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I know it's not bourbon, but the sentiment is the same-same!

WT 101 8 yr, 1792 FP, Nashville Barrel. YUM...

This was a collaboration between Worldwide Wine & Spirts and Beverage King, both in Connecticut. 5 Years in bourbon barrels and 1 years in a Mezcal cask and bottled at cask strength. Nice tropical fruit and sugar notes and very smooth for the age and proof. You get sweetness on the palette with a little agave smoke, but the finish is really where the mezcal hits. Really nice savory smokey flavor that reminds of BBQ. Really nice and unique pour. 8/10.

Never heard of Kinsey before but when I saw cask strength rye, finished in Amarone casks, and for $55, I had to try it. It is a store pick for WorldWide Wine & Sprits in Connecticut. It is good, really good, especially for the price. The nose is full of rich red wine notes and the palette doesn't disappoint. Rich grape and wine notes with some fruity and rye sweetness followed by a nice rye peppery (mild pepper) finish. Wow. I really enjoyed it and recommend it highly. Not sure how similar this is to other offerings of Kinsey's, but this was great. 8.75/10

Never had Smoke Wagon before and had no idea what to expect. Had the pleasure of trying the store pick at WorldWide Wine & Spirits here in Connecticut yesterday. A bottle came home with me. It tastes a little hot for 59.6% ABV and 7 years old, but other than that, I have no complaints (and I am not one to shy away from high proof). It is pretty smooth but has a little more burn at the end than I was expecting. The mouthfeel is medium but the flavors are rich with vanilla being prominent. It has a really nice woody/oaky quality to it that is borderline similar to a toasted oak. Really nice and no regrets. Not sure if this is indicative of all the smoke wagon offerings, but this one was well worth it. 8.5/10.

I have the 15 year from last year. It is a "light" whiskey. If I recall, and do not quote me on it because I looked it up a while ago, there are different rules, but basically bourbon minus the charred oak and it can go into the barrel hotter, etc. I am not sure what rules pertain to the type of wood and as you can see below, the taste can vary. The 15 year is one of four light whiskeys I have (Jacobs Pardon, Optanium from Cat's Eye, RY3 Store pick, being the others). I really enjoy light whiskey and the Penelope is no exception. They are generally rich in flavor but lighter on the wood influence and I get all sorts of sweet and savory flavors from them. A 15 year light whiskey is generally hotter and not as smooth as a similarly aged bourbon but they are unique. If I recall, and I will have to try it again soon, I got sweet vanilla notes and it was really nice. Going from memory, but the Optanium has berry notes, the RY3 coconut and vanilla, and the Jacobs Pardon has some apple cinnamon going on. I would expect the 17 year Penelope to be more of the 15 years profile but be a little smoother. However, the flavors can vary widely with light whiskeys, so who knows. I would love to hear any opinions on it. Especially comparing it to the 15 year.

The gf was in town this last wk so I had her pour a sbs of the WT 101 and the WT 8yr 101. I didn't cover the glasses as suggested, too lazy, but I did not set them next to each other and didn't really look at them for color. Just grab a glass and smell and sip. My results were a bit shocking to me. I thought there was going to be a noticeable difference as I had experienced in prior tastings (not blind). I struggled to tell the difference between the 2. 1 sip glass A was better. Next sip glass B was better and back and forth it went. Overall I wasn't that impressed with either. Sorry you Flockers but be happy there will be an extra btl(s) on the shelf for you. Now I am going to put an asterisk next to this blind tasting. I feel my palate was off. I tried a couple small sips of a couple daily regulars for me and they were not tasting to par. ( OF 100 and KC 9yr) So i will try this again at a later date. There is still a chance this Jake will grow to be a Tom and soar with the rest of the flock. IMO.

I am glad you enjoyed the Ardbeg, but surprised the Cairdeas wasn't to your liking. It sounds interesting on paper - white port and Madeira. Not a good combo? Not generally an Islay fan. However, I have a bottle of the 200th Anniversary Cairdeas that I will drink every once in a while, with a drop of water. I tried the Uigeadail a while back and it was a little much for me, if I recall. I am okay with some peat, but these peat powerhouses are a little but over the top for me. They lose the subtlety and finesse a lot of single malts have. I can't pick up on the nuances well with big peat monsters. Highland Park Dark Origins and the Cask Strength are nice, as are the Campbeltown scotches from Longrow, Springbank, and Hazelburn (the first two being big peat but with a different profile than Islay peat). With those, I can get the flavors other than peat. Anyway, I know a lot of people who enjoy Ardbeg and I am glad you did as well.

I visited Islay at a local bar earlier today. Uigeadail was easily the choice between these two. There are some Laphroaigs that I do like (e.g Sherry Oak 10) but this white port & madeira version of Cairdeas didn't fire for me at all. It's way too disjointed for my tastes.

I passed on the 8yr New Riff bourbon the other day. They wanted 90+$... I did buy a sample at the whiskey bar and found it to be dang good. As many here have stated, New Riff is legit. BUT, I will wait and hopefully find it closer to msrp, which I think is 60-70?

Thank you, sir. I am enjoying this btl. It is not the rye-est of ryes, but it is smooth and delicious.

I need to try the JD bib rye. I quite enjoy the JD bib whiskey, it is like a poor mans version of the SiB BP, IMO.

Saw this one sitting there on a shelf yesterday at retail and had to pick it up since I haven’t seen one at retail in at least four years. Opened it tonight and just as good as I remember.

Good stuff after mowing the lawn.

Now that is just awesome.

Yup! When the mood strikes me, I like the vitamin flavor..it scratches an itch that no other whiskey can.

Balvenie is one of my favorites too. The 30 year is possibly the best single malt I've had. I have a bunch of the original Tun 1401's in the bunker along with a couple 30's. That 18 year PX looks great!

Passed on a bunch of cool looking stuff at Binny's. I'm going dry for 8 weeks for a weight loss challenge starting in a couple of days, so I thought not buying a bunch of bottles like I normally would, would be a good first test of will power. WT101 8yr A bunch of FR single barrels in the new recipes (the 50% ones) A ton of JD bare proof store picks A RR 10 yr store pick

And I agree with you. I am a big fan of the 15yr. It is not totally void of the Flintstone vitamin flav but has enough so you know it is still a Dickel. Not that there is anything wrong with the vitamin flav.

Lucky you!

Having a KC-SP after a day outside.

Portillos has finally made it to South Texas. Italian Beef sandwiches (dipped) and Peerless Double Oaked from Total Wine. Been looking for both for a while All we need is some Lou Malati’s pizza here, and I won’t have to go back.

Rest in peace. Good one to replace

California Cool-Aid....inspired by @smokinjoe. It's pretty damn good!

@fosmith -80.00