joint-barbados-gi-statement-from-mount-gay-foursquare-st-nicholas-abbey Would I order this in a bar: Again, for the reasons given above, I would not. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass:  I would. While there are far better Jamaica rums available, there's nothing wrong with this. It just could have been better. Verdict: Thumbs down, because of how drinking it makes me feel now. I purchased this prior to knowing how crap Maison-Fer

  Nose: Vanilla, corn, orange starburst candies, candle wax, acetone Palate: Vanilla, tangelo, mandarin orange, sweet corn, cream corn, fresh grass Finish: Short. Vanilla, cake frosting, orange skittles, orange pith Final Thoughts:  'Like shitty commercial moonshine and orange starburst vodka had a love child' Would I buy this: I would not. Would I order this in a bar: I can't imagine anywhere but Still Austin would serve this. But people order Fireball all over the world, so who knows. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Negatory good buddy. Verdict: Please no. Thumbs down.

  Nose-- Citrus, juniper, a touch of earth and herbaceous greenery. Clean and a little medicinal. Palate - Earthy, a little mineral. Sweet in the middle. Finishes dry and the juniper is strongest just at the end. Finish - Juniper. mineral. Dry limestone and hints of sweet lemon. Cocktail - Gin and Tea. 1.5 oz gin, 2 oz strong cold lady grey tea, .25 oz simple, twist of lemon. Stirred, of course. Final Thoughts: More balanced than the Navy Strength, but I miss the extra proof here. Works well in this cocktail though,  Would I buy this: Possibly? I'd be on the fence between this and the Navy Strength. Would I order this in a bar: Given the right cocktail application, fo' sho. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: I would. Neat I prefer this to the Navy Strength. Verdict: Thumbs up.

  Nose-- Citrus, a little earth. A hint of brine. Fresh and sharp. Clean and a little medicinal. Palate - Fruity for a split second. Strangely sweet, then hot/sharp. Quite clean. Less juniper than expected.  Finish - The juniper stands tall here. Long, piney, a little brine, but clean. Like salt on sea rocks.  Cocktail - Classic gin sour Final thoughts: Not bad at all. Okay on its own but a little off balance. That lends itself well to the cocktail world though, and it's delightful in this gin sour. Would I buy this: I would, this would be a great shelf staple gin. Would I order this in a bar: In a cocktail, absolutely. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Again, in a cocktail, yes. On a rock, maybe. Neat, this would not be my gin of choice. Yes, I like neat gin. Verdict: Thumbs up!

  First, apologies for the terrible picture. I guess I was just overwhelmed by how amazing this was? Nose: Roasted nuts, marzipan, peanuts, red plums, dark chocolate, leather. Just a hint of something like old mint. Palate: Caramel, black pepper, sour cherry, cacao nibs, dark chocolate. Currants, sultanas, ginger and figs. Toffee, clotted cream. Finish: Really long. Spicy pepper, then sweet. Caramel, burnt sugar, chocolate covered cherries, a hint of oak. Fading into pipe tobacco and leather. Good lord, this is a delicious whisky. Would I buy this: Yes. Under $200 USD, yes. Would I order this in a bar:  Absolutely. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Thank you, may I have another if it's not too dear? Verdict: Delicious. Big thumbs up.

  Blind again, from Santa Pent0x. Nose: Banana. Bubblegum. Warm yeast. A little Clove. This screams young to me.  Palate: Wow, that's thin and very soft. Sweet, a little malty. Hints of banana, and some malty breadiness. Astringent wood, and cotton candy. A little tropical fruit for a moment.  Finish: Fruit cocktail and hints of cinnamon. Sweet but somehow not, like the tannic nature is just in balance.  There's not a ton going on here. This is malt to me, there's too many malt notes for it to be rum. And it comes across with a lot of bright uncharted new oak flavours. It also screams youth, and the body is very strange.  My guess: 40% ish, American craft malt aged in virgin oak (French?) and then finished in rum casks for half a year, maybe? Young, 4 to 6 years. Would I buy this: That's a no. Would I order this in a bar: Also nope. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Maybe? Do I like them? honestly it's not that bad, but I don't really care for it. V

From Santa Pent0x, blind.  Nose: Baking spices. Clove, cinnamon, allspice. Vanilla. A little fruit, like plums. Is it armagnac, maybe? The nose is a little more subtle than I expected given the colour.  Palate: Woody, fruity, delicious. Prunes, nutmeg, vanilla, a little oak.  Finish: Slow and round. Sweet vanilla, raisin, allspice, black currants.  This is super well balanced, fruit and wood really amazingly integrated. Not super complex in flavours, but the depth in the few things it has is there, and very very well done.  I'm guessing Armagnac, 40%, 10 to 15 years old. And tasty, tasty, tasty.  Would I buy this: Depending on price, most definitely. Would I order this in a bar: I would, and I would think it was a classy joint for having it. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: Oh yes, very yes. Verdict: Thumbs up. Thanks Santa!

  Nose: Sweet wheat, vanilla, baking spices, oak, caramel. A little popcorn.  Palate: Sweetness balanced with dry tannic oak. Spicy and a little herbal. Vanilla and slightly over baked molasses cookies. Finish: Long and dry. Woody. A little clove. The finish is a big letdown. Not terrible, but not great. I'd much rather have Wild Turkey 101, and this costs more than twice that. The nose was the best part, the finish the worst, and the palate was middle of the road, leaning downwards.  Would I buy this: I would not. Would I order this in a bar: Can I see the menu again? Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: I would, so we could discuss how sad it makes us. Verdict: Thumbs down.

 I haven't posted a review here in years. But I'm back. There's been a few reasons. I moved, and was just setting up and getting to know the area here, and that was pretty closely followed by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. That didn't do a lot of great things for my mental health, so I didn't drink very much. Things are slowly getting back to normal, so here I am! And I'm kicking off with a lot of old reviews. Some were from just before my move, when I was packing things up and too busy to post. One or two are from after. I kept track of most things and made notes for these, but memories are foggy and faded, and some things are missing. Might not have a pic of a sample, might not recall how much I liked it despite good notes. Ce'st la vie. I also am moving to a simple thumbs up and thumbs down system. Reviews are so subjective overall. Something I give 2 stars one day might get 3&1/2  another, because of mood, what else I ate that day, we

  Nose - Sour cherries, raspberries, almonds, slightly metallic, figs, Virginia pipe tobacco Palate - Raisin, toffee, honey, sage, almond, nougat, nutmeg, bitter lemon,  Finish - Black pepper, honey, sharp and a bit thin.  It seems a bit hot and brash for what it is, even with a bit of water. There's a lot going on that just doesn't quite gel. Would I buy this: If it were under 60 a bottle, and I doubt it was even then, maybe. Would I order this in a bar: Probably not. Would I drink this if someone gave me a glass: I would! It's not a bad scotch. It's just not my jam.  Final notes: For me the K&L exclusives are very hit or miss. They're always super interesting and tend to have a lot going on, they're just not always to my taste. Such is the case here. Verdict: Thumbs Down. Not for me.