All posts by Mark Buchholtz

Whisky of the Month

Kilbeggan Triple Cask Irish Whiskey

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A delightful release from Kilbeggan that is matured in three different cask types (Bourbon, Pedro Ximenez Sherry, and American Oak). This premium blend delivers a characterful Irish whiskey with rich notes of summer fruits and vanilla, leading into an oak spice finish. We sourced this one for approx. $65 CAD.

Bottled at 43% abv.

Pictured on the right below:

This was just a great flavourful whiskey! Well done a nice easy drinker with a little punch of dry sweetness. Thanks for a nice affordable whiskey from Kilbeggan!

Whisky of the Month

Teeling Single Malt Irish Whiskey

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Welcome to bottle tasting #2 from March 2025 tasting. We continue our celebration of St. Patrick’s month with a non-chill filtered Teeling Single Malt Whiskey. This bottling comes in at 46% abv. and was placed into the bottle in September 2021. I think it was available at our local LCBO for approx. $70 CAD.

From our in-house whisky ambassadors notes (thanks Mike):

In recognition of St.Patrick’s day we will be tasting a whisky from the oldest distillery in Dublin. 

Teeling Single Malt. 

Crafted by the innovative Teeling Whiskey Company in Dublin, stands out in the Irish whiskey landscape. Distilled primarily from corn (95%) with 5% malted barley, it’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in Californian Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks from Napa Valley. Awarded “World’s Best Grain Whiskey” at the 2016 World Whiskies Awards, cementing its reputation for quality. A bold choice for those exploring beyond classic single malts, Teeling Single Grain marries Irish tradition with inventive cask finishing. Its vibrant fruitiness and approachable sweetness make it a standout for both novices and connoisseurs.

Pictured below in the center:

What a fantastic whiskey! Amazing flavour all around with this version. Just be careful because they are so smooth. Another winner from our friends at Teeling!

Whisky of the Month

Waterford Irish Single Malt Whisky

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As part of our March triple tasting we dove into a “brand new to the club” whisky from Waterford. The Waterford Organic Single Malt whisky is an all organic offering that is branded as single farm origin.

From Waterford website:

“Using 100% Irish barley, widely considered to be the world’s finest, our Single Farm Origin series is an uber-provenance range of limited edition natural whiskies that explore Irish terroir one farm, one place, at a time. They are expressions of precision and rarity, showcasing barley flavours derived from individual Irish farms and harvests.”

Quite the interesting distillery, but sadly during our research about this bottling we’ve learned they have closed down. It appears that they are still selling of the remainder of their inventory, and will continue to use up the any previously distilled whisky in future releases. Good news for those who might be looking to try this one out. You still have time!

Pictured below on the left hand side:

Sadly I didn’t take many notes on the whisky, but I have to leave the reader with this; it was one of the most unique Irish whiskies I’ve ever tried. Very smooth, earthy with some cereal sweetness. Backed by a nice lingering mouth feel. Worth a try as we sourced the bottle for approx. $90 CAD. Very reseasonable for a unique Irish Single malt whisky. What a great way to kick of March!

Whisky of the Month

Bunnahabhain 44 Year Old

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Hands down this was our best year as a club and we are going to celebrate the fruits of our labours with the oldest and possibly rarest expression we have ever shared together. What a way for us to share in the 17 Year anniversary of Expensive Taste KW whisky club.

Bunnahabin 44 Year Old

Single Malts of Scotland – Directors Special

42.4% ABV

$1865.00 (Private collection)

Bottled from a Single Cask (Sherry butt).

Producer Tasting Notes:

Nose: 

At first a fruity mix of plum wine, caramel cake spread with quince jam, marshmallows and bubblegum. Chunky gingerbread, fresh out of the oven, is served with a cup of cardamom tea. Elegant wildflowers – daisy and meadowsweet – decorate the scene.

Palate: 

Juicy texture, with soft florals and fresh peppermint leaves followed by damp staves of oak, like barrels of Armagnac resting in a cellar. Fruity tangerine, heather honey and mango play with more austere flavours of tobacco and rooibos tea. Exceptionally complex.

Finish: 

Layered and lengthy, with rounded menthol notes, soft liquorice and dusty wood panels adding accent to the finish.

This was the crown jewel tasting bottle from our 17 Year club anniversary tasting in January. Simply I am at a loss for words to describe the “WOW” factor of this Bunnahabhain 44 year. This was independently bottled by the Single Malts of Scotland group and was sourced from one of our member private collections. By far the oldest expression we have had a club and certainly one of the best in terms of overall flavour and deliciousness. There was still plenty of the normal “Bunna” notes backed by varying layers of sweetness. Was bottled under their traditional 46% ABV, but that did not take away anything from the intensity of the flavours. A potentially dangerous whisky that you would want to have multiple drams of it, but we were limited to just over 1 oz. each as we shared it with our 19 members. The overall feedback was great and we were certainly blown away with the most prestigious and rare bottling we have ever tried as a club. Long live the “Bunna” in all it’s 44 Years of glory!

Whisky of the Month

Glenmorangie Signet Reserve

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This one was actually acquired from the LCBO and was a last minute addition to the evenings tasting menu and a polar opposite from the Ardbeg Y2K that will be sure to appeal to those with a love of Highland spirits. There is certainly some love amongst the club membership for previous releases of Glenmorangie’s Signet, so this one caught the eye and it fit into our budget for the anniversary tasting party.

LCBO: 46% ABV

$715.00

Inspired by a winsome cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, Signet Reserve is distilled from a chocolate malt(a heavily toasted barley malt) that imparts espresso, tiramisu and bitter dark chocolate notes ageing in Sherry, bourbon and new oak barrels adds butterscotch, vanilla and spice notes.

Tasting Notes by The Producer:

Nose

Deep and powerful aromas. Dark chocolate sponge cake and intense espresso coffee. As the nose develops, more coffee and chocolate flavours mix with hazelnut cream, orange zest and muscovado sugar.

Palate

A big mouthcoating whisky with a texture that coats the tastebuds from the first sip. Chocolate truffles, toffee, treacle and fudge. Then notes of Turkish coffee and roasted coffee beans. Some toasted cinnamon emerges mixing with orange oil, citrus, milk chocolate raisins, then raspberry.

Finish

Incredibly complex flavours of coffee and chocolate develop in the lengthy finish. More creamy toffee eventually finishes in the familiar flavour of tiramisu.

In the order of tasting we did this one last out of the 3 anniversary tasting bottles this month. I would categorize this as a “dessert whisky”, something akin to an aperitif. Still a fantastic overall tasting experience and happy to have explored this one. The consensus with the club members though was that we had a hard time differentiating why this one was pretty much double the cost of a regular bottling of Glenmorangie Signet. While delightful to the palate and a great finisher for this evenings tasting lineup we were left scratching our heads as to why we didn’t just go for a normal Signet as opposed to the reserve version. Certainly worth a try, however the bang for the buck proposition, just does not add up at the price point.

Whisky of the Month

Ardbeg Y2K 23 Year Old

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Also known as the “Millenium Spirit”

“A glitch in the Ardware”, reads the inside of the box. Ardbeg Vintage_Y2K is a series of limited releases of whiskies distilled in the year 2000. Each one will represent a different side of the distillery, with no two whiskies alike. Ardbeg Vintage_Y2K 23 is a single malt Islay Scotch whisky matured in oloroso and bourbon casks for 23 years.

Bottled at 46% ABV.

Notes from Ardbeg:

Nose:

Herbal, sweet and fragrant with subtle perfumed smokiness. Zesty lemon balsam, linseed oil and walnuts a touch of water and the flavour intensifies emitting Heather honey a touch of creosote(bitter and oily like turpentine) and a tiny trace of tent canvas.

Palate:

The texture is fizzy with a real effervescence on the tongue. At first the flavour is intensely sweet then shifts as aniseed(licorice), toffee, digestive biscuits, peppermint, menthol, tar and coffee grits 

Finish:

The sooty/Tarry flavours keep building until they finally dissolve into a long lingering aftertaste of antiseptic lozenges, bitter oranges and oak tannins.

This was such a preculiar whisky, anything that states a touch of tent canvas in the nosing notes might scare someone off on this expression. However it was a fantastic overall 23 Year Old whisky with an amazing backtory from Arbeg as they laid down spirit back prior to the hoopla about the the Y2K bug back prior to the calendar turning tto 2000. This expression was released a few years back but we were able to secure one from one of our members private collections. Thank you for the suggestion and would highly recommend you try this one out should the opportunity present itself.

Whisky of the Month

Compass Box Flaming Heart 2018 Limited Edition

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48.9%

700ml

The 6th edition of Flaming Heart a blended whisky using Clynesh, Deanston, Caol Ila and other malts matured in ex-bourbon cask

Nose: Coastal air and fiery peat with hints of honey and vanilla

Palate: Smokiness, dried spices and raisins.

Finish: Orange and clove

Once again Compass Box does not disappoint with this superb blend. Certainly warm but not over powering. The finish was clean and left you looking for another sip right away. What a great dram to combat the lingering coldness of a late November evening in Canada.

Cheers to all!

Whisky of the Month

Dewars Double Double 21 Year Old Mizunara

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46%

750ml

$199.70

Named double double for its 4 stage ageing process while finishing in Mizunara casks from master blender Stephanie Macleod. Not noted what is blended other than single malt and single grain whiskies but Dewars owns Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigallechie, Macduff and Royal Brackala single malt brands.

Light golden amber colour with sturdy legs and  excellent viscosity.

Nose: Tropical Bananas, nutmeg, green apple and candied ginger.

Palate: Smooth with sharp green apple, pears, dried figs and hints of oak.

Finish: Sweet long and subtle finish

Whisky of the Month

Royal Salute 21 year Miami Polo Edition

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This months theme was inspired by members of the Expensive Taste club, 20 different personalities(maybe 40 if we really counted), 20 different tastes, an eclectic group of people with a common enjoyment for fine whisky! A perfectly unique blend of fine folks.

The original thought was to have a blind tasting to showcase quality blended whiskies at an affordable price but, in true Expensive Taste fashion the selection for the month has evolved into three higher end and pricey blended malts sourced from 3 different bottlers and with this wide range there is sure to be something for everyone.

As always we look forward to seeing everyone for what is sure to be a great wrap to 2024!

40% ABV

700ml

LCBO

$272.50

This is the sixth edition in the Royal Salute Polo series, fully finished in first-fill Rye and first-fill Bourbon casks a first for Royal Salute! This nod to the vibrant city of Miami reveals aromas of vanilla, coconut and subtle spice with a rich, smooth feel in the mouth. Stylized and distinct pink ceramic bottle is unique and eye catching on any bar or cabinet display. Can’t confirm but typical whiskies used to blend are: Strathisla, Longmorn, Glen Keith, Caperdonich.

Whisky of the Month

Miyagikyo Aromatic Yeast: Nikka Discovery

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Miyagikyo Aromatic Yeast

47%

700ml

$279.95 (LCBO)

Medium and Herbal

Fruit aromas of Peach and Apricot

Pepper, spices, Tomato Leaf….haven’t heard that one before

From the Distillery:

After the remarkable Miyagikyo Single Malt Peated launched in 2021, the magic behind this unpeated version comes from the use of yeasts that encourage the development of delicately fruity aromas and flavours. An invitation to dive quite literally into a washback in the midst of fermentation, it begins first by laying the foundations of a deeply malty character. Then, as the tasting unfolds, deliciously luscious, floral, rich and even fruity sequences interweave with one another, like dissolving transitions in a film.

COLOR: Bright gold.

NOSE: Refined, full of ardour. The very exuberant first nose (lavender, marshmallow, marsh mallow plant) is also softly liquoricey and lush (malted barley). Allowed to breathe, succulent perfumes of comté cheese, flowering meadow, and fruits (peach, pear, apricot) intensely take hold of the olfactory arena. Gradually, notes of vanilla, coconut milk and lemon meringue tart draw out the first stage of the tasting.

PALATE: Radiant, well-balanced. The full-bodied attack is at first refreshingly herbaceous (barley field, fern). Very delicately, the mid-palate then becomes wonderfully rich (brioche, leavened baguette). Next, white peaches and pears release their deliciously tangy juice onto the taste buds as acacia honey spreads voluptuously around the sides of the palate.

FINISH: Long, silky. Closely linked to the end of the palate, incredibly fresh flavours of herbal tea (sage, camomile, verbena) cross through the start of the finish. At the end of the finish, grains of salt are placed gently onto a bed of cut grass. The mentholated, very slightly empyreumatic (smoking cigar) and spicy (fresh ginger) retro-nasal olfaction gradually reveals subtle floral notes (pear tree, lily of the valley). The empty glass releases fermentation aromas.