Nick Offerman [“Parks and Recreation”] continues his long-standing collaboration with Lagavulin as they promote Lagavulin’s latest offering – Lagavulin Offerman Edition: Charred Oak Cask – an 11-year-old single malt matured in heavily re-charred barrels, designed to be paired with steak [specifically, ribeye]. Lagavulin Offerman Edition: Charred Oak Cask is a single malt that was aged […]
Nick Offerman [“Parks and Recreation”] continues his long-standing collaboration with Lagavulin as they promote Lagavulin’s latest offering – Lagavulin Offerman Edition: Charred Oak Cask – an 11-year-old single malt matured in heavily re-charred barrels, designed to be paired with steak [specifically, ribeye].
Lagavulin Offerman Edition: Charred Oak Cask is a single malt that was aged in American and European oak casks that are shaved down then heavily re-charred.
Lagavulin Offerman Edition: Charred Oak Cask is being made available in Australia, Canada, China, Great Britain, the Netherlands and the USA for $80 per bottle.
The Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition is a blend of the best barrels Victoria Eady Butler, their Master Blender, sets aside while blending and working on other projects. I got to meet Victoria a couple of years ago and she’s as nice a person as you can find anywhere and deeply passionate about her work. […]
The Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition is a blend of the best barrels Victoria Eady Butler, their Master Blender, sets aside while blending and working on other projects. I got to meet Victoria a couple of years ago and she’s as nice a person as you can find anywhere and deeply passionate about her work. After all, it is her family name on the distillery.
Victoria is a 5th generation descendant of Nearest Green and when I toured the distillery in 2019 she had a ton of family photos and memorabilia laid out showing a long line of distillery work in her family. Everything that comes out of the Green distillery is done so under her watch and I really enjoyed the updated Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch, so I can only imagine what a blend of honey barrels will be like.
Let’s get to drinkin’!
Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition – Details and Tasting Notes
Whiskey Details
Cask Strength | Natural Color
Style: Tennessee Whiskey Region: Tennessee Distiller: Nearest Green (Contract distilled at TDG)
Mash Bill: 51%+ Corn + Rye + Malted Barley Cask: New Charred Oak Age: 4+ Years ABV: 59.2%
“With every blend of Uncle Nearest, fifth generation Nearest Green descendant and our master blender, Victoria Eady Butler, selects a barrel she believes to be the most spectacular of the batch and sets it aside. For the first time ever, these select barrels have been blended together to create our most perfect blend.” – Uncle Nearest
Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition Tasting Notes
EYE
Dark oak
NOSE
Oak, dark fruit, baking spice, biscuity, caramel, char, vanilla and dark cocoa.
The oak hangs heavy here, but after a few seconds, it breaks up a bit and allows a rich profile of sweetness, spice and baked goods come through.
PALATE
Oak, dark fruit, baking spice, biscuity, caramel, char, vanilla and dark cocoa.
A rich carbon copy of the aroma that glides over the palate even at full cask strength. This is mighty tasty.
FINISH
Long -> Oak, dark fruit, cocoa and baking spice
BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Well-balanced, full-body, warm velvety feel.
Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition – Overall Thoughts and Score
Rich, dark, warm, heavy, nice. That’s how I’d describe this whiskey in just five words. The aroma punches through with a heavy oak that surged out of the bottle as soon as I opened it. The palate is a velvety mix of the same notes from the aroma. The only thing it’s missing is a bit more depth and complexity, but that will come.
This release was made using only barrels they, Nearest Green Distillery, contract distilled in 2017. So the whiskey in the bottle is between 4-5 years old. Time and maturity will bring more depth to the Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition and I only expect this to get better with future releases.
*Disclosure: The bottle for this Tennessee Whiskey review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: the Paul John Christmas Edition 2021 is out! This marks the fourth release of this whisky, but only the third that’s made its way to the USA. Due to a snafu, 2018 never made it here and instead was enjoyed, a lot, throughout Europe and the UK. […]
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: the Paul John Christmas Edition 2021 is out! This marks the fourth release of this whisky, but only the third that’s made its way to the USA. Due to a snafu, 2018 never made it here and instead was enjoyed, a lot, throughout Europe and the UK. Meanwhile, we in the USA just read the reviews, tweets and posts. I’m glad that’s not the case this year.
To make the 2021 X-mas edition, Paul John started with a batch of lightly peated whisky aged in ex-Bourbon casks for about 4.5 years. Then finished for about 2 years, separately, in ex-Madeira, ex-Tawny Port and ex-Vintage Port (peated) casks before being blended back together.
The blend changes every year, and like with the Little Book, it’s what we whisky fans look forward to. We’re curious about what Michael D’Souza and the Paul John team have come up with each year. And speaking of curiosity, I need to quench mine. So let’s get to sippin’ and see what’s in the bottle.
Paul John Christmas Edition 2021 – Details and Tasting Notes
Whiskey Details
Style: Single Malt (Indian) Region: India
Distiller: Paul John Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley Cask: ex-Bourbon, ex-Madeira, ex-Tawny Port, ex-Peated Vintage Port Age: NAS (~6.5 Years) ABV: 46%
“The 4th release of the limited Christmas Edition series from the award-winning Paul John Indian Single Malt, this expression bespeaks the joys of Christmas.” – Paul John
Paul John Christmas Edition 2021 Tasting Notes
EYE
Amber
NOSE
Spiced apricot-heavy dried fruit, honied nuts, caramel, smoke, cinnamon, brown sugar and citrus peel with a touch of cardamom.
Elegant, this aroma is just plain elegant.
PALATE
Nutty, slightly jammy, malty, honied nuts, smoke, leather and some candy sweetness with a bit of dried citrus peel.
I want to say elegant again, but I feel like I’ve covered that. So I’ll say it’s graceful.
FINISH
Med-long -> Smoke, nuts and candy-sweet fade to dry fruit leather.
BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Well balanced, med-full body and a soft silken feel.
Paul John Christmas Edition 2021 – Overall Thoughts and Score
Every year I look forward to these releases and every year the wait is worth it. Each year is new, each year is exciting and each year is tasty in its own right. The first two years (18 & 19) are still my tops, but this one moves up to hold a comfortable third in the rankings.
Yes, there are only four releases, and yes the real test will be to see what the order looks like after 10 years. Point is, I’m liking it a tad more than last year’s. And part of that is because it’s so unique in its little quadpod. It stands out with a profile that isn’t sherry-driven. It’s drier than previous releases and has a different fruit and nut profile than previous years.
All-in-all, Paul John Christmas Edition 2021 is a warm and tasty whisky that’s right at home in these colder months and I can’t wait to snag a bottle when it hits the shelves.
*Disclosure: The sample for this Indian Single Malt review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Paul John Christmas Edition 2021 Review
$85
Summary
These yearly Paul John releases are always exciting, always different and always tasty. 2021 is different in that regard, despite being a very different whisky in so many others.
