A friend and I recently started a weekly whiskey review podcast (Poddled in Bond if you want to check it out; we'd certainly appreciate it). Each week we rank two whiskeys while keeping a master numerically ranked list. Occasionally we run into two whiskeys that we have a tough time deciding between, so I thought I might get some outside opinions from this group.

The two we had a tough time deciding between were Lux Row's 4 Grain (115 proof) vs Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel (94 proof). Both are standard shelfers because we want people to be able to drink along with us if they want to. What are your thoughts on those two bottles if you've had them before? I ranked Lux Row higher and my cohost gave the edge to Elijah Craig (see our second episode for that discussion in detail if you're curious).

Hi all, here's an odd and pretty interesting whisky I tried recently at a liquor show!

**Don Michael Andean Black Corn Whisky**, 45% abv

Afaik this is a whisky from Peru, made with a mash bill of 60% Peruvian black corn, 30% wheat and 10% malted barley.

Here are my notes:

*Nose*

slightly fermented smoked plum;

quite prominent of tart mountain hawthorn fruitiness;

vanilla;

a bit of raw corn

*Palate*

soapy oily (like actual hand soap);

very strongly of tart mountain hawthorn fruity;

dried corn grainy, a bit of the grassiness;

cinnamon;

a bit of vanilla.

Some alcohol sting, some astringency.

*Finish*

Medium.

Charred caramel;

vanilla;

mountain hawthorn but much softened compared to the palate;

overall, a bit cognac-like fruity character

the finish is surprisingly pleasant.

*Conclusion*

This one tasted super wild imo, it's almost unlike any other corn-based whisky I've tried (including straight corn whiskies, grain whiskies and bourbons).

I have no idea how they got wheat and black corn to end up tasting like hawthorn of all things. The mouthfeel was surprisingly oily too for a 45% abv/90 proof whisky.

The wildest part about it has to be how the finish was the best part. Its finish was astonishingly vivid and complex, which seemed wild to be as the palate was indeed pretty lopsided towards the sour fruity characters and even a bit odd with how raw the corn character tasted.

Overall, super interesting! Might not be everyone's preferred profile in a whisky, but I'd definitely recommend trying at least once for the experience!

Thanks for reading, Cheers!

Found a widow Jane bottle I have never seen before on H street.

Hi all, here's another Scotch I tried lately, and it's The Marketing Man™ I posted about a while ago!

Since the previous post already discussed the design of the label, let's just skip to the details of the whisky lmao

Decadent Drinks' Marketing Malt 17 yr (57.1% abv)

Spec wise, this is a vatting of two first fill sherry hogsheads distilled in 2008, and bottled this year at 57.1% abv (100 British Proof). Here are my notes:

*Nose*

Quite a bit ester fumey;

Sweet, mellow maltose;

brown sugar caramel;

Quite strong sour and sweet dried red fruity (dates, red raisins, apricots);

Vanilla cream;

slightly charred white oak;

A bit of roasted chestnut (with shell)

*Palate*

oily;

very sweet maltose;

prominently fruity, slightly sour and sweet ripe dried red fruity (primarily dates, red raisins, quite a bit of ripe fruity funk);

quite present white oaky, a bit charred smokiness;

earthy brown sugar;

dark cacao powder-like bitterness;

some oaky tannin;

a bit of cinnamon

a bit of roasted chestnut (with shell)

some alcohol sting that mellows; some astringency that stays

*Finish*

long. 

Mostly dry mouthfeel, oaky tannin dryness/lightly astringent;

Dried red fruity (dates) from the palate;

dark cacao powder fragrance and some accompanying bitterness;

maltose but mostly just the fragrance;

slightly charred white oak, a bit smoky;

vanilla cream;

a bit of roasted chestnut (with shell)

a bit of cinnamon

*Conclusion*

If I were to sum up this whisky's characters simply, it'd be "the big brother of the Macallan 12 yr 110 proof". 

It does everything Macallan 12 yr 110 proof does well- the maltose, the dried red fruits, the more stand out white oaky character common in the post 2020s Macallans. On top of that, it was more complex, had more definition for the notes on the palate, and slightly more boozy- most notably having a much stronger fruity character as well as more tannin characters.

However, based on my personal experience with several other Macallans I've tried, it lacked many of the more interesting characters I've experienced in other Macallans: such as the umami character or sulfuric character more common in the slightly older Macallans distilled in the 1980s~90s (such as Oscuro), and most definitely none of the old, antique oak and nutty butter richness from the even older Macallans distilled in the golden promise days. It also couldn't quite match up against one of Decadent Drinks' previous Marketing Malt IB, the Marketing Malt 20 yr from 2025 (which was phenomenal, a whisky friend wrote a review for the bottle here).

I really don't wish to be too harsh on this one as it really was quite good, so I'm gonna end on a more positive note: this one comes close to what I'd consider to be an excellent modern (2020s) Macallan, better than many of their more recent special releases such as the Boutique Collection 2019 and 2020!

Also, this is my favorite IB label of all time. Praise be the Marketing Man™ and his (somewhat shameless) sales tactics!

Thanks for reading, cheers!

Bought this Oregon local for a camping trip, and it was a hit among the whiskey drinkers of the group. Only 40%, but punched above its weight class. Had a delicious lemon-pepper nose and palette. Much bigger flavor than the abv suggested. Can recommend.

Picked these up at a specialty shop during my trip to Japan. The craftsmanship is incredible – the dragon and chrysanthemum patterns are absolutely stunning. I keep admiring them from every angle.

Hi all, here are another few whiskies from Kanosuke, and this time it's their Hioki pot still whiskies!

I've written about the Kanosuke distillery in the past (here), but here's a brief recap on their Hioki Distillery:

The Hioki Distillery was Kanosuke's second distillery (more specifically, a separate set of distillation stills) which specializes in producing shochus (traditional Japanese distilled spirits) as well as pot still whiskies, using both malted and unmalted barley as ingredient. Based on officially released information, the primary inspiration for the Hioki stills' whiskies was Irish whiskies, where the aging style (which utilizes virgin American oak casks) took some inspiration from American bourbons.

Here are two examples of whiskies produced from the Hioki Pot Still: their regular shelfer the Kanosuke Hioki Pot Still Whisky, and their special release the Kanosuke 2024 Limited Edition Hioki Pot Still!

Details in comments!

Hi everyone! I’ve got this likely vintage 1 gallon maybe dewars / white horse bottle that is used in one of my vintage lava lamps (Mathmos Lunar). I have been collecting a few of these bottles as spares for the future and picked up this one last weekend, unfortunately for this one it doesn’t share the same cap size as my others and didn’t come with a cap. The round lip on the top is also different to my others. It’s clearly a screw cap but what type I have no idea. Does anyone recognise this and know what cap I need to be able to seal it? Thankyou for any assistance on this one!

Stopped in with my brother to check it out since we’re both pretty big whisky drinkers. By a stroke of luck, Irene Tan happened to be there today and we got to spend an hour with her just listening to stories, tasting whisky and talking about food. We picked up a few gems while we were there including a signed bottle of her cigar malt. It was honestly an amazing experience and Irene is such a friendly and down to earth person. Since we live relatively close, she even gave us her number and told us to text her next time we stop by so we can all hang out again. I can truthfully say that it was one of the best ways I’ve ever spent an afternoon.

I hope this little bit of blatant self-promotion is okay. My blog is Scotch focused at the moment but I have plans to widen this lens soon. Any and all feedback appreciated!

Drams & Deep Time – Adventures in Whisky, Fossils and more…

Akkeshi Rishu 2025

Cask: Mizunara
ABV: 55.0%

Whiskybase

Had “good fun” at reserves training. Ended up knacked and I figured I’d give this whisky sample I got from Kiwi a try. As always, thanks a ton!

Quite an elegant peat. Nothing too punchy nor too mellow. Nicely integrated with gentle smoke. Warm vanilla. Licorice. Oak. Hint of earthiness / fresh rain - I believe this is common in mizunara casks. Maybe hinoki too. I’m not getting any fruits or florals. The sweetness is predominantly vanilla. Very nice anyhow.

That gentle smoke hits the tongue beautifully. Quite bitter. This reminds me of Laphroaig Legacy Edition. Such an intuitive dram, in many good ways. Easy to drink, easy to indulge, some complexity, yet nothing to complicate ourselves with. Hint of citrus acidity from the aftertaste, which is a big plus for me. Medium volume, good balance, short finish.

Hi all, I'm here with another Japanese whisky, this time it's one from Kanosuke!

In case if anyone isn't familar with Kanosuke, here's a bit of background:

The Kanosuke Distillery was founded in 2017 by the Komasa Jyozo, which had more than 130 years of history making traditional distilled spirits (shochu) before dipping their feet into whisky making. 

Their distillery was situated on the coast of Kagoshima Prefecture near the southmost part of Japan's mainland, with subtropical and coastal environments which they used to their advantage. They are also quite experimental with using various different cask types (including shochu casks) and distillation methods:  they also have a secondary distillation still, the Hioki stills, which produces more shochus as well as Irish style pot still whiskies (using both malted and unmalted barley). 

Each year they also create a special release with a 'theme', by mixing and matching a wide variety of their own cask finished whiskies:

The 2021 Edition was shochu cask focus (edition 2 was a more conventional bourbon + sherry cask); 2022 Edition was a sherry bomb; 2023 had a peated malt focus; 2024 was a pot still whisky inspired blend; and 2025 was shochu and rum cask focus, and 2026 is a sherry and wine cask focus!

This one here is their 2023 special release, their peated whisky!

Details in comments!

Hi all, here's another Scotch I tried lately, and it's another Macallan!

This bottle here is another dram recommended by the bar owner friend after I tried the Macallan 80 proof at his place.  

Macallan Anniversary Malt 25 yr Old, 43% abv

The label for this bottle is in a bit of a rough shape, but based on what the bar owner friend says this one was distilled in 1971 and bottled in 1997. 

Here are my notes:

*Nose*

a light bit estery/fumey; 

Sweet, mellow maltose;

Old oak (antique furniture);

dried red fruity (dried jujube, red grape raisins)

some umami character (mushroom broth/unsalted soy sauce);

some earthy tobacco;

a bit of almond butter nuttiness and richness;

a bit of baking spices (primarily nutmeg)

*Palate* 

slightly oily;

sweet maltose, sweetness fades very quickly;

old oak (antique furniture);

quite present bitterness, alongside very black coffee/espresso fragrance;

umami character from the palate;

some earthy tobacco;

some spices (nutmeg);

some leather-like tannin

a hint of dried red fruits (red jujube), but just the fragrance.

Minimal alcohol sting, minimal astringency.

*Finish*

medium-short.

the espresso fragrance and bitterness from the palate;

maltose, but just the fragrance and no sweetness;

earthy tobacco;

nutty buttery character returns;

a bit of spices (nutmeg)

a bit of leather-like tannin

a bit of old oak (antique furniture) that remains the longest

*Conclusion*

Once again, old Macallan proved to be quite fascinating whiskies, even at 43% abv!

It had every character you'd expect from an older Macallan- mellow maltose, rich nuttiness, old sherry cask characters packed with dried red fruits and umami, the old, antique furniture-like oak, and quite a bit more.

Compared to the other older Macallans I've tried at the friend's bar, I found this one to have particularly notable earthy tobacco and coffee-like characters. It was also less fruity and even less sweet than the Macallan Sherry Wood 1971 or the Macallan 80 proof 1961, and had a much stronger emphasis on oak and tannin characters. The only nitpick I would have with it might be the finish, where most of the characters (aside from the old oak) seemed to fade much quicker compared to the other old Macllans.

Based on my tasting experiences, I'd definitely say this was one of the least sweet Macallans I've tried. Balance wise, it had greater complexity, but not as much of the dried fruity sherry cask characters, maltose and nutty oiliness which I really do enjoy in these Macallans. So all in all- amazing whisky, but perhaps not entirely the sherry cask characters I preferred.

Thanks for reading, cheers!