Corsair Triple Smoke American Single Malt

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I've discovered my favorite whiskey. A fantastic medicinal cherry aroma (like Luden's cough drops) accompanied by beautiful smoke swirling around it welcomes you to the Triple Smoke experience. This distillery has become a regular stop for me whenever I visit Nashville, solely because of this whiskey. Even those who typically avoid smoke should sample this whiskey because all that smoke is balanced by these wonderful fruity notes, resulting in an amazingly sweet whiskey with a fantastic peaty finish. I tried it with a little water tonight, and it opened up significantly, revealing more of that smoke and fruit, and almost a hint of BBQ sauce.

Batch 269, bottle 456 of 600. The aroma is cherry and wood-forward, with a smoky rubber note lingering. It's intriguing and evolved throughout my tasting, becoming sweeter and tangier towards the end. I experienced a moment of smoked sweet barbecue at the beginning of the palate, which transitioned to the burnt rubber and iodine characteristic of peated Scotch. It changed again as I sipped, bringing the sweeter dried fruit notes forward with the smoke becoming more pronounced. The finish is long and lingers with iodine/smoke. At times, it's very long. This is a fantastic, interesting whiskey, and a worthwhile purchase for the enthusiast.

The initial impression is somewhat light but shifts into familiar scotch flavors. I detect a moderate amount of peat along with other wood smoke notes. There's some char, possibly from the barrel or the pear smoking. A hint of lime and hay is present at the start, but there are also sweeter cherry notes. It's a bit disappointing, but it's not a bad whiskey. I found this one quite enjoyable as I don't often encounter peated American spirits. Drinking it neat provides more robust flavors; adding water or ice significantly dilutes the taste, so I would suggest consuming it neat or chilled.

Nose: metallic gunpowder, sugar, cherry, dark fruit, faint smoke Palate: sugary, intensely smoky, banana candy, hint of malt, flowery, slightly peppery Finish: medium spice, smoky (peat and others), metallic gunpowder once more. This is a really distinctive spirit. It's intricate and intriguing, but not that pleasant. It's somewhat akin to consuming the aromas associated with firearm maintenance. I genuinely appreciate the concept and applaud distillers for taking risks and innovating. Regrettably, this particular one isn't to my liking.

It's like the best qualities of all whiskeys combined. You get the sweet cherry character of a bourbon, the spice of a rye, the peaty smoke of a Scotch, and a hint of the vanilla cookie from Irish whiskey. I can't say enough good things about this whiskey. I even chose it for my first drink on my birthday! Wonderful smoky cherry notes on the nose and an even better fruity taste that continues into a smoke-filled finish. Cheers to the distillery!

Very distinctive. The cherry wood imparts a robust sweetness and a mellow character. The smoke is noticeable, yet much subtler than the name implies. It is, however, an enjoyable smoke, especially at the end. This is likely an immature spirit, but the combination of three barrels smooths it out, giving it an aged impression. I sampled this on two nights in a row, and it improved by the second evening. I believe its distinctiveness warranted another look.