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Review: Callisto Botanical Rum

  Color (5%): water clear, slightly higher viscosity.    4/5  Nose (10%):  Yeah, that smells like gin. Not like a pine tree but that citrusy botanical quality is huge. If I had to guess, bergamot, cardamom, and citrus peels. No licorice notes to speak of, no real pepperiness, slight white floral notes.  9/10 Palate (20%):  Quite dry albeit the sucrose flavor is there. It's gin, but with a few undertones. It reminds me of some gins I've had using honey as a base or apples. It doesn't have the pepperiness of most gins but as a "botanical gin" this hits the mark. 17/20 Finish (10%):  the spice character does linger quite a while. but it's pretty dang clean. Not nuanced, but lingering and clean 7/10 Overall impression (30%): Overall, this is a non-juniper forward, sugarcane-based gin. this is not a rum on the palate. Rum is sweet, it is dry, it is robust, it is nuanced. there are fruity notes in rum and floral. rum can taste like cognac or whiskey, but when it tas

Clyde May's Straight Rye Whiskey (Recipe No. 3)

  Color (5%):   Very light, hay hue, 3/5 Nose (10%):  light, faint spice, floral notes. 7/10 Palate (20%):  still has a bit of oiliness, like the bourbon. honey on the tip, light apple presents itself after a few sips. Nice rye bread spice. 14/20 Finish (10%):  quite hot, lots of alcohol burn. some star anise. could've used more time in the wood. 5/10 Overall Impression and Harmony (30%):  Overall this is a pretty good young rye. The alcohol burn is harsh, even for the proof. a bit more time in the wood would clean that up, but it would take away from some of the delicate spice balance. It'd be good with a little water or mixed but isn't great to sip on its own. I'm curious to try it over ice. 21/30 Retry on Ice (25%):  The nose is still there and quite lovely. lighter, weaker alcohol burn. doesn't add anything but it does get rid of some roughness. 20/25 Total Ranking: 70%  Legendary, Amazing, Great, Good, Fair, Average, Tolerable, Swill Estimated Fair Price: $25 A

Clyde May's Original Alabama Style Whiskey (Batch No. 52, Recipe No. 1)

Color (5%):   lovely light brown / bronze fading to a very thin clear edge, a long gradient. 3/5 Nose (10%):  light honeyed apple note, 4/10 alcohol, mild spice, powdered sugar/sherbet, can't quite place it. sort of nondistinct. 6/10 Palate (20%):  I taste vanilla, spice, apple. An interesting mash bill. I'm used to bourbon, rye, and single malt. I think there's a bit of wheat or something else in here. I'd certainly guess corn is in there, but I'm going to surprise myself on this tasting. It has a rather mild flavor, leaning me toward wheat. 16/20 Finish (10%):  a rather long finish, lovely caramel apple lingers, sherbet. a bit sweet reaffirming my guess of corn. 9/10 Overall Impression and Harmony (30%):  A very mild whiskey overall by my standards. The alcohol impact is undoubtedly there and represents what it is. The nose isn't all that much but I do really enjoy sipping this. It reminds me of some Irish whiskeys I've had in terms of intensity, which is

Clyde May's Straight Bourbon Whiskey (Recipe No. 2)

Color (5%):  light, amber, thinning edges again. 4/5 Nose (10%):  big corn note, brown sugar, alcohol a bit high, stewed apple, slight roast peach notes. great bourbon character. 7/10 Palate (20%):  lovely apples and pear notes. slight strawberry pop early in the taste. A bit of oiliness. a good deal of oak spice. 14/20 Finish (10%):  very long finish, much less sweet than the Alabama style. rather lingering alcohol burn. 6/10 Overall Impression and Harmony (30%):  This is a pretty rich oily bourbon. the age statement is in the range that I like. Not too young, you can see the impact of the wood, but it's not overdone. There are certain bourbons that I like better and certain bourbons that push the extremes of the category a little more but this is a very good solid bourbon. 19/30 Retry on Ice (25%):  It gets a bit rough on the nose, dirty old apples. still holds its alcohol heat. loses the fun, keeps the rough. 12/25 Total Ranking: 62%  Legendary, Amazing, Great,  Good , Fair, Ave

Review: Red Brick Single Barrel Barrel Strength (Batch 15 Barrel 7)

Color (5%):   Deep tarnished copper, light kiss of ruby red. 5/5 Nose (10%):  Roasted coffee beans. brown sugar. nice bit of punch 8/10 Palate (20%):   light maple syrup at the start, rich roasted barley at the mid palate ending with lovely roasty notes of coffee, chocolate, and might spice. 17/20 Finish (10%):  rich lingering 50% cocoa chocolate. Barrel strength brings the heat, but not as bad as any other barrel strength I've had to date. 7/10 Overall Impression and Harmony (30%):  That first sip will always have a kick, but you get used to it pretty quickly. by the third sip this was easy, and that can be dangerous. Eventually that sweet start really hooks you and that long roasty finish is certainly something to savor. 27/30 Retry on Ice (25%):  Jesus, coffee, so much coffee. not brewed coffee but coffee beans or over-concentrated cold brew. chocolate covered coffee beans. very low cream / vanilla. bitter. movie theatre raisinettes. get this with some sambuca, a barspoon would

Review: Sheep Dip Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

Color (5%): G olden, fall hay colored. lighter than expected. 3/5 Nose (10%):  That is an oily scotch. Old band-aids through and through. Band-aids after a dip in the swimming pool. no real oaky, toasty notes, pretty standard peaty young islay. 7/10 Palate (20%): Surprisingly quite light to start, very watery. It swiftly builds to a high dose of polyphenols. There's a flavor I've had before that I can't place, an English sweet, sherbet? Powdered sugar flavor. It starts with nothing and builds into the rich oily fire. light tang, salty seaweed. Iodine medicine.    16/20 Finish (10%):  Long lingering smoke with a bit of alcohol heat. really feel it in the bottom jaw. Very dry. I'm struggling to form saliva. Cigars aren't this binding. light figgy, golden date note starts to appear after several sips. slight medicinal rubber note.  6/10 Overall Impression and Harmony (30%):  This is a pretty young scotch overall by my estimation, that or the peat is just so high that a

Review: Sheep Dip Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

Color (5%):  Lovely golden amber, copper, very clear. 4/5 Nose (10%): Delightful clean unmalted barley note, lightly toasted oak, 7/10 Palate (20%): delightfully light and fragrant. a medium sweetness appears at the tip of the tongue of honey and golden syrup. A slight bit of orange zest and oil. 17/20 Finish (10%): Any alcohol sharpness quickly fades but leaves a warmth of spice and cinnamon which lingers for a goodly long while. 8/10 Overall Impression and Harmony (30%): This is truly a fine blended whiskey. you see every component balanced and harmonized. The honey sweetness with orange oil, a kiss of smoke and lingering spice. 27/30 Retry on Ice (25%): Actually brings out a bit more woody body. weakens the finish and the opening sweetness is shortened to make way for that the richer smoke. The water dilution really does unbind the smokey oily compounds that were trapped in the bottle. Not that the released oils of this particular whisky are dominant at all, merely enhanced. T