Month: February 2018

Whisky #520: Bib & Tucker 6 Year Old Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

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Bib & Tucker 6 Year Old Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey (Batch No. 001, bottle #18,144). ABV: 46%. California, United States. Tasted at the White Oaks Saloon (Melbourne), $18.

Colour: Brassy glow.

Nose: Butter and burnt caramel. My trusted whisk(e)y tasting lieutenant Dave thought it was super sweet initially, then had some stewed cherries. The vanilla notes really came to the fore a bit later.

Palate: Creamy and grassy notes; also a few flavours like you’ve just chewed on a couple of fennel seeds.

Finish: Fresh and crisp, medium length. Mint leaves and soft white pepper. A sweet woody tang to finish.

Comments: Delicious. The nose and finish definitely have more going on than the palate, but it was a decidedly easy dram to drink on a Sunday night as we wound down from a big weekend.

It’s a little different to your traditional bourbons (both in production and flavour profile), being double distilled through a column still initially and then through a traditional copper pot still. It may appeal to fans of Scottish, Japanese or Australian whiskies who are wanting to dip their tongue in the bourbon pond.

Whisky #519: SMWS 96.11 Frisky Fun

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SMWS 96.11 Frisky Fun. 10 year old single cask single malt from Glendronach Distillery. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 57.6%. Tasted at home, $160 (bottle).

With a name like “Frisky Fun”, never has the phrase “whisky makes me frisky” been more appropriate. Let’s stumble through the front door and start peeling off the layers as we hurriedly get intimate with this dram…

Colour: Golden glow.

Nose: Fresher than the aroma of an over-zealous Tinder date who applies just a touch too much perfume right before walking into the bar. Fresh pine needles, jersey caramels and red raspberry jellies.

Palate: Hot toasted white bread, melted butter, honey, butter menthols and tangy lemon tarts.

Finish: Buttery with a satisfying salty tingle on the front of the tongue. Like kissing your date after she’s had a couple of margaritas.

Comments: It’s the unexpected excitement of discovering something new, like that kinda cute girl from IT who rocks up to the work Christmas party dressed to the nines and suddenly takes everyone’s breath away. Long finish, warm oily mouthfeel.

Glendronach are well known for their use of ex sherry casks (both Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso) in which to mature the majority of their core range of whiskies. The Glendronach Revival 15 Year Old and Glendronach Allardice 18 Year Old are phenomenal sherry bombs that have deep rich dried fruit characteristics, but this refill ex bourbon barrel release takes you in a different direction and shows you a side of the distillery that you might not have previously thought possible. Much like the excitement of a new frisky encounter. Another outstanding release from the SMWS!