Number Twenty: Jeremiah Weed: Sarsaparilla
Tasting Note: Vanilla, caramel, oaky, wintergreen, and licorice
Librarian’s Notes:
“What I wish they served at root beer stands.”
“It’s old timey”
“It tastes like wintergreen mouthwash.”
Great whiskey for those that are new to whiskey.
Bartender Notes:
Distilled in Connecticut and owned by the larger company Diageo that also owns Johnny Walker.
Why We Chose It:
Great starter whiskey and a fun throwback to childhood memories.
Number Twenty-One: Rebel Yell: Ginger
Tasting Notes: Spicy ginger, vanilla, and butterscotch
Librarian’s Notes:
“What’s the opposite of subtle.”
“Like a concentrated Irish Mule.”
“A delightful nose, a sulfurous yet sweet and wonderful taste.”
Bartender Notes:
Rebel Yell has been around since 1849.
Ginger was added in 2016
Distilled in Louisville, Kentucky
Why we chose it:
This is a great established brand that is trying to branch out into the flavored whiskey market.
Number Twenty-Two: Monkey Shoulder
Tasting Note: Vanilla, orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, spicy, with copper color
Librarian’s Notes:
“A mild yet monkeyshine-filled scotchy burn.”
“It tastes like you’re eating an oak barrel. It makes my mouth feel dry.”
“This is the desert of my discontent”
Bartender’s Notes:
This is a triple malt scotch from Speyside Highlands.
The name comes from an ailment that the malt men used to get from long shifts of turning the malt.
Why We Chose It: Wanted to have a difference between a single and a triple scotch.
Number Twenty-Three ORIGINAL – REPLACED ONSITE: Balvenie Doublewood:
Tasting Note: spicy, honey, malt, with a sherry flavor
Librarian’s Notes: “I could pour a couple fingers, drop in an ice cube, sit around the fire and talk about life.”
“A complex taste – a lot going on.”
“Can the note be this face?”
Bartender’s Notes: Aged first in bourbon casks then finished in oak sherry casks. Single malt scotch.
Why We Chose It: This is a great starter scotch from a well-known distillery.
Number Twenty-Three REPLACEMENT SURPRISE: Toki
Tasting Note: green apple, grapefruit, peppermint, a touch of ginger
Librarian’s Notes:
“The delightful harmony of … why the hell am I pontificating, this is just really freaking good whiskey!”
“It is like a warm hug that kicks you in the ass when you turn to leave.”
Bartender’s Notes: Toki means “time” in Japanese.
Why We Chose It:
A non-Scotch. Because it’s not Scotch if it’s not from Scotland.
Number Twenty Four: Old Overholt Rye
Tasting Note: cinnamon, orange, vanilla, caramel
Librarian’s Notes:
“Ugh. But my nipples are hard.”
“Smells like a field on a drunken summer day.”
“I wanted to make a joke about it tasting like old underwear, but couldn’t – until the burn kicked my tongue.”
Bartender’s Notes:
Named after Abraham Overholt who switched to distilling from farming in the 1800’s.
Why We Chose It:
Great general Rye that isn’t too harsh.
Number Twenty-Five: Glenmorangie
Tasting Note: Vanilla, orange, peach
Librarian’s Notes:
“For a cold Scottish Morning.”
“Sweet aftertaste from The Bog Before the Peat.”
“Oh, Peaty”
Bartender’s Notes:
Named the best whiskey in the world in 2013.
Single malt scotch.
BTW, No Peat in this
Why We Chose It:
A more citrus influenced single malt Scotch.
Number Twenty-Six: George Dickel Tabasco Barrel Whiskey
Tasting Note: smokey, spicy, peppery, oak
Librarian’s Notes:
“It’s like Willy Wonka got high ‘You know what would be great kids? A chicken dinner but it gets you drunk!’”
“So sweet. So mean.”
“If you want to drink tabasco, just fucking drink it. Then have good whiskey instead.”
Bartender’s Notes:
Aged 30 days in a barrel that previously held tabasco pepper mash.
Not actually a whiskey because it is only 70 proof and you need to be 80 proof to be an actual whiskey
Why We Chose It:
Why not try something unusual.
Number Twenty-Seven: Wild Turkey 101
Tasting Note: Vanilla, caramel, oak, peppery
Librarian’s Notes:
“It is an apple cloud with a thunderbolt.”
“That kicks back.”
“Like a rattlesnake tried to french kiss me but without all the swelling.”
“It’s like a delicious bug spray that won’t kill you when you as quickly as regular bug spray.”
Bartender’s Notes:
High rye contact and aged in white oak barrels with an alligator char which is the deepest char available.
Why We Chose It:
Wanted a good general purpose bourbon.
Number Twenty-Eight: Legacy
Tasting Note: vanilla, spice, cloves, coffee, rye
Librarian’s Notes:
“This is smooth but spicy like a spicy caramel kiss.”
“Light and airy, not as much bite.”
“Now I know why Canadians are so friendly.”
Bartender’s Notes:
Rules for Canadian whiskey are laxer and so the compositions are not as stringent.
This is created in small batches by a Master Blender.
Why We Chose It:
Wanted to have a Canadian whiskey present.
Number Twenty-Nine: Tyrconnell: Irish single malt
Tasting Note: Honey, toffee, oak
Librarian’s Notes:
“Smooth with a nice reach around at the end.”
“Peppery and sits your tongue like the devil with a pitchfork but in a nice way.”
“It’s like grocery shopping at 3 a.m.”
Bartender’s Notes:
Named after the Watt Family’s winning colt in 1876.
This is a double distilled single malt in copper pots.
Why We Chose It:
Wanted to show the difference between a Scottish and an Irish single malt.
Number Thirty: Bushel & Barrel by Brenetzen
Tasting Note: Apple, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, oak
Librarian’s Notes:
“It’s like the fireplace is given me a hug in the middle of the winter.”
“I feel like I’m holding hands with Johnny Appleseed.”
“It warms me from the inside just like my blanket at naptime.”
Bartender’s Notes:
Great mix of bourbon and apple liquor.
This is from a German distillery that has been producing liquors for 250 years. (They get their Bourbon straight from Kentucky)
Why We Chose It:
It’s a great mixed bourbon for people that don’t like whiskey.