Nothing like keeping oneself in good spirits . . .
арарат ной властелин 25 ՏԻՐԱԿԱԼ (Armenia) 40% - This is a brandy produced by the Yerevan Brandy Company. Labeled as 'Armenian Cognac' in Russian, there is other information listed on the label in Russian and Armenian, but hopefully I've captured the critical details. Transliteration software on the web indicates the Russian as “ararat noy vlastyelin” and the Armenian as “tirikal” Ararat is the brand and I believe властелин/ vlastyelin is the name of this particular brandy, which was aged for 25 years. Beautiful bottle, shaped like an arrowhead and quite flashy with beautiful Armenian script (I wish there were less cyrillic and more Armenian script, but I believe this bottle was purchased in Russia and I imagine Russians make up a large segment of the Armenian brandy market). Appears amber red, smell bright honey, sappy pine, sweet with a hint of cedar/mothball intensity, taste is sweet and firm, maple syrup quality to it, sweet, firm and intense. This is lovable stuff, but to be honest I prefer the 15 year Prazdnichny which was a touch of tea tannins that the maple syrup approach of this one lacks—and perhaps just a tad sweet for me here. Nonetheless, wonderful stuff.
The Balvenie Single Barrel Aged 15 Years (Speyside Single Malt Whisky, Scotland) – appears light clear amber, smell candied, honeyed, very nice, bit of lavender and fields, but only a touch, taste rich, deep, and spicy upfront, very pleasant and precise, with a touch of water goes deeper in the richness and syrup areas, though my initial impression raised my hopes, I found its intensity did not blossom into anything more interesting, narrow and focused, but only narrow and focused in a way that made me think of the barrel it emerged from. The vanilla and honey blocked any attempt to regain that initial whiff of lavender I had. A shame. Crafted for me to enjoy a glass, but not distinct or to my particular preferences to push me toward a bottle.