Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/288975
80 / the tasting panel / april 2014 BLUE REVIEWS 88 B. Lovely 2012 Late Harvest Riesling, Washington State ($10) Silky and rich with sweet peach and fresh acidity; lush and stylish with depth and lovely balance. 5.4% r.s. PRECEPT WINE SPIRITS 90 Deep Eddy Cranberry Vodka, USA ($23) Deep ruby red; silky and fresh with bright, clean, natural berry flavor ; juicy and balanced;, sweet and long. DEEP EDDY VODKA 88 Svedka Mango Pineapple Vodka, USA ($12) Very sweet Hawaiian Punch- style with tropical fruit and pineapple notes; creamy, balanced and long with a creamy finish. CONSTELLATION BRANDS 94 Brugal Papá Andrés Rum, Dominican Republic ($1,200) Deep amber color ; rich and spicy with caramel cream and toasty oak; smooth, complex and mature with spice and depth; long and silky. EDRINGTON AMERICAS SPIRITS The perfect way to enjoy Patrón is responsibly. © 2014 The Patrón Spirits Company, Las Vegas, NV. 40% Alc./Vol. patrontequila.com simply perfect Maybe your next scotch shouldn't be a scotch. Gran Patrón Piedra, our first Extra Añejo Tequila, is aged four years in French oak barrels to create a taste that's rich and impeccably balanced. JOB#: 140037D CLIENT: Patrón Domestic DESC: P4/C BLEED PUB: TASTING PANEL MARCH ISSUE AD: Gross, Avery CW: Hampel, Larry AE: van Ackere, Gerland PROD: Santi, Dave OPER: Groff, Sarah PROOF: 2 TRIM: 8.375" W X 10.875" H BLEED: 8.625" W X 11.125" H LIVE: 8.125" W X 10.625" H LINE SCREEN: 133 SCALE: 100% CREATIVE: Piedra FILE NAME: 140037D_YPAT_8.375x10.875_PIEDRA_P.indd IMAGES: Bee_Circles_Isolated.eps, 140037_YPAT_14X18_PIEDRA_750ML.tif DATE: 2/18/14 - 1:05 PM FONTS: Trajan Pro Regular, Helvetica Neue LT Std 55 Roman COLORS: Paper NOTES: B:11.125 in B:8.625 in T:10.875 in T:8.375 in S:10.625 in S:8.125 in Diageo Special Releases THE MOST RECENT SET OF GORGEOUS and collectable Diageo single malts sees the re-release of some previous whiskies, along with some newly bottled treasures—all superb. 94 Caol Ila Stitchell Reserve ($110) Unpeated; soft with a smooth, sweet style; creamy and lush with hints of honey and notes of almonds; lightly spicy with treacle and toast; elegant and long. 95 Convalmore 36 Year Old ($650) Complex nose with leather, spice and dried fruit; toasty, peppery and smoky; intense and concentrated yet mellow and elegant; creamy, thick, dense and sweet with lovely balance and style; another great product of a now-defunct distillery. 95 Lagavulin 12 Year Old ($125) Light amber color ; intensely smoky, fleshy and showing hints of sweet seaweed and greens; salty, complex and offering various spices and licorice; savory, dried fruits and always the influence of smoke. 100 Lagavulin 37 Year Old ($3,100) This is the oldest Lagavulin ever bottled; distilled in 1976, it is rich amber in color and surprisingly subtle; creamy, complex and multifaceted with the expected smoke but so much more: aromatic, mouth-filling, spicy and toasted qualities; sweet, ripe and graceful with amazing depth and a long, lingering finish. I didn't want it to end . . . ever. 98 Oban 21 Year Old ($440) Ruddy medium amber ; lovely baked apple nose with hints of the sea; bright, juicy apple and pear fruit with tangy acidity and vanilla crème brûlée; there's a hint of sea salt here with amazing flavor complexity; nuts, treacle and some cocoa. Among Diageo distilleries Oban is often overlooked; this shows that it is one the best. 96 Port Ellen 34 Year Old 13th Release ($2,000) Intense and rich with wood smoke and malty grains and spice; rich and layered with depth and notes of honey, salt and more smoke. This Islay distillery has been shuttered since 1983. 93 The Singleton of Dufftown 28 Year Old ($375) Smooth with pear and apple and notes of vanilla and oak; smooth and malty with notes of mint, smoke and cereal; fleshy, balanced, complex and harmonious; long and lovely. 98 Talisker 1985 ($750) Skye's only distillery produces complex and classic malts; this one is magnificent, with a nose of malt, cereal, dried berries, aromatic smoke and notes of buttered pastry; on the palate it is silky, warming and spiced with sweet smoke and dried fruits, finishing with exquisite harmony and style. TP0414_072-101.indd 80 3/21/14 2:52 PM