Miyuki

9.3

Medium garnet, intensity aromas of strawberries, black cherry, dill, liquorice, butter scotch, sweet oak, vanilla, cloves, coconut oil. Dry, high acidity, medium plus tannins, high alcohol, full body. Pronounced flavor. Long finish. Outstanding. — a year ago

Bob McDonald

9.2

I bought this for the winter months and finished the last of it over the weekend. This is a blended malt named in honour of Masataka Taketsuru, the father of Japanese Whisky. He was the first Japanese who mastered Whisky making in Scotland and brought this expertise back to Japan. It was an incredibly pure and rich Whisky with a certain smokiness. I don’t drink enough Whisky to know the difference but this could easily have been Scotch to my palate. 43% ABV. — 4 years ago

David Patterson

9.0

Hard to differentiate from the black sheep by my amateur palate. Both more full-bodied than some of the other Pinots. But very good with a well peppered pork tenderloin. — 6 years ago

Robert Rothfield

9.2

“The most richly flavored of all Scotch whiskies”.....I would tend to agree! — 6 years ago

Lyle yablonsky

9.1

Great value wine. A dry pinot. Plenty of tannins. Softened up a bit. Day 2 was better than day 1. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

On the nose; ripe, ruby, dark currants. Blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum and blue fruit hues. Sweet dark, rich soil and tarry notes, black licorice, some pepper, light herbaceous notes, spice and dark fresh lavender and violets.

The body is medium full. The tannins are firm, sticky and a touch meaty. Dark currants, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries with strawberries haunting in and out on the palate. Dark rich soils, sweet tarry notes, black licorice, medium dark spice, cinnamon, clove, cinnamon, vanilla, soft leather, touch of herbaceousiness, tobacco leaf, crushed dry rocks, loamy dry soils, dark fresh red florals with violets. Round beautiful acidity and a rich, elegant, polished finish.

Photos of; a beautiful shot of the coastal range, road sign with the latitude location of their vina, my wife’s Hollywood pose after she has done two Viña tastings and the sheep animals in their lobby. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

On the nose, sweet & slightly baked; blackberries, black plum, plum, black raspberries, raspberries & dark cherries. Raspberry cola, perfect intensity of baking spices, soft & savory grilled meats, touch of fresh herbs, just a whiff of pepper, lavender, lilacs and liquid violets. The palate is full bodied, round & lush. The M-M+ tannins are soft and round and about 60% resolved. Gorgeous in the mouth. The fruits are creamy in style. Ripe; blackberries, black plum, plum, black raspberries, raspberries, dark cherries and ripe strawberries. Raspberry cola, vanilla, understated spice, pepper, savoy grilled meats, dry herbs, dry crushed rock powder, a little underbrush, iron pan, loamy dry top soil, some black moist earth, hint of mocha powder, milk chocolate, cigar ash, suede style leather, lavender, lilacs & liquid violets, perfect, round, mouthwatering acidity, great; balance, structure, tension and length. The very long finish is round, lush and has sex appeal. It's drinking really well with a hour/hour & half decant. Better in 1-2 years and has another 4-7 years of really good drinking ahead of it. Great pair with the grilled Kentucky Bourbon marinated chicken skewers and seasoned wild rice. Photos of; Eric Jensen (Owner/Winemaker), tasting room bar, Eric working harvest and the Booker vineyard. Producer notes and history...Booker gets it's name from the two orphan brothers, Claude and Dick Booker, who had purchased the land in the late 1920’s. By the turn of the century, the Booker brothers acquired over 1,200 acres on Paso's westside. The Booker brothers dedicated their lives to being great farmers and humanitarians. Aside from lending their farming knowledge and manual labor to neighbors, they were the area's biggest philanthropists, leaving 100% of their estate to charity when they passed, Dick in 1990 and Claude in 2000. Eric and Lisa Jensen purchased 100 acres of the property in 2001. After making wine with Justin Smith (Saxum) for five years and Stephan Asseo (L'Aventure Wines) for two years, the Jensen's started Booker Vineyard. The 2005 vintage was Eric Jensen first release. Booker produces about 4,500 cases a year depending on what Mother-nature gives them. Booker is located on the westside of Paso Robles, immediately joining the famous Stephan Vineyards that produce L'Aventure Wines. The high-density vineyard is mostly Rhone varieties planted on steep hillsides of calcareous shale. They farm organically, sustainable and biodynamic and treat the entire vineyard as a living organism. Booker uses animals (normally sheep) for weed control and solar panels are placed at the house and winery. The Jensen's are definitely doing things right. If you haven't tried Booker, it's worth your effort. — 9 years ago

with Ronald

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

What a pair w/ Crostini, Chervil Sheep Cheese & Duck Confit. 👌

Dark, juicy, lush to mid fruit core, dark cherries, strawberries, hues of blueberries, raspberries, limestone, softened granitic earth, deeper red cola, black & red licorice, baseball card bubble gum, understated fresh herbs, dark, rich, sweet earth, hints of maple syrup, tree bark w/ sap, dark & red florals for days, excellent, round acidity and a well made, balanced, relaxed tension, polished, lush finish that lasts 90 seconds. Delicious.

This is better than some premier cru red burgundies for far less $.

Absolutely one of the top three producers of Grand Cru Gamay. — 2 years ago

Aaron Tan

8.9

The mildest of the Diageo peated whiskies I've had so far. Definitely not the campfire peat monsters of Ardbeg, or the distinct maritime peat of Talisker, or the more medicinal peat of Lagavulin... The peat here comes off as sweet and aromatic, almost like incense. The body seems to be the lightest of the lot too (comparing apples and apples), although it's hard to say without seeing them all next to each other (definitely lighter than the Ardberg and even Glen Elgin here). Palate flavours are subtle in the Caol Ila, but citrus notes come through clearly. Finishes a touch short with a sort of grassy earthy quality that I quite enjoy. Not a blockbuster whisky, yet I find it quite drinkable.

NB: Better mixed 1:1 with the Ardbeg Wee Beastie. Seems to balance out the extreme smoke of the Ardberg, drawing out lovely saline notes. — 5 years ago

Frank Kuo

9.2

Color of light black tea. Nose is quite spicy, a bit smoky and peaty, ripe apple, and more spiciness in the nasal cavity. Taste is unexpected sweet, with spiciness takes the backseat, flowering and honey notes, a bit minty, and some more hotness, quite smooth and dense enough. Aftertaste of more honey note and lingering warmth. Not bad at all as crowd pleaser. I am surprised by the low ratings overall from the community. — 7 years ago

Alok Sharma

9.0

Great, slightly sweet taste! A notch less than Johnny Walker Black Label! Had it with ice & a little bit of water! — 8 years ago

Frank Kuo

9.4

Color of light black tea. Nose is powerful with chocolate, caramel note, spice, and fermented grains. Taste is smoky and chocolate toffee at the same time, some pear, while the flowering notes hidden within. Aftertaste of some citrus sweetness, some more cocoa/chocolate note and warmth. Smooth, light, yet good flavor. — 8 years ago

Matt Lormand

9.3

Worse things could be happening today. Always been a fan of the the black, green gold and blue labels. Bang for your buck I recommend gold, but if you want to treat yourself you won't be disappointed. Blue is very easy to drink and approachable for new scotch drinkers. Light pete complex flavor that opens up with a drop of water. — 9 years ago

Sean Lyons

9.4

Super rich and decadent with a wave of dark stewed fruits like plums, cherries and strawberries. It’s incredibly fruit forward, but not too sweet. There’s a background of black strap molasses and strong maltiness. Incredibly balanced for such a flavorful dram. A phenomenon winter whisky. — 2 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.8

So smooth & unique at $75.00

elgian Michel Couvreur was an independent bottler of single-malt Scotch (and this apprentice Jean-Arnaud has carried on after studying under Michel for more than a decade). The cellars are located in Bouze-lès-Beaune in the heart of Burgundy, where Michel aged his single malts for years in sherry butts and then in demijohns or giant bottles kept in total darkness in the exceptionally well-protected underground galleries of Bouze-lès-Beaune. Vatted from 54 whiskies aged 12 to 27 years in oak casks, this malt has a rich amber color, a nose full of dried flowers, tobacco leaf, Jerez wine, and fat almond, plus a powerful, fruity, long finish. What a fantastic accompaniment to smoked salmon when served over ice. It is also perfect as a dinner digestive served at room temperature. — 5 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.0

My first Ardberg and it left quite an impression. Gosh! This was like eating bacon and smoking cigars. Ron Swanson should be drinking this instead of Lagavulin 😂 Truly, it feels like someone decided to bottle up that campfire by the sea that's been drenched in bacon fat from dinner the night before. With water, the marine quality becomes more apparent, but that smoke just remains. Only with great concentration can one discern some fruit notes (citrus). The finish is just all about that endless peat. Surprisingly, this whisky was quite "smooth" despite all the extremities it brought. Definitely need to taste more Ardbegs to understand what's going on - not displeasing, but for now, Talisker's more up my alley in the category of peated whiskies. — 5 years ago

Doug Cranmer

9.0

Dark stone fruit, dark garnet velvet in color, deceptively light nose with strawberry and a touch of ash. Front palate of dark cherry, hint of cocoa. Slightly more fruit full finish with strong, balanced tannins. I’d buy for home too. — 7 years ago

with Mary

Frank Kuo

9.4

Color of black tea. Nose is peaty, fermented grains, spices, and some ripe fruit note. Taste follows similar notes with addition of sweet caramel. Aftertaste is some more salty mineral and baked apple. Flavors are right to the point with decent concentration. — 8 years ago

Steven Beishuizen

8.9

I like this. It's a decent drinking wine, though initially a little tart. The labeling including the varietal on the bottle is interesting for a French wine as it will invite comparison with the wines of other countries. The presence of the significant amount of spicy Syrah isn't as much in the depth of the wine as in the nose. Very nice and polished. — 8 years ago

with Anita

Markus Alexander

9.1

Decanted an hour+ and consumed slowly over the course of a meal. Paired with curry fries and lamb shank at Black Sheep. Solid rioja but I'm still a Lopez guy. A little less going on, pretty tight still. Dill and eucalyptus and blood upon opening, more refined with air. Probably could have used more air to show at its best, but I still think the touch of funk in the Lopez equivalents just does it for me. Glad to have finally tried this! — 9 years ago