Welcome back to this week’s edition of the great Whiskey Eggnog Mixing Challenge! Today we have a special entry, suggested as one to try, the dairy-free Califia Farms Almond Milk Nog, because everyone should have the opportunity to nog responsibly.
For the record I’m still out on the vegan-ness of all of the whiskies below. But I can at least guarantee this week is dairy-free!
This nog has a spicier nose than I’m used to, big on cinnamon and an almost fresh nutmeg smell. Still artificial vanilla and candied notes. Thinner palate, the bottles advertises a lack of carrageen- the main thickener of well, everything it seems. Taste is big on the cinnamon again, but not spicy as expected. Almost minty? No! Ingredients say ginger, and that is definitely dominant. Absolute wild card in terms of what that means for the whiskies and the pairings. In terms of raw drinkability, I don’t think I’d be too upset getting served this in place of dairy’d eggnog. The ginger just takes some getting used to.
As usual our rubric will run five points each for taste, depth, and overall impression, for a total of fifteen points. 1-4 Whiskey-Nog ratio. Let’s get to it!
Jim Beam- Interesting enough nose, spicy and actually rather well integrated. Really thin palate, missing the thickness of the last two (as artificial as that was). Spicy and quick, with little else contributing. 2/5. The mix is actually really cohesive, and there’s only a touch of bitterness on the back palate. 4/5. Overall impression is low because, although it is a complete sip, it’s not very good to keep sipping on. 2/5. Final Score: 8/15. Not an atrocious start, but certainly wanting something more.
Evan Williams- Nog dominant nose, with a bit of pepper. On the palate again we’re getting the sense of a thinness, and the ginger and cinnamon in the nog completely overwhelm the bourbon here. Not much of any change in taste. 2/5. Cohesion is therefore either lacking or entirely flawless, but wishing I could sense the bourbon in it. Depth we’ll say, 3/5. Overall not as jarring as the previous, but absolutely lacking. 3/5. Final Score: 8/5. As lacking as any.
Maker’s Mark- That familiar Maker’s sweetness is back on the nose, and it’s working well with the ginger notes. On the palate, however, this thing entirely collapses. Sharp, almost medicinal, with a bitter finish. 1/5. Depth and cohesion are also in complete disarry, with there being two clearly fighting elements in this blend. 1/5. Overall impression is, obviously, quite low. 1/5. Final Score: 3/15. Horrid, sharp, and thin.
Bulleit- I’m already not liking how this is working in terms of the amount of black pepper spice is appearing on the nose. The palate is okay, and really just okay. Spicier than the others, still thin, and peppery. 2/5. Depth is also just okay, there’s nothing magical and nothing really terrible happening either. 2/5. Overall impression is a big, fat ‘meh.’ 2/5. Final Score: 6/15. Not feeling it, at all.
Wild Turkey 101- Getting some powerful thinner notes from the nose that are not all that inviting. Were it not for the presence of them on the palate as well, this might be my favorite one yet. The Wild Turkey really brings some added weight that this nog has otherwise been missing. If only those spiky, medicinal, acetone-like notes didn’t pervade the midpalate like they do. 3/5. Cohesion is alright, though, it really feels like a complete, if awkward, sip. 3/5. Overall impression is okay, not great. This seems to be a recurring theme. 3/5. Alright, which is so far the best. 9/15.
Jack Daniel’s- Alright, the nose doesn’t suck. Almost a kind of ginger ale/cola thing going on. Not sure if that’s what I want out of eggnog, but it’s not bad. The taste, however, is all kinds of atrocious. A kind of okay sweetness factor is eventually overwhelmed by a smokey, pepper note that just builds and builds and builds until finally turning bitter and burnt. 1/5. Cohesion and depth are likewise jarring and unpleasant. 1/5. Not good. 1/5. Final Score: 3/5. Just don’t.
Well, that was an interesting experience. Once more we find a general reduction in scores, and a lot of that for me was due to this nog lacking the richness and sweetness of the others that the whiskey could cut. This resulted in a thinner blend and revealing more of the whiskey harshness than anything.
Our overall winning was Wild Turkey 101, which was able to lend some of its own richness to the mix, but who still only scored a 9/15. This is perennial second-place Wild Turkey 101’s first win, though! It certainly will help its overall standing.
With that being said, the New Overall Standings:
Wild Turkey 101, 35/45
Bulleit, 28/45
Jack Daniel’s, 23/45
Jim Bean, 23/45
Maker’s Mark, 18/45
Evan Williams, 14/45
Happy Holidays to all and remember to please nog responsibly!