Some call this a cigar blend kind of whiskey, I just call it a flavor bomb that requires a steady hand and a contemplative moment. After getting our maple syrup evaporation set up and building the fire to achieve optimal evaporation, I decided to take a contemplative moment to catch my breath and enjoy the early spring firepit along with a healthy pour from this newly acquired bottle!
15 Stars is a non distilling producer or "NDP" comprised of a father and son blending team who have taken it upon themselves to produce some exciting offerings over the past couple of years. One of which is their First West Rye that ranked 2nd in my end of 2024 Best Ryes, so needless to say seeing a bottle like this was hard to pass up. What is a NDP? Well simply put, they do not distill whiskey but instead blend whiskey that they purchase on the open market and through relationships they have built in the industry. Along with buying barrels they source some unique empty barrels for finishing off these purchased whiskeys. This concept is not new and in fact is a very regular method in Scotland for Scotch, but until recently it was seen as something to hide from the consumer and not something to open the conversation with. However in recent years, projects like Barrell, Penelope, Found North, Lost Lantern and countless others have steered the whiskey connoisseurs like myself into the world of NDP's and what once seemed taboo is now home to some of the most highly sought after bottles hitting the market today. Also important to note along with blending and finishing, 15 Stars has also created custom mash bills that they have contract distilled through Bardstown and part of those mash bills contain some specialty heirloom grains that they have contracted directly with local farmers in their area! It is NDP projects such as these that I daydream about as I construct my own lil 5 gallon barrel blends in the homestead cellar. Keeping on top of what flavors these blenders and finishing operations are creating is not only inspiring but also informative in helping me guide my own actions, flavor profiles and overall understanding of barrel characteristics of wood and grain varieties along with mashbills. I guess its time to get on top of this recently acquired bottle of 15 Stars Triple Cask.
15 STARS TRIPLE CASK WHISKEY (105 proof)
(a Blend of Straight 16yr & 8yr Bourbon Whiskey finished in Cognac, Port & Rum Casks)
My Thoughts:
Pours a deep caramel amber color with long, slow tears and a touch of fading leading into the edges.
Nose is straight up peanut butter and jelly off the pour, leading into more complexity of macerated raspberry, honey roasted peanuts, cocoa powder, black plum skins, graham cracker, spicy clove, orange peel and toffee.
Palate evolves just like the nose with creamy caramel & burnt sugar notes coaxing the layers of jammy berry, soft nutty richness and layered dark fruit complexity across the length of the sip. Spice, sweet heat and rolling layers of powdered jelly donuts, pine needles, vanilla, classic burnt sugar caramel, almond joy candy and tannic plum soaked old wood. Everything comes together harmoniously and ebbs and flows with grace on the palate from start to finish.
(Final Score: 95pt)
Another fantastic expression from 15 Stars that I would highly recommend if you can find it.
Ok, I got to go stoke this fire back up and split some more wood for now!
No comments:
Post a Comment