Prior to my first sniff, I dripped some spring water in the glass to break up the aroma hidden inside the alcohol, the liquid immediately came to life. The nose is highly dominated with almonds and cinnamon, my initial impression brought Amaretto to mind because of the dark sweetness. A second wave of flavors arrive quickly including a buttery oak which may be the vanilla combined with the nutty cinnamon reminded me of a holiday spirit, perhaps something to sip neat around the house during the holiday season.

The flavor profile matches the nose fairly well but brought a few other neat palate pleasing flavors including nutmeg, caramel and vanilla all in a medium bodied warmth of rum. There is a little bit of “warmth” in the taste, not a burn exactly, but a mouth-warming feeling. The thickness was pretty intense considering this is a spiced rum with a sweeter rum attack, a cinnamon almond mid-palate and a creamy buttered cinnamon finish that brings along some mild oak profile.

A spiced rum like this would definitely pair well with the sweetness of Coca Cola or used in a spiced rum recipe in which the cinnamon will work well (probably a cocktail without cinnamon schnapps.) The Lash Spiced Rum is 35% ABV and the spices in the bottle take a front seat with the rum being in the back seat for this ride. As a rum goes, drinking this straight is fun for me (especially as a holiday spirit) but I think it will really make an impact in a cocktail with its pronounced flavor profiles. The Lash defines the word “spice” in spiced rum.

A definite must try for the suggested retail price of USD $29.99 for those looking to experience all the brands and flavors of a spiced rum.

While I admit the passion and drive of these smaller companies really motivates me and my own goals, I don’t want to confuse great motivation with great taste; I’ll let my taste buds do the talking. Twenty 2 Vodka pours clear as any vodka should and brings a light citrus nose with a very subtle burn. It seems Twenty 2 is distilled down a few times as its very clean and crisp on its bouquet and that is often times desirable to the US vodka drinker.

Sipping Twenty 2 brings back some of the light hints of citrus I found in the aroma with light ethanol taste and a quick clean finish. The liquid is fairly light bodied with no offensive bite or sour-taste which I often find in a rougher vodka style (especially when spending under $12 on the “cheap stuff.”) The clean finish is sexy and smooth yet I’ve begun to seek a bit more flavor in my vodka. Some people call them “impurities” but I like to call it “taste.”

Twenty 2 doesn’t have a lot of taste, it is obviously designed as a “neutral grain spirit” like most vodka brands and I highly doubt their goal was to create a flavorful spirit. Maine.biz interviewed the owners and they mentioned the cost is roughly $26.99–a bit steep when it comes to purchasing a vodka at the liquor store. It’s possible to get a few major brands for $19 or less and a couple brands like Tito’s Handmade American Vodka for USD $14 in New Hampshire.

I’d be more than willing to purchase Twenty 2 Vodka for $26 because it’s a well crafted brand that has created a neutral spirit and accomplishes its goals with 100% hand crafted perfection. When it comes down to picking a spirit and putting money on it, I’m highly supportive of the smaller brands that put their love and energy into their brand. I’ll pay USD $10 additional knowing I’m getting a product with personalized touches (yes, they hand-write the bottle & batch number on the label) in small batched production.

Buying a product from smaller brands that is distilled in smaller batches often times results in perfection. They strive to create a crystal clear vodka with a smooth taste and crisp finish. Job well done, I’ll support you with my hat off and my glass full of Twenty 2 Vodka.

Vesica Potato Vodka

I’d give you the rundown of the color in my glass but Vesica Potato Vodka looks like most other vodka brands–crystal clear. We’ll move right into the scent, which I could smell from about three feet away, a mildly sweet taste it seems but let’s dive right in!

While the initial smell is that of ethanol, it’s a slightly sweeter nose with hints of grass. There is almost no burn on the nose when you put your face right into the glass. There is a very subtle eucalyptus and mint on the tail end of the nose. As I’d expect, the taste was a bit light bodied watery texture, not as bold as a few other vodka’s I’ve had yet it leaves almost no potent punch on the palate.

Sipping this at room temperature would no doubt bring out the alcohol-burn sensation on the tongue yet I only get a slight tickle. The finish is refreshing, with a little bit of the eucalyptus hints and a bright cold fade away. While it’s designed as a potato vodka, I get a bit more rustic potato from the Absolut taste. The Vesica acts almost more mature and tasty with a finish that doesn’t make you shake your head from a potent punch.

Vesica arrives in three sizes: 750ML, 1L, and 1.5L at 40% ABV but there doesn’t seem to be a website built for the brand yet, perhaps it’s just too new. You’ll find Vesica Vodka retailing for $19.99 for 1.75L; $11.99 for 1Liter; $9.99 for 750ml. This is definitely a great tasting vodka served neat with maybe a bit of a chill to it and comes in at a daring USD $9.99 for an average bottle! You’re going to be hard pressed to find a vodka that can meet or exceed the quality for $9 a 750ml. My only fear is that Vesica will lose some of its character if chilled too cold or with too much ice.

On to the tasting! After pouring the Xanté, I’m met with a rich copper fluid with small glinting hues of gold. Sexy indeed and very cognac “looking.” However, it only takes a few seconds before the sweet pears start to rise from the snifter to my nose. To taste Xanté, I start first with a room temperature glass to see how it reacts to my palate, while Xanté suggests a cooler temperature.

At a normal room temperature you will get a bit of the alcohol sensation near the tail end of the sip and on the nose, but nothing too surprising considering it is a spirit with 38% ABV. The nose is very nice, the scents of juicy over-ripened pears with fresh natural sugars. A deeper dive into the glass brings out some of the cognac and light oaks–a nice dynamic to the nose.

The taste is as you’d expect, a sweet juicy flavorful bite of pear. A bright fruity attack on the tongue followed by a milder mid-palate with a cinnamon cognac finish that lingers. Xanté is definitely warm and inviting with a good healthy body and viscosity to the liquid that brings with it hints of heat when sipped warmer, as I would sip my cognac.

As I would expect, when chilled I receive a bit more bright fruit flavors with a slighter sweet attack and finish that ends in a vanilla cream. There is still a slight hint of alcohol burn but is too clean and refreshing to last long.

A bottle of Xanté will probably cost you USD $35 to USD $40 which isn’t cheap for a pear flavored spirit. However, this isn’t a simple schnapps, this a dynamically cognac-like experience for those with a sweet tooth. I highly suggest pear-fans check out Xanté as it’s going to really show off a new experience in spirits that you may not have had a chance to put to your mouth.

Here is our video if you want to see our “live-unboxing”

American Gin, what’s the difference between a gin made in America and the long understood London Dry version? We’ve noticed a lot more citrus aroma’s in these gins compared to other London styles, but it doesn’t end there! Which do we like the best?

Gin’s in the tasting include: No 209 Distillery, Bluecoat, Amsterdam and Brave Spirit’s Standing Guard Gin.

While I have yet to compose my thoughts to virtual paper, I thought it would be fun to do an on-the-spot “unboxing” review of Xanté Pear Liqueur which arrived late last week for review. The Xanté product was recently introduced in the United States after having been on the market in Europe for 10-years. Xanté is a Pear Liqueur that’s combined with selected cognac to build something more elegant than a flavorey schnapps.

If they get their marketing done right, this product should be found everywhere in the next few years because it’s definitely a fun little liqueur with sweet tastes; the US market loves sweet tastes, otherwise we’d never have put Bubblegum vodka on the shelfs and all the other crazy flavors!

I’m doing a flight of godiva chocolate liqueurs tonight, including Mocha, Caramel, Chocolate and White Chocolate. Some are awesome, some are good and so on and so forth. Do you have a favorite Godiva Chocolate Liqueur?

We’re mixing the Barn Door #2 with five types of blended scotch whisky: Johnnie Walker Black Label, Chivas Regal, Dewar’s “White Label,” Cutty Sark and Scoresby’s Very Rare. The recipe brings a bit of orange while maintaining enough of the blended scotch whisky to make it possible to find the differences.

Barn Door #2:

• 1 1/2 oz. Scotch Whisky
• 1 oz. Orange Liqueur
• Dash of Orange Bitters

It pours clear, as a silver should, and immediately hits you with sweet agave and jasmine right out of the gates. Wow, so unique on this bouquet–very fresh and fruity with some green notes. I begin to get what may be a caramel note on the nose, but the floral qualities jump right in and take over. Extremely different from most silvers and contains almost zero burn on the nose.

The taste is nice and smooth, almost got a bit of mint in the attack just before the grassy flavors kicked in with a numbing burn near the finish that cleans quickly and leaves a light tickle of agave flavors on the palate. Usually I get a bit more potent “sea salt” in the mid-palate but Paquí Silvera has nothing like that, maintaining a slightly unique green cut grass taste. By the third sip I’m getting a bit of light black pepper, ever so slightly spicy with lime/citrus.

The smoothness is nice and well done for a bottle of USD $35 tequila (or so that’s what I’ve noticed for pricing). I’m guessing you’ll find Paquí Silvera sold for a bit more due to its well crafted taste experience that leaves you wondering why people assume silver tequila’s are “mixers” for cocktails. This may change the game.

A huge flavorful cocktail with wicked awesome tastes and flavors. A bit of sweet, a slight hint of sour all brought with a real life fruitiness that will impress friends and family at parties. After the show we still sat down trying to find the flavor and Jennifer got it: Yankee Candle. The finish reminds us of the scenes of a red yankee candle (strawberry?)

We received a bottle of Paqui Silvera for review today, estimated cost is around USD $36. Here is an unboxing and live review; I apologize for the wind outside, it got strong at points.

We’re tasting five scotch whisky brands, all but one are 12-year old blended scotch. One lonely one is a 36-month old blended scotch known as Scoresby’s. We’re hoping to be able to detect a bottom shelf brand from those that you’ll pay upwards of USD $30 to buy. The brands on the table include: Johnnie Walker Black, Chivas Regal, Dewar’s “White Label,” Cutty Sark and Scoresby’s Very Rare Whisky.

This quote motivated me to put Johnnie Walker Black to pen and paper (or website):

“I kind of agree with Alec Baldwin’s mother in law in Malice, when she said that, all blended whiskies are crap. I am not an expert in the field, but from what I have sampled I find this to be true. I prefer the single malts. There is usually too much going on in the flavor. It is an enigma that I can’t figure out by the time I swallow. As I said whiskey isn’t my forte, but I like drinks that are simpler to comprehend.” (epinions)

I’m definitely not a whisky connoisseur but I’ve also done a bit of research in both text and taste to help understand the complexities of a scotch whisky and, more to the point, a blended scotch whisky. The the original reviewers notes, Johnnie Walker has “too much going on in the flavor,” I’ve got to apply some basic logic, are you looking for something flat and one dimensional? I’ve never seen anyone look for a USD $30+ product that’s boring and single-focused especially if a master distiller has taken the time to “blend” it into a specific profile of flavor. Not to take away from the single malt’s on the market, but if you’re looking to taste the experiences and knowledge of a blender who has dozens of single malts at their disposal, a blend is a great place to start seeking.

Master blenders work diligently to design a blended scotch that has more than the single malt alternative for any one brand or barrel. Just as many of the best quality red and white wines are carefully blended varieties, a blended scotch is much the same. The nose of Johnnie Walker Black label is both smooth, oak-driven with a smokey brown sugar and caramel. I get hints of vanilla bean coming off the nose with very little alcoholic punch when I take a second sniff, a third gives me a dark burnt caramel flavor which is a bit stronger in sweetness than my original whiff.

I usually drink my scotch straight, with three small drips of water to break up the alcohols and bring out the aromas. Johnnie Walker has no one dominating flavor profile because its blended well and special care has been taken by the master blender to build a consistent experience each time you try it. You’ll get a smokey peat with earthy mineral tones with a mid-palate of bright oaks and buttery vanilla bean finishing cleanly with a remarkable mature smoothness leaving a charred oak residue on your tongue.

There is no doubt why Johnnie Walker Black is their best selling brand, the remarkable smoothness with building flavors after each sip is hard to beat for the USD $30 to USD $40 price. This is a masterful blend of over 40 different single malt whiskys all with an age of 12-years at a minimum.

The color is a bright clean gold with building aromas and a smooth round flavorful experience. Johnnie Walker may not be the most complex product on the market but, for its price range, you’re looking at a highly serviceable scotch for the general audience which also brings up the oaky content of a cocktail. Even the most experienced scotch drinker will find a special respect for the effort behind this brand.

The fact that Johnnie Walker Black has “too many flavors” that are hard to discern is the exact reason I love it. Imagine meeting a beautiful women (or man if that’s your preference) with only one striking feature that stands out in a crowd, you’ll find them intriguing for about an hour but you’ll grow bored once you have learned everything there is to know about them. Wouldn’t you rather be challenged by deeper and more meaningful conversations and experiences that help peal back the layers of their personality? Wouldn’t you rather learn something new each time you meet and grow to respect them with each additional note of knowledge?

That’s how I feel about Johnnie Walker Black and other blended scotch whisky brands. If you’re going to tell me your entire story upon first meeting then I only have to meet you once. I want to come back for all the nuances and flavors that really help me to understand the master behind the blend.

For those that don’t already know, this Jim Beam is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and reads, “The World’s Finest Bourbon” on the label all arriving at a 40% ABV. There are other varieties to the bourbon so knowing some of the key elements and label color makes a big difference. You’ll also find the age on the back under the UPC, so you can tell it from the 7-year old white label which looks virtually the same (with a slightly golder liquid).

The nose is quite obvious to me: Sweet oak, light brown sugar, a bit of organic cherry notes with super subtle cinnamon. A second attempt at nosing the glass gives me the defined vanilla, something that usually comes along with the oak and some slightly burnt caramel.

The nose and taste have a lot in common, lots of creamy oaks with hints of black cherry, caramel, butter and a bright burn around the mid-palate with a finish that leaves behind a bit of wood and light burn. Unfortunately the finish begins with a slight sourness before it mellows out and end; it’s just not as “clean” as I was hoping from a Bourbon Whiskey. I’d not classify Jim Beam 4-Year as smooth, but it does hold a good weight if not a bit rougher around the edges.

It should also be noted that I start all my initial reviews of whiskey at room temperature without ice, and just a dash of water. I let the bourbon sit for about five minutes before beginning. I then dropped in two cubes of ice and swirled it around, let it sit for another five minutes and tried again.

On ice, you’re getting much more charred oak but the nose diminishes to almost nothing but caramel and sweet oak. I enjoyed the aroma prior to adding ice but the taste is much lighter, taking on a more smooth texture with a very light burn on the finish. Again, icing down Jim Beam 4-Year really kills off some of the flavors but does make it a bit better in texture.

I can see Jim Beam working well in a cocktail that needs to bring some caramel and oak to the party. Is this the best Bourbon in the world? No, not even close to the best bourbon but to it is probably one of the best bourbons for the price.  You’ll find yourself spending between USD $10 and USD $15 for a bottle of Jim Beam 4-Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon and that’s a hugely desirable price tag.

I never expect to spend around $13 and get a superb sipping experience because, if the spirit is that good, they’ll raise the price to meet people’s expectations. What you’re getting in Jim Beam 4-Year Old is a versatile low-cost bourbon for mixing drinks and socializing with friends. Don’t forget, Jim Beam makes other products that will cost you a bit more and presumably bring a more complex tasting experience.

Dulce Vida Tequila

It’s time to find out as I’ve cracked open the bottle and poured myself a glass of the Dulce Vida Blanco. The marketing material says this is “100% Organic Coastal Highland Agave,” which I presume to mean it’s following some good regulations for growth. The silver is extremely clear and clean looking and the nose is pretty strong.

It must be mentioned, this is a 100-Proof Blanco Tequila. Yeah, that’s a 50% ABV on this winner which usually causes me to give pause as it requires a lot of work to round out that potency. Oddly enough, the alcohol is the last impression that I get from the nose of Dulce Vida Blanco–I’m getting a nice ripe spicy scent with a nice sugary vanilla, white pepper and agave.

Upon taste I was met with what can only be explained as a huge potent burst of fire followed by roasted pineapple, brown sugar and the lingering aftertaste of earthy agave. The second sip was much more tame as my palate gets used to the intensity; I noticed that this is a very thick Blanco with dominant white pepper and strong burning rage.

The finish is long and inviting, you completely forget about the fire that lite up your insides a few seconds prior to the sip. Even a small sip brings an untouchable wild attack. I shake my head from the intensity and continue to want to try it again. While this is a 100-Proof spirit the triple distillation process cleans the finish nicely, leaving a crisp recollection of the attack without the sour bite that you get from a 100-Proof product.

Dulce Vida is smooth, inviting, earthy, spicy and covered in agave. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a Tequila with a wild side that tells its story on the attack. It’s like being punched in the face by agave and white pepper and you loving each hit; I yearn to get punched again and again!

The suggested retail price is USD $40 for the Dulce Vida Blanco and it’s definitely worth of the price. Very few other tequila’s will bump up the intensity of your tequila-based cocktails like this Blanco. You don’t have to sip it to enjoy it, with the 100-Proof nature, you’ll find this tequila really cuts through and makes itself known in many cocktails while retaining its heritage and flavors.

What beers are we drinking? Here are a few samples: Duck Rabbit Porter,Thomas Creek Porter, Sierra Nevada Porter, Samuel Smith Tadcaster (Taddy Porter), Flying Dog’s Gonzo Imperial Porter, Michelob Porter, Templeton Rye Porter, Boulevard Bully, Sam Adams Honey Porter and many more.

Unlike the big boy media brands that still believe in print advertising, Buffalo Trace Bourbon is taking a different route in catering to their audience with more information about their brand, their brand ambassadors and all that goes into the Buffalo Trace product. Their new site lets you checkout profiles on employee’s like Buffalo Comstock, their brand manager, where you can get a very “facebook like” approach to knowing more about him (I follow him on twitter myself.)

Don’t care about their employees? What about the video’s (heck, everyone like’s videos!) or the Bourbunnies (I think that may be short for Bourbon Bunnies given the hot photos). Obviously Buffalo Trace is working to take care of their male demographic with the imagery and take on the site, while staying true to the brand with actual information about the product line available for those that can take their eyes off the “bunnies.”

The site offers an area for you to post events that will be featuring Buffalo Trace products, allowing fans to gather in “real life” for the activities and explore the brand further (that’s fancy wording for drink bourbon). Unfortunately, to utilize some of the features of the site, Master’s Distiller blog is the one I wanted, you’ll need to sign up as a member. This is probably because of that whole 21+ thing or perhaps because they want to increase their member base. Of course, as all good brand websites should, they allow Facebook Connect for authentication so you’re not having to manage yet another profile and login.

Once I signed up I realized that this is as close to a Buffalo Trace Facebook site as you can get. I’ve got a wall I can write on, I’ve got “Drinking Buddies” that started friending me up immediately and, most importantly, a place to link up video’s I’ve done with the brand and pictures. Loving it!

No doubt we’re going to see more brands building virtual “saloons” like this in the future. I enjoy knowing their investing time and money into the online realm as this is our future and building a brand with a bit of transparency into their business only makes for stronger fans and believers in the product.

If you want to checkout the site, head to BuffaloTraceSaloon.com.

Today we’re tasting Blanco/Plata/Silver and White Tequila… because they all mean the same thing! You’ll find only 100% de Agave on the table and each brand brings its own unique charm and character for good or bad. We’ve got Patrón Silver, Sauza Hornito’s Plata, Republic Tequila Blanco, Cabo Wabo Silver and El Gran Jubileo Blanco.

Our goal was to introduce the silver’s with at least a couple well known brands that can be purchased in most regions, so we’ve got the Cabo Wabo, Patrón and somewhat the Sauze Hornito’s as the three brands you can hunt down. Or, try to be more creative and get a brand you’ve never heard of before!

We’re creating the Burnt Embers cocktail, this cocktail recipe has a high focus of Gold Rum, which seems to be quite rare in a cocktail. We’re mixing the Burnt Embers cocktail with five different gold rums including: Mount Gay, Goslings, Don Q, Bacardi, Myers’s Gold Rums. The recipe breakdown is as follows, try it yourself:

Burnt Embers

• 1 1/2 oz. Gold Rum
• 1/2 oz. Apricot Brandy
• 1 oz. Pineapple Juice

In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine all of the ingredients. Shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass.

The nose has a remarkably bold agave profile with bright ripe pineapples and hints of caramel mingled with mint and banana. The banana took a bit to find, but several sniffs later and it become quite distinct and obvious.  There was only the slightest of burn on the nasal passages and only when you dive your nose in deeply.

The taste is quite a flavorful experience as well which begins with a light touch of sweet agave and pineapple with a nice round smoothness. The mid-palate transitions into the spicy fire that was seen in the younger less tame Blanco. I found some nice earthy tones in the final quarter of the sip which ends cleanly without any real burn-factor and leaves a long pretty agave finish.

I found the beginnings of the butterscotch flavors from the añejo but much more muted and less involved, perhaps reflecting itself in a caramel-like flavor towards the finish. In many ways, the Reposado shows where the El Gran Jubileo spirit has grown from the Blanco and a bit of where it’s going in the Añejo. It’s a more relaxed version of the Blanco and arrives without the cream/butter flavors found in the older spirit.

The end result is a very suitable drinking experience for mass appeal. The reposado really tells the story of the agave best out of the three spirits but the spicy punch of the Blanco was an invigorating tasting experience and the complexity of the anejo was exciting as well. This reposado will touch the taste buds by drawing both the Blanco drinker and the Añejo sipper under one canvas of awesome.

Of course it should go without saying,  I am only drinking 100% de Agave tequila here; this isn’t some pretend tequila spirit. The Azuñia is aged 12+ months in aged American oak barrels so I’m hoping it brings a lot of character to the palate.

My initial impression of the bouquet of the Azuñia Añejo is definite sweet agave and over-ripened salty pineapple skins. Diving my nose deeper into the glass brings strong caramel flavors, sea salt, vanilla bean and even a bit of mineral “soil” like impressions. The nose contains some citrus-like freshness, perhaps a dash of lemon or perhaps a bit of lime, it’s hard to define exactly which citrus flavoring but it is present and appreciated.

The taste introduces a light sweetness with a spicy mid-palate transition that drives right into the agave farm on your face. You can almost taste these agave planets baking in the rich soils of Mexico when you take a sip. The finish is clean and spicy and its flavors fade off just a bit too soon. I find myself taking multiple sips to relive the complex tasting experience with a second sip getting a bit of white pepper, a buttery charred oak and dried tropical fruit.

The finish still seems to end a bit quick, I would love the finish to extend 30-40 seconds but seems to escape a few seconds early. There is a slight bright mint, perhaps from the alcohols evaporating on your tongue without any abrasive burn to sour your face. This clean evaporation leaves a cool mint feeling in the mouth.

The Azuñia Tequla Añejo is definitely targeting a broad demographic with a strong focus on the “common man” profile. Often times people think “tequila makes me do bad things” and they have not yet grown to respect the true 100% de agave tequilas in silver, reposado and añejo. Azuñia seems to strive to find those nonbelievers and show them that tequila can be just as complex as a bourbon or scotch with less oak and more pepper.

I say broad demographic because Azuñia Añejo is very well rounded with just the right complexity without an intense single focus. This is a clean, refreshing and mature spirit and it’s exciting to sip. The only two faults I can really point out is that it is a bit light/medium bodied without a big thick viscosity I often see in an añejo and the finish is too fast. If the finish was less tasty I’d not be sad to see it go, but I’d love for it to linger longer.

Azuñia Tequila Añejo will no doubt be a huge contender for some of those “ultra-premium” big market brands. Arriving at around USD $50-55, you’re getting a worthwhile bottle of Tequila that would easily contend with a $60 Scotch. Definitely checkout this brand, they’re going places.

We’re taste testing our gin spirits against the tom collins cocktail. The four gin brands include g’vine, martin miller, tanqueray and bombay sapphire; will they change the cocktails taste and will the one we loved best “neat” taste best in a cocktail?

This is a five year aged tequila in brand new American oak barrels so I’m not expecting to smell or taste any whiskey or cognac flavors but what do I know? It’s time to put it to the test!

The nose is that of brown sugar with a very fresh muted pineapple flavor and a slight vanilla bean. You can dive your nose right into the glass and get almost no hints of strong alcohols, much different than the El Gran Jubileo Blanco. The nose just gives me a nice warm and tender flavor with no single aroma dominating the party.

The taste is an entirely different experience. The attack is warm and inviting sweet vanilla with a great smooth viscosity. As I swirl it around my mouth I’m revisited with the brown sugar sweetness followed by a very light black pepper spice and a numbing on the tip of the tongue.  Much like the aroma, no single flavor jumps out at me, requiring me to play games with this añejo to look for the unique flavors with my eyes closed. It took many sips to pick out the butter, oak, lime and the most unique of profiles… butterscotch.

The butterscotch arrives in the finish, often times after exhaling. While we’re not talking schnapps intensity of butterscotch this definitely draws from a different pool of añejo experiences. I’ve had caramel intensities, spicy white peppers and rich agave and pineapples but nothing with butterscotch before! I believe this flavor arrives from the fresh oak flavors, which usually pop out as buttery smooth combined with the sweetness of this spirit.

El Gran Jubileo Añejo is a great after-dinner sipping spirit. If given the option between this and a Grand Marnier, I’d choose the slightly sweeter style of this Añejo because it offers more than an orange flavored cognac. Now, is it worth USD $64.99? I’d be hesitant as a consumer who’s never had the spirit before because of the expanding selection of Tequila’s on the shelf, but the cost is definitely worth the unique experience if just once, especially for those that find my tasting notes desirable in a tequila.

Overall, think sweeter brown sugars, butters and muted spice and you’re focusing on some of the fine features of the El Gran Jubileo Añejo. It doesn’t have the salty agave intensity I’m used to seeing in an aged Tequila but often times I yearn for someone doing something different with Tequila. There are so many brands, how else should one brand make their mark?

Based on the “deliberately simple” description, I’m fairly impressed with El Gran Jubileo Blanco’s nose because it smells of white pepper and pineapple. Dipping my nose in deeper reveals a fairly intense alcoholic burn, this blanco is definitely showing its purity as its not aged long enough or in any wood to assist it in adopting caramel or sweeter flavors. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a silver style tequila: true agave.

Initial tasting brings me something you just don’t always get in a silver tequila: fire and spice. The mouth-feel is very smooth and the black pepper starts early on the palate and climbs its way down your tongue. Of course, wrapped in this black pepper are the warm agave notes with tickles of fiery alcohols. I love the smoothness in the liquid and the spicy attack really makes me yearn for some flavorful salsa, sour cream and salty nachos. Definitely some salty nachos.

The finish is crisp and lasts about thirty seconds–not too long. However, the spicy lingering lasts just long enough to appreciate it without being overbearing. I’m left with essences of ripe pineapple skins and black pepper but nothing overly spicy.

Overall, El Gran Jubileo is not a weak little tequila. We’re talking about a brand that is going to wake you up fast and hit you in the face with hits spicy power and big agave flavors. Is it simple and not overly complex? Probably. You’re not getting too much outside of the spice and agave but that’s really the story a blanco tequila should be telling anyway.

The best part? A suggested retail price of USD $31.99, imported by Central Texas Spirits. You can find some fairly good blanco tequila’s between USD $24 and USD $40 in the United States but this tequila shoots more for the low cost spirit with a black pepper punch.

I believe the only 100% guaranteed method of safety when drinking is to call a cab or ask to sleep on the couch. However, the second best idea is to test yourself ahead of time with a breath tester such as the Arrive Alive Alcohol Breath Tester. We got our hands on a few of them to give them the trial and we did just that!

The product consists of a balloon-like device and a breath tester component that you attach to the balloon after filling the balloon with your breath. Quite simple to use, you breathe into the balloon then press the edges of the air tester together to trigger the chemical effect needed to “test” the air. Once you trigger the tester you plug the blue-end into the blue-tip on the balloon and push out the air through the little gauge.

As the air rushes over the chemicals in the tester it will begin to change color. The little white gauge inside changes color as it reacts to the alcohol on your breath. If the color change exceeds a length of the tester (measured by a black bar on the device) then you’re not in any good condition to drive.

The product is disposable, once you’ve used it, you just toss it in the garbage and go about your business. The all-in-one disposable design helps keep the price down to something a bit more realistic, giving you a 30-pack of testers for USD $74.99 which is about $90 to $125 less than a hard-bodied reusable device. However, even the reusable devices have a mouth-piece that requires replacements which can run you USD $30 or more for a new pack of testers.

Over the course of the last six months we were able to go through a pack of five of the Arrive Alive testers and that includes showing friends and family the neat-factor to the device. If you find yourself utilizing the products frequently and begin blowing through the 30-pack it may be time to consider a healthier way to pass your free time, your liver isn’t immortal!

Overall, the product proved its usefulness. Although we were never making the decision to leave our house, the goal of the testing was to see how we felt when blowing into it. A mild buzz resulted in a passing grade, albiet barely, while a couple beers resulted in almost no discoloration of the gauge at all. One night of five cocktails left us with full colored bars telling us that driving was far out of the question!

The only major issue I can see with the Arrive Alive product is its directions and need to activate the gauge before squeezing the balloon into it. If you’re extremely drunk, reading and following the directions can be a challenge; even plugging the blue color tip into the blue colored hole on the ballon could get difficult. However, if you’re having trouble understanding how to activate the device then it’s already done its job, correct? You shouldn’t be driving if you can’t read a four step process!

The price may make me hesitate but that’s because I don’t find myself in situations questioning my state of mind from drinking anymore (college days are gone.) However, if you’ve recently sent a child away to college this may be a great way to keep them safe and allow them to truly understand their own physical tolerance. Sure, you don’t want them to go drinking, especially underage, but kids do what kids want to do and keeping them safe is always in our best interest as parents.

The Arrive Alive device is neat, can be fun and may save a life. Consider its results a guide to making good decisions as this is not standardized in all regions of the world. As the bag states: “The Arrive Alive Alcohol BreathTester does not replace standard field sobriety tests used in the field today. Arrive Alive we provide officers with a reliable, easy-to-use tool in determining probable cause.” It’s always a great general rule to plan ahead when you know drinking could get out of control.

Checkout their website for product specifications and store.

That’s correct, a portable and inflatable beer pong table with built-in cup holders to keep your beer pong cups stable during rough game play… waves. The table is fairly long in size at six feet and is designed to hold up to a 20 oz. cup, I tested it with my ReRack cups and they fit very snug–almost didn’t fit but you can get them in without too much pressure.

It took approximately four minutes to inflate for the first time using a very low-end basic air pump I purchased at Wal-Mart. Yes, you’ll want to have a pump handy because this is a thick durable inflatable material and not even all my hot air will fill this product.

They’ve thought of everything, it’s heavy enough to take some incoming damage from crazy beer pong players and contains an additional beer pong cup hold off to the side of the “game board” for rinsing the ping pong ball. You can hang your portOpong from a tree or tent using the rings (grommets) built into the side of the material, so you can take it camping with you as well. You can buy a variety of colors such as pink ones or white ones if you’re not into the blue portOpong I’m reviewing.

As for practicality? If you’re in the market for a beer pong table or a gift for someone hitting 21 (or any age above that!) then practicality really isn’t part of the equation. Of course, it deflates for easy storage so you won’t have to work hard to find a place to put it during the off-season. I’m really looking forward to using it at some parties at a friends house during the summer months if they don’t mind a little spilled beer in the pool!

The portOpong will cost you $49.99 at regular price at portopong.com. I see a sale going on right now at Frattoys.com for $44.99 if you’re looking to save a little green and have a special someone that needs a portable pong table. Of course, you can always treat yourself to one if you’re a big beer pong player.

The only major downfall is the powered air pump that you’ll have to buy separately. However, given the fact that this would raise the cost of the product when many people already own such pumps makes it a very small issue. You can also try saving money by buying lower-end models as I did.

I imagine you can also use the portOpong to save your bacon in case of a water landing, with plenty of beer to keep your thirst quenched while you wait for help to arrive! I kid…

There is no doubt, orange liqueurs help build some of the best cocktails on the planet. In order to find the best orange liqueur in the top-tier and mid-tier price point we’re tasting five unique brands: Senior Curacao of Curacao, Patron Citronage, Grand Marnier, Cointreau and Combier Orange Liqueurs.

This orange liqueur episode was fun, eye opening and covers a lot of awesome brands.

After pouring, the Semental Añejo Tequila is definitely holding a great dark color, almost like a clear apple cider. The color is inviting and rich like its nose from afar, so it’s only appropriate to dig my own nose into the glass! Up close, there is a thick spice with a warm burning sensation throughout my nasal passages. Salty white pepper and dried tropical fruit essences. I believe there is even a bit of a chocolate hint in the nose, nice.

Semental Anejo Tequila reminds me much of a cognac or brandy, a subtle sweet darker french oak style play on tequila. The taste is warm, inviting with hints of white pepper, lime and a neat acidic finish. The texture is smooth and subtle while the finish does bring some heat on the palate the elegant scents that rise into your nose on the sip brings it all around to a full bodied flavorful experience.

The finish reminds me of a cream soda, vanilla with a mix of cocoa beans and agave. It lingers nicely on the palate and allows you to continue to appreciate its livelihood.

The Semental Añejo Tequila will cost you roughly USD $59.00 at retail and it’s actually very much worth the cost. When the product arrived I took a short sip and found it a bit light with little flavor, but then when I sat down with a proper sipping glass and let it breath for a minute the experience changed . This tequila sets a mood, brings new excitement and makes you recall why you love to taste well crafted products–no doubt.

In this episode we will blind taste four bourbon whiskeys: Buffalo Trace, Knob Creek, Woodford Reserve and Maker’s Mark to find the best kentucky bourbon whiskey. Of course, there are many bourbons missing from our tasting and that is okay, because we can buy more and taste them along with whoever we find “the best” in this blind tasting.

Everyone, I believe, is a bit skeptical when it comes to hangover cures. Perhaps it’s the word “cure” that makes us skeptics since there is very few “cures” that do as they suggest.  The only cure to a hangover I’ve used and seen used is the recipe of “lots of water” before bed to rehydrate your body. However, sometimes that’s just not enough. Granted, it’s always a good idea to consume water to hydrate your body, but it doesn’t always do the trick when you wake up with a headache. You don’t need to be drunk to consume water, I suggest you do it everyday!

The Hangover Cure, thus far, has been very successful in killing off any hangovers in the folks I had test the product. Nobody has woken up the next day with a hangover and I’ve seen them days after a hard night of drinking and they’re a wreck. So, the product works as advertised regardless to my skepticism. Of course, the best way to beat a hangover is not to drink to excess but, let’s be honest, everyone makes a bad decision every now and again.

What is the magic in the little test tube?

It’s fairly straight forward, the bottle contains lots of essentials vitamins and “healthy stuff” your body loses when alcohol comes into the party. I don’t claim to be a scientist but it seems pretty straight forward: pack your body full of the stuff that was taken from it. You mix the product with a glass of water (duh!) and take it before bed. This gives your body a chance to rebuilt the essentials it lost in the late night party.

The downside? It might not be the most tasty think you’ve had that night. When my brother tried it he said it tasted pretty bad but he woke up without a hangover. This isn’t too surprising as everything I’ve had that has been good for me in a form of a cure has always tasted less than awesome. The only other big hangup to taking The Hangover Cure is remembering to take it before bed and knowing you need to mix it in a big ol’ glass of water. Not extremely aggressive instructions but when you’ve been drinking you’re at a severe disadvantage to common sense.

The lesson is simple, if you’re planning a long night of aggressive partying (say, a bachelor party) I highly suggest you take along a few bottles of The Hangover Cure for you and your closest friends. Even skeptics will have to admit, what do you have to lose?

You can buy vials in sets of six for USD $19.99 or ten for USD $29.99. The cost isn’t cheap but when you add up how much you probably spent on beers and cocktails at the bar it’s not a bad deal.

Tequila Semental Reposado has a pale gold color, mimicking that of a Chardonnay, a lightly golden apple juice. Like its little baby brother, the Silver, this glass radiates the essence of agave across the room with its aroma. Strong white pepper, salty brines, pineapples and the flavors of agave fill the air around me in Tequila Semental Reposado.

Dipping my nose deeper in the glass gives me the impact of potent alcohols and agave mingled together in some loving embrace. Okay, I embellish… time to drink.

Initial impressions on Tequila Semental Reposado: thick viscosity on the palate. Very sexy silk like textures. Then, I’m hit with a creamy oak like flavor that attacks like a sweeter bourbon but laced in spicy white pepper. The mid-palate attack is fierce and potent with a burning sensation of hot agave and the alcohols rise into the nasal passages and warm the mouth with a sweet burn. The aftertaste of ripe pineapple lingers for minutes and the numbing of the tongue persists for thirty seconds or more.

This is definitely a spicy little tequila, the fifth sip continues to bring the potent pepper even as my palate gains a higher tolerance to the slight alcohols. When it comes to selecting a tequila, Semental Reposado will bring a nice spicy pleasure to your palate. If you’re looking for a spirit that will make a warming margarita or sip nicely with a mildly spicy burrito or enchilada this is the spirit for you. The slightly acidic finish should help cut through some great meals and really bring a new invigorating appeal to food.

Do we need a niche product like a protein infused vodka? Technically, the best diet for working out would not contain alcohol but everyone likes to break away and party every now and again, right? I’m not a work-out type of person and my schedule is a bit busy for that lifestyle right now. I respect it, but I don’t see it happening to me.. I jumped into this review asking myself, “would I specifically buy a protein infused vodka because of the protein?” My answer: no.

But, it doesn’t end there. That’s too easy.

I’ve had my share of vodka’s to review and most have the very same properties: clear, clean, tasteless and fully complete with explosive ethanol finish. With those properties, I always look for the best vodka for my money since I’m not getting any taste with my spirit. Devotion Vodka stands out in more ways than protein infusion–it stands out in unique taste as well. What Devotion brings to the table is something with flavor that isn’t itself “flavored.” This vodka has a huge smoothness to it, a medium bodied thickness almost mimicking that of a reposado tequila with a finish that reminds me of Saké.

My first sip was warm and inviting; the first vision I had in my head was that of a clear saké (as opposed to the cloudy variant.) The finish was very clean and crisp with a mild burn that mainly targets the flat of the tongue and leaves behind this starch-like rice flavoring.  Devotion Vodka has a unique scent as well, a chalky sweet cocoa powder.

I understand Devotion‘s idea of creating a niche for their vodka brand to really stand out as a unique product all wrapped in a USD $29.99 price tag. We’ve got thousands of flavored vodka’s and “five-time distilled” vodka’s but we’ve got very few that have a stand-out flavor that can be called its own. In a tasting competition there is no doubt you’ll be able to find the Devotion Vodka brand. While the price may be a bit high, when buying online, Devotion Vodka isn’t much more expensive than the highly marketed brand all while bringing an actual drinking experience unique to its label.

My hopes for Devotion in the future is that they find a way to not only focus on the protein infusion aspect, but force the point: this is a vodka with flavor that isn’t flavored.

The notes of sweet pineapple, white pepper, rich vanilla bean and spices hit the nose from almost a foot away from the glass. Definitely heavy on sweet with a small hint of saltiness. This intense sweetness really masks any alcohol burn in the nasal passages, which can be common when you really dip your nose into a glass of most spirits but not with Semental; I don’t get alcohols on the nose.

The taste is light and fluffy, not extremely thick and has an intense front-end sweetness that crawls to the middle of the tongue and into the finish leaving a slight burning sensation. The mid-palate has a bit of spicy vanilla notes but does not have the sea-salt like taste in the initial nosing. The aftertaste reminds me of a mexican dish, perhaps with a dash of lime juice and dried fruits.

I consider this a great dynamic tequila that would work well as an introductory sipping tequila while offering huge flavor impact to a cocktail that calls for a silver. First, the flavors are not muted or dull, thus allowing them to arise outside the confines of a cocktail heavy with juices and other potent alcohols. Secondly, the flavors presented in Semental allow new tequila drinkers to understand the true diversity and sweetness of a quality tequila.

Of course, tequila enthusiasts will love the sweet scents vanillas and often-found spicy white pepper. An avid drinker may find the finish disappears too quickly on the palate or tends to be a bit lighter in mouth-feel compared to a few other quality tequilas of slightly higher price point. Of course, arriving at a suggested retail price of USD $39.99 is a very good deal when you compare it to the over-marketed over-hyped brands that pride themselves on lack of flavor–tequila’s that I believe ruin the history and integrity of a good blanco.

In my opinion, Semental provides drinkers with one message in its spirit: “You don’t have to be a tasteless and scentless tequila anymore. It’s time to grow up and see what tequila is all about.”

Republic Tequila’s Organic Añejo pours slightly gold, a bit lighter than I had expected for an Añejo but the color doesn’t always speak to the full age and maturity of the spirit. Against other Añejo’s, like our Riazul poured beside this glass, it’s still slightly lighter in color but slightly darker than their younger sister tequila Republic Tequila Reposado.

On the nose, I got some light oak mingled with agave and pineapple with a slightly sweet structure and some spicy white pepper. Some of the flavors where a bit muted but no one flavor cut through and took over the tequila’s bouquet. Even when diving my nose right into the glass I didn’t get an overall pronounced alcohol burn in the nasal passages which is nice and unexpected.

Sipping this añejo brings a light attack, medium body with a mild pineapple mid-palate and an aged oak and vanilla cream finish that ends clean and very with little burn on the throat. You do get a bit of spicy pepper as the liquid rolls around in your mouth which can be confused with a “burn” but it doesn’t have the potency to live up to a stronger over-alcohol balanced explosion of pure alcohols. This spice makes me think the añejo would pair after a nice spicy Mexican dish or perhaps bring a more dull dinner to life.

Against the Riazul, I found that most of the overall flavors where slightly muted with less to be “found” through the drinking experience. It seems you’ll get most of the experience within the first glass but that isn’t without its benefits. While tasting it I had the opportunity to share both the Riazul with a few family members that were visiting to gather their thoughts.

A great example of taste differences occurred between my wife and her sister whom both tried the añejo’s and both gave me their separate opinions without talking to each other first. My wife shared my thoughts of less potent flavors, both leaning more towards the Riazul while my sister-in-law thought Republic Tequila was the better product because of its more tame attack and clean finish.

The lesson here is that all palates are different and those that may enjoy Republic Tequila may be those that are looking for a more straight forward mature product of great quality that doesn’t leave a harsh ending. It would be unfair to call Republic Tequila Añejo an introductory aged tequila because there will be plenty of tequila fans that will be overjoyed by the experience. However, it is fair to say that new tequila drinkers will probably find its presentation suited for their palate and exceed their expectations compared to the tequila they’re used to drinking.

For my personal tastes, I was hoping for something a bit more complex with perhaps a chocolate or caramel or slightly sweeter component to the nose and taste. You’ll find Republic Tequila Organic Añejo, made from 100% Blue Agave, for sale at around the USD $46 yo USD $50 price point. You’ll find weaker less impressive brands, Patrón is a great example,  for more money than this Añejo and, if given the choice, Republic Tequila should be your spirit of choice. They go above and beyond the over-marketed brands by bringing more passionate organic feel to the tequila and less leaflets and fliers.

Tequila should stand on its own without the hype or over-the-top marketing and Republic Tequila pulls that off nicely.

Decoration or not, this bottle contains a crystal clear unaged Tequila often times called Silver, White or Plata and I plan to waste no more time admiring the bottle design. After all, it’s what’s in the bottle that counts not the design itself, right?

First, I nose the glass to see what I’m working with in this plata. Republic Tequila definitely brings a sweet smelling aroma with hints of citrus and pineapple. The citrus reminds me, most closely, of a lime which is balanced well against the sweeter pineapple flavoring. The tail end of the scent reminds me of a fine caramel candy and leaves a slight burn to the nose when I take a deep breath over the glass.

The taste of Republic Tequila Plata reflects that of its aroma with a spicy yet sweet pineapple attack followed by a bold lime/citrus mid-palate and ending with a pretty caramel flavoring. The liquid is thick, smooth and feels more mature than the plata leads us to believe with its clear coloring. Republic Tequila says their plata is left to rest for three to five days before bottling but it sure feels like more than a few days.

The finish is crisp and clean, leaving a slight sweet aftertaste and no actual burn on the tongue, just a bit of “fire” in the nasal passages. The 40% ABV is well hidden with the flavors on the attack and mid-palate and the finish wipes away clean and clear. If there is any fault to this tequila it’s going to be in the length of a finish. I’m sipping this neat in a glass so I should get full potent burn and unadulterated flavors and those flavors tend to fade away in under twenty seconds leaving me with very little else. I would have loved for the finish to match the exciting start.

Overall, I think the first two quarters of this beverage are spot on stellar but the ending is a bit fast. Imagine watching the most explosive action movie in full surround sound but having a fairly low-key ending; perhaps there is too much sweet action in the tequila and it slightly off balances the finish. In a cocktail, you’ll probably find it brings great sweetness to those drinks with pineapple or citrus and juices while also bringing a thick body that’s hard to beat.

The cost of the Republic Tequila Organic Plata is around USD $46 to USD $50 and I highly suggest you seek this out and tell me what you think of the flavor profile. This tequila brings a wild ride of sweet essence and, even if the finish is a bit fast, you’ll enjoy re-taking that wild ride over and over again with each sip.

Żubrówka

Bison Grass was believed to grant great powers and youthful virility centuries ago. Today, we’re celebrating a vodka that has a cool light green color, unique scents and a flavor profile that stands apart from those around it. Exactly how does it taste? Well, it wouldn’t be a valuable review if I read what the bottle says! Time to pour a glass, neat, and see what Bak’s Bison Grass vodka is all about.

The aroma of this bison grass vodka is very mild and “pretty,” a term I think best describes this vodka. There is an underlying structure of ethanol so you will understand the base ingredient is that of vodka but maintains a lightly green and vegital profile. I don’t get the scents of “grass” but a lightly green aroma that is extremely pleasing on the nose.

The initial taste attacks my tongue much like the scent, a lightly mild attack with no harsh bite or abrasive flavors.  The finish lasts for a few minutes and brings a slight hint of classic vodka-alcohol with a pronounced bitter-citrus. The finish does bring a bit of bright numbing fire, as most vodka’s will do, but when it subsides you’re left with a clean aroma and lingering citrus.

This vodka brings such a new experience to vodka tasting without being a sickly sweet infusion or faked flavorings. The aroma is gentle and polished and brings the heritage of quality vodka along for the ride. If I had to name a sipping vodka that can be enjoyed by itself with or without ice it would be Bak’s Bison Grass Vodka. Bak’s does not try to distill out the flavorings down to the raw core ethanol, they try to bring a bit more aroma and taste to this core spirit.

You can currently find Bak’s Bison Grass Vodka at retailers in California, Illinois, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and Washington DC for around USD $28.99 per 1-Liter bottle. Happy hunting!

One key advantage of an absinthe dripper is the footprint it leaves on a shelf. You can easily tuck an absinthe dripper beside the glasses on your shelf or in a cabinet. A large glass fountain can be difficult to store and costs a significant amount of money. Enter the Cusenier Absinthe Dripper Auto Verseur, available at AbsintheOnTheNet.com. This is, by far, one of the coolest accessories one can get for a spirit and its simplicity is key.

The Cusenier Absinthe Dripper Auto Verseur is a silver dripper that sits atop your absinthe glass and funnels water into the glass using a mechanical dripper that slowly drips water from one side and the next using a rocking motion. I brought this to a party this fall and everyone slowly gravitated towards this little device on the table which was consistently and thoughtfully louching the absinthe–it was a hit.

Within moments it looked like a fight broke out as everyone circled the happy little device rocking away at the spirit. Questions rang out, “what is that?” and “what are you doing?” or “wow, that is really cool!” This dripper was the hit of the party and everyone wanted to know where I got it. I also showed off a basic glass Brouilleur which is much more affordable but nobody seemed to really care to watch it drain its water into the glass. It’s practical, no doubt, but people seem to like watching the little metal rocker bouncing back and forth using nothing but gravity.

The glass Brouilleurs costs USD $25.99 compared to the Cusenier Absinthe Dripper Auto Verseur which will run you a costly USD $109.99, half the price of a normal absinthe fountain. However, you’re paying for the uniqueness, the style and the small size but you’re limited to louching one glass at a time where a fountain can usually handle at least two for about the cost of the fountain.

When considering an accessory for louching your absinthe you’ve now got to consider a carafe, drippers/brouilleurs and a larger absinthe fountain each with a cost, size and style to uniquely identify you and the culture of absinthe drinking. If you’re looking for a birthday or holiday gift for dad or your absinthe enthusiast, you definitely want to do a bit of research into a Dripper/Brouilleur.

After pouring, the nose rises up to a fairly intense alcohol which burns the nasal passages a bit. Once I work through a third sniff I was able to get past some of the intensity and find the subtle caramel and pineapple-like sweet aromas. The more a nosed the glass the more sweet the flavor profile grew.

The taste is medium body, not too thick or mature but not watery either. The initial attack of flavors were lightly sweet with a hint of chocolate in the mid-palate transition but still has a slight tingling burn on the edges of my tongue. The finish is quite clean and clear with a bit of dryness and pineapple sweet notes.

Overall, Flor de Caña is a fun tasting experience even though it’s a bit intense on the alcoholic nose. I think this is a wise buy at some of the prices I’ve found on the Internet. For the cost of USD $14.99 you’re going to get a crisp and clean rum experience with slightly sweet tastes that don’t go overboard in any direction.

Beers in this episode include: Flying Dog Dogtoberfest Märzen, Leinenkugel Oktoberfest, New Belgium Hoptober Golden Ale, Millstream Brewing Co. Oktoberfest Lager, Victory Festbier Oktoberfest Seasonal, Mendocino Fall Seasonal Autumn Lager (Märzen Style), Samuel Adams Oktoberfest Seasonal, Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale, Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen, Spaten Oktoberfest – Ur-Märzen and Bluemoon’s fall seasonal. Is that enough? Yeah, that’s good.

For more on styles of beer and in-depth reviews checkout The Beer Genome Project.

The final installment of our first blind rum tasting concludes with this episode in which we battle current leader Bacardi against Cruzan and 10 Cane rum. While every rum we’ve tasted in our blind tasting has qualified as a good product, we can only have one winner so it will come down to round 3.

We wanted to thank everyone for all the comments. We had some great suggestions to keep in mind going forward and have learned a lot from the experience. We’ve seen passion behind specific brands where some people refuse to believe we “let” bacardi get this far while others defend them. You may not agree with our assessment of the brands and that is perfectly okay, everyone’s palate is different.

Premium Pontarlier Reservior

There are plenty of accessories to outfit the most enthusiastic absinthe drinker but which are the best for you? You don’t have to be an absinthe connoisseur to appreciate a good drinking vessel. I wanted to take a few minutes to point out three unique glassware products for drinking absinthe.

You may start by using any glass tumbler in your household and it will work just as any fancy absinthe glass. I’ve found that absinthe drinking, unlike a vodka or rum, feels more like a hobby than a simple spirit after work. There are three glass designs that are worth mentioning which I have found on AbsintheOnTheNet and many more would be excellent buys, but one can’t have them all!

The first is known as the Pontarlier Reservoir Absinthe Glass, it is your standard fair absinthe glass that you may see in product shots and in the cabinets of many absinthe enthusiasts. This glass style costs USD $16.99, which is a competitive cost; not too unlike other products of equal specialization such as a whisky/brandy snifter. The shape is very specific to absinthe, as the base holds exactly 30ml (or approximately 1-ounce) of liquid, the shape than molds itself outwards into a typical glass mouth.

The base of the Pontarlier makes it easy for absinthe drinkers to pour their 1-ounce measure and drip 2-4 ounces of water into the glass using an Absinthe Fountain. A normal glass tumbler will require a measuring cup to exact the right pour, which is important for a nice consistent louche.

Premium Bubble Reservoir

Let’s now move up the food chain to the Premium Bubble Reservoir and see what this has to offer. Besides being made of a lab grade borosilicate glass, which is cool upon itself, the clear glass tumbler allows you to see the exact quality of your absinthe. There are no ornamental lines or designs to distract from the contents within the glass, this is a great glass to inspect your product closely. The bottom of the glass has a very exaggerated bulb to measure out your 1-ounce of absinthe, almost as if the glass doubles as a measuring glass and absinthe vessel. This quality absinthe glass is a bit more costly than the Pontarlier at the price of USD $31.99.

Premium Verre Torsadee Reservoir

The final product which I enjoy the most, and has been a hit at recent cocktail parties: the Premium Verre Torsadee Reservoir. This hand blown stylish glass remains crystal clear yet contains very delicate twists and holds up to bumps and temperature changes using the lab grade borosilicate glass–did I mention it’s as light as a feather? The Verre Torsadee costs USD $38.99 and maintains a sense of high class elegance with gold trim and all the fixings.

Which style of glass is best for you? I consider it an investment to buy a series of glasses that are all the same style. In that case, you must consider how many you plan to buy as four Pontarlier glasses aren’t such a bad deal, but you willing to shell out USD $156 for four Verre Torsadee glasses? Of course, if you’re the only absinthe drinker in the house, as I am, the cost is much easier to consider. You can always buy a couple Pontarlier glasses for the guests (be polite, give them the fancy ones, you take the Pontarlier!)

I would suggest new absinthe drinkers purchase a few starter glasses like the Pontarlier and if you find that you keep up the spirit drinking experience, you can upgrade to new fancier glasses later or ask for them as a holiday/birthday gift. My goal is to show you some of the different qualities and selections on the market so that you can make your own informed decisions. Now go out there and start celebrating the rebirth of absinthe!

The bottle cost 3€ (euro) which is a pretty good deal considering it’s a minibar purchase, not too overpriced for the convenience. Sure, I could go down to the hotel bar and get a full tall glass for about the same cost but typing up a review in the bar seems a bit too…dorky?

Holding the glass up to my hotel light shows off a beautiful golden color with a nice one-finger tall head which sits on the top of the beer for many minutes. The carbonation is huge, reminding me of a champagne in bubble movement which seems to help maintain the head for the long term.

The scent smells like a lightly floral hop with a slightly bitter feeling on the nose. There is definitely a light flavored bouquet which is super subtle and requires you to really dive your nose in deep to get the real feelings for the profile. Very crisp and refreshing and just what I’d want in a pilsner.

The taste is prickly on the tongue as the carbonation takes hold, a very light and refreshing taste from start to finish. The attack is that of muted hops which bring a crisp and slightly sweet mid-palate transition into a finish that’s got a bit of hop bite along with perhaps a little citrus finish.

The Veltins is a text-book pilsener beer with pleasing tastes for a new beer drinker all the way to the professional German beer enthusiast. It won’t bring a huge amount of bitterness nor does it taste like a watered down beverage. The Veltins falls right in the middle with a bit more sweet taste with a citrus and earthy finish.

This is a great weekend beer or social beer and would be extremely refreshing after a long day of working in the sun, perhaps in your garden. Definitely worth a trip to my hotel minibar.

The taste of this ice wine is thick and sweet with a very nice acidic structure that really pulls in some beautiful acids in the mid-palate. While my sweet taste buds dance with apricot and green grape skins the mid-palate continues with an earthy mineral flavoring and finishes sweet with a hint of alcohol heat and lasts for minutes.

I’m impressed with the long-lasting nature of the finish, it tastes as if I just eat a half bag of crisp green grapes. It’s not often I taste a wine that actually reminds me of a fruit so long after the glass is empty. Like most ice wines, I have a hard time putting it down, so my glass doesn’t last as long as it should.

Overall, the Vidal is a strong ice wine grape and is one of the sturdiest varieties lasting the long winter nights. While it has found its home in ice wine and is more common amongst the style, it brings its own uniqueness that is worthy of a sip or three. A bottle of Inniskillin Vidal Gold will cost you roughly USD $75 so I do suggest taking your time with the bottle and enjoy each sip. Ice wines will cost you a pretty penny and this bottle is worthy of its price, hard to beat in quality and complexities.

Not only does the Nigori (translates to “cloudy”) pour white, it has a good amount of small particles that stick to the edge of the glass when swirled, showing the true unfiltered nature of the spirit. The nose is fruity and contains that yeasty “saké” smell that seems unique to the spirit. The sweet flavors seem fruity but don’t distinguish themselves with any specific style of fruit but it does bring out some vague sweetness that I cannot pinpoint.

The taste of the Gekkeikan Nigori requires a few sips, at first it attacked my palate with very little sweetness and a bite upon the mid-palate with an alcohol finish. Taking a second sip my tongue awoke and found more sweet flavors on the initial attack with a gritty milky mid-palate transition which hinted at almonds and finished with a bit of an alcoholic punch.

The finish continues for about thirty to forty seconds with a slight heat, slight dry and slightly “sake” flavorings. By the fifth sip I started to really pull out the overall dry finish that must be explored before you find it. The dryness lasts for at least five minutes between sips, if you’re not into the “dry factor” then you’ll probably want to avoid the Gekkeikan Nigori Saké.

Overall, I found this Saké to be a bit mild and watery with a dry finish. It didn’t really strike my interest with any big “awesome” factor but may be a good “brew” to introduce to new Saké drinkers who want to get a sense for Saké without too much potency. This 300ML bottle will cost you roughly USD $5.99 which isn’t going to really break the bank so experimentation is possible without feeling like you were ripped off. For its price, it’s a fine beverage but lacks a bit of subtle nuance that I like in a spirit, beer or wine and Saké is more like a beer than any of the others.

The Rozier Fee Fountain has a few key features that make it a must buy product for those looking for a quality absinthe fountain. The fountain is created from Borosilicate Glass which is used to make laboratory equipment and thus it has a very high resistance to temperature while maintaining a strong endurance to damage. In short, it’s not going to break like standard glassware will and it maintains an ultra-light weight profile–transporting this quality absinthe fountain feels much like carrying a pencil. When the fountain arrived in the mail I thought the product was stolen and gone but, once I opened the box, I found it well protected in its shipping padding. Amazing.

Aside from the aesthetic qualities and fancy looks, the fountain contains some common sense style and grace. The fountains spouts are low, below the water-bowl, and thus allow all the water to flow fourth leaving the water base empty once all its contents have been used. You won’t need to lean the fountain to the side to force out any remaining water. The spouts themselves have excellent faucet controls which spin easily and allow for a very slow drip to a quick consistent pour. The faucets don’t stick at all which this is extremely important as a stuck faucet can lead to a “mobile fountain” as you force your way to twist the tiny handles. Costly glass fountains are not meant to be mobile and slide around the table as you try to force your way to unlock a faucet nob, not a problem with the Rozier Fee Fountain.

In addition to containing the fine pouring abilities and low spouts, this quality absinthe fountain has four total faucets which allows you to pour absinthe for a a party of one to four people simultaneously. Hopefully you know at least four people! If you don’t know four people, show them your new fountain and you’ll make friends quickly (okay, that’s shallow, but you chuckled a bit, right?)

The one minor flaw in the fountain, , if you’d consider it one, is its overall water capacity of 40 ounces. It holds enough to pour four glasses of absinthe easily (probably will pour eight total without a problem), other larger bowl fountains can pour many more glasses, some as much as 2-liters (67 ounces) at the sacrifice of looking a bit uglier or being a lot more expensive. The Rozier Fee Fountain, imported from Germany, costs $234.99 at absintheonthenet.com and that price includes shipping insurance.

Is this quality absinthe fountain worth the price? It depends on your dedication to absinthe drinking, if you’re a casual drinker that may use the fountain once every few months you may want to look for a cheaper alternative, like the $44 absinthe fountain we’ve already taken a look at earlier. If you’re falling in love with the absinthe lifestyle, I think it’s well worth investing in a quality absinthe fountain and some fancy 24k gold spoons. Drinking absinthe, for some folks, is a hobby of love and should be considered an investment in the future.

Quality absinthe costs a good deal of money, would you expect a quality fountain to be any less?

Wormwood Leaf Absinthe Spoon

Since discovering Absinthe, I’ve found the preparation to be quite fun when it comes to working with the spirit. While most accessories aren’t required many are preferred because it makes preparing absinthe easy and fun. Once you’ve got yourself an absinthe fountain, such as the low-cost one we’ve reviewed already or a more fancy alternative such as the Rozier Fee Fountain (which I’ll review later) you’ll want a neat spoon to trick out and accessorize your louche experience.

There are many spoon styles to choose from in a range of prices. I’ve started by trying some introductory spoons, such as the one that came with my bottle of La Fée Absinthe, and now I believe it’s time to move onto something a bit more fancy with a higher class quality and presentation. What I’ve got in my hands are few 24k Gold Plated absinthe spoons, imported from France by absintheonthenet.com. Let’s face it, if you’re going to be absinthe accessories of any quality, the Internet is the place to shop for this current niche product line.

There is no doubt in my mind a lower priced spoon will function just as well as a 24k Gold Plated Toulouse Lautrec Spoon. Yet there is a lot to be said for style and elegance and this USD $39.99 spoon holds both these qualities in a very heavy weight spoon (about double the weight of my basic silver absinthe spoons). Like regular kitchen accessories, some folks like their utensils of a higher grade and quality even though a standard lower-end utensil functions the just as well; the same can be said for absinthe preparation.

Toulouse Lautrec Absinthe Spoon

The edges on the Toulouse Lautrec Absinthe Spoon have are refined and smooth where the cheaper silver spoons have harder edges that are a bit rough against the skin. The same can be said for a few of the other gold plated spoons such as the Bistro spoon (USD $36.99) and one of the coolest spoons, the Wormwood Leaf Spoon.

When you start getting into absinthe accessories you’ll find yourself purchasing above-average to expensive tools that reflect your own personality. Perhaps you’re into practicality and want a more general design or maybe you’d rather go fancy with etchings and carvings; there is a spoon to fit everyone.

I’ve found absintheonthenet.com has some extremely neat imported spoons that mirror the historic designs of old while bringing new grace and beauty to the absintheur in all of us. You can buy a low cost USD $19.99 absinthe spoon but you’ll not feel proud to hand that down through the family; many of these spoons can easily become a collectors items passed down from generation to absinthe-drinking generation.

Bistro Absinthe Spoon

Next time, we’ll take a closer look at a fancy absinthe fountain and a bunch of very neat glass designs that can enhance your absinthe drinking experience. Are they needed? No, you can work absinthe magic without all these nice accessories just like you can stir a cocktail without a bar spoon or make a margarita in a standard glass tumbler. Sometimes creating a spirit is as much about the mood as it is the flavor.

What mood are you in?

I also poured a glass with a tad bit of water to inspire more flavors from this Puerto Rican rum. The glass with water brought stronger vanilla and oak with a light chocolate. Not much more was found with the additional water. I thought I was going to get more flavors with the water but didn’t find too much added flavor. Such is the way of science!

The taste of the Grand Añejo is warming with an initial attack of cinnamon and black pepper. I found the texture very smooth and not too thick, while it had great textures it had a delicate balance between viscosity and playful liquid. The second sip brought an over-ripened pineapple skin with a caramel mid-palate and a smooth creamy oak finish containing hints of chocolate and vanilla. I did find a light burn on the edges of my tongue, tickling the sour taste buds while bringing on a nice sweet oak to keep the balance pure.

Add a little water and you’ll get buttery pineapples and the burn still maintains on the edges of the tongue. After sitting for 10-minutes in the glass, I found the water brought out more bourbon properties with more oak than without the water.

Like any good aged spirit, I think this will be best enjoyed in a glass “neat.” After you’ve had a few glasses I’d experiment with watering it down a bit to bring out more of the bourbon properties and experience it all over again. A bottle of Don Q Grand Añejo Rum will cost around USD $59.99 which is a bit high for new rum drinkers but those that love to experience the complexities and nuances of a fine spirit will be willing to shell out the cash. You’ll get some classic whiskey nuances with the backbone of a Puerto Rican rum, which is exactly what I was hoping to receive.

Absinthe isn’t cheap, typically hitting the USD $60 price tag and beyond. If you’re willing to invest a bit of money into an absinthe spirit it may be in your best interest to spend a little more to prepare a good louche. AbsintheDevil.com has a huge list of available absinthe fountains from basic to ultra fancy and we’re going to take a look at an economical value play with their USD $44 Glass Absinthe Fountain.

This fountain is 18.5-inches tall (with lid), 4-1/2 inches in diameter and has two faucets (also known as robinettes). The two faucets allow you to easily louche two glasses at a time, allowing you to quickly fill glasses at a party or for a guest/loved one. The fountain itself holds a good amount of water and has a 9-inch clearance under the faucet to allow fairly large absinthe glasses as targets for your absinthe pleasure.

This specific fountain isn’t extremely fancy and doesn’t have a lot of flare when it comes to showing off your cool device. However, it has a highly practical use at an affordable price and you’re getting actual cast metal faucets, not plastic. My largest gripe with this fountain is the positioning of the faucets, they’re way too high in the bowl which leaves you with a substantial amount of cold water at the bottom of the bowl. The high faucets require you to tip the fountain at an angle to drip the last remaining water from the faucet to your cup.

You can alleviate the problems of faucet height by filling the fountain with a good amount of ice and water. In my case, I wanted to use spring water and ice, so wasting the water I paid for doesn’t agree with me, so I tend to skimp on filling the fountain. Had the faucets been lower, it would have been much less annoying. But, the $44 price-tag for a glass fountain with metal faucets doesn’t give me much room for complaint.

If you want to play the economics card, buying an absinthe fountain that’s cheaper than your absinthe is a desirable alternative to costly designs. This fountain shines of practicality with a dual-faucet for functionality.

First, the nose has distinct caramel and sweet brown sugars with a slight alcohol melody. There is a slight bit of chocolate after the caramel blows off wrapped with a beautiful white pepper and pineapple. In total, the bouquet can be summed up as slightly sweet with a spicy candy-like profile. The glass containing a bit of water (and sitting for 10-minutes) brings more chocolate and caramel with only subtle brown sugar and almost no alcoholic scents.

Tasting is my second favorite part and I was expecting some intense oak profile but was given something much more complex. While there is a hint of oak on the attack I’m immediately taken over by a sweet buttery caramel with a chocolate mid-palate and a finish covered in brown sugared pineapples. I detect a slight smokiness on the finish which dissipates to a vanilla and oak as it lingers for a minute or so after the final sip. The mouth-feel of the Don Q Añejo is well rounded, smooth and has a good viscosity to it, impressive. I was happy to see the complexities were not masked by too much oak presence.

My glass containing a slight hint of water brings much more oak to the initial sip which reminds me of a Michael Collins blended Irish whiskey (but a bit more affordable). Even with water, the thickness to this liquid is fully mature and well rounded. I detect a bit more white pepper throughout the mid-palate and finish with a bit more fiery burn upon swallowing the rum. Overall, add water and you’ll get a more lingering oak and up-front caramel; definitely a fun experience.

Don Q Añejo will cost roughly USD $19.99 and, for a five-to-seven year rum, that’s a nice price. You’re getting good value and complexity for the cost. Rum tends to age faster than a whiskey but give you many of those same properties. Because of the region where rum tends to be rested (Puerto Rico and islands surrounding the equator), a five year-old rum is closer to a 12 year-old whiskey but you don’t have to pay the price of aging to get something quality for economic value.

Don Q Añejo is a great tasting experience and, while you can use it in a cocktail, I suggest sitting down and relaxing with a small glass in hand. What do you really have to lose?

Immediately upon pouring this gold beverage, I received potent scents rising throughout the room. I moved my nose closer to the glass and fresh pineapple with a neat black pepper and honey component built the structure of the bouquet. A deeper sniff brought on some intense alcohols but most of which were melted away with the spicy black pepper.

The iced glass brought on more strength in the pineapple but most other flavors were muted including the alcohols. Sipping the liquids brought on a few nice sensations including a warm caramel attack at the tip of the tongue with a nice black pepper mid-palate transition along with a spicy clean finish. The finish lingers for a minute or two and continues to bring spicy pepper notes. The taste was smooth and inviting with a nice aged thickness worth the USD $15.99.

Yet again I was less impressed with the iced rum alternative, the ice muted many of the spicier notes but brought a crisp refreshingly light flavor of caramel and pineapple. However, most of the flavors happened in the middle of the tongue with little balance on the front and back.The finish wasn’t nearly as interesting as the spice was dulled with the chill of the ice.

Overall, I think Don Q Gold would do a great justice to a cocktail as it brings great black pepper spice to the drink while maintaining a low price point. While it obviously fits into a Daiquiri or Piña Colada, I would be interested to see how it fits in a ginger beer cocktail. If you’re drinking Don Q Gold straight, I suggest staying away from ice and pairing it with a Mexican dish.

Of course, you can mix this spirit into a cocktail, as we will do on Common Man Cocktails but today I’m taste testing this on the rocks (with ice) and neat (room temperature). The nose of the Cristal is very entertaining after you get through the initial sniff of fairly potent ethanol. Once my nose adapted to that attack of the senses it brought along with it a bit of warm butterscotch and a lightly scented chocolate. I caught a bit of pineapple core on the tail end of the nose, not exactly a strong pineapple skin or ripe fruit but a subtle flavoring that required deep examining. On ice I found the scents to be more swayed towards stronger pineapple and a milk chocolate profile.

The taste is even more complex than the bouquet, bringing a pineapple attack on the tip of the tongue with a chocolate and butter mid-palate transition into a butterscotch finish. There is a bit of a mid-palate alcoholic “heat” but it lasts a short period of time and has no offensive flavors; the alcohol is more of a warming sensation than a burn. The viscosity of this silver rum is amazing, it’s so smooth and silky on the tongue, much like the Tommy Bahama White Sands Rum.

The Don Q Cristal costs USD $15.99 which is about six dollars more than some of the mass market rums which only bring a burning sensation of rough alcohols. The additional $6 price seems to bring a well crafted smooth experience in a crystal clear liquid. Creating a clear product out of an aged complex rum is a difficult and expensive process and Don Q has taken care to do what was needed to bring the presentation to the same quality as the liquid itself.

On ice, I find more burn in the finish with muted flavors of chocolate on the initial attack but with a sweet buttery finish. I found the texture to be a bit weaker and thinner when the water begins to melt off into the chilly Don Q Cristal.

Overall, I believe the Don Q Cristal works best served neat or in a cocktail. The nuances and complexities of this spirit are well defined in a product for under USD $20. You’ll struggle to find a comparable product of such quality with such affordability, and in these economic times, there are many places in our cabinets for well crafted affordable rums.

We prepared La Clandestine by louching it with the absinthe fountain we got from AbsintheDevil and left out the sugar and spoon for this spirit: we’re going straight louching with ice water. Prior to bringing the water into the situation, I took a look at the La Clandestine after the pour and it was clear as water, it looked like a blanco tequila. Once I dripped the water into the absinthe glass from our fountain it magically took on a cloudy milk presentation.

The bouquet of the La Clandestine, once louched, is that of a dark candy licorice with subtle yet sweet fennel and star anise. I really didn’t pull many other flavors from this, but everyone in the house thought it smelled like “candy” with that being a general translation for the black licorice present throughout the nose. La Clandestine showed itself as sweet but not as intense sweet as a black jelly bean, but more sweet than bitter or herbal.

The taste fit the scents quite well, bringing lots of fennel action on the initial attack into a sweet mid-palate transition ending with a herbal finish that slightly numbs the tongue and brings no alcoholic heat. Unlike most other absinthe brands I’ve had a chance to taste, I found La Clandestine to be a bit thinner in viscosity, almost a bit too watery in mouthfeel. The finish was more subtle than I had expected with little to no bitterness from the wormwood even when I changed the ratios to two parts water to one part absinthe (originally I tried a four-to-one ratio). When I tried a stronger ratio, one-to-one, I found a lot more alcoholic heat and realized the 3:1 ratio is key in this louche.

Even the nice three-to-one ratio leaves almost no alcohol on the palate, no burn and no offensive taste. This absinthe rings in at a 106 Proof (53% ABV) which is much lighter than other brands I’ve had but I’m not buying it for the potency, I’m buying it for the experiences. For those intense absinthe drinkers that are looking for hardcore flavor attacks will probably find slight disappointment in La Clandestine as it doesn’t overwhelm any senses. On a personal level, I found it to be a little unbalanced from the bite to the sweetness ratio where I received more sweet attacks and less bitter balances. A like a bit more bitter finish but that’s only me, everyone is different.

La Clandestine brings a lot of value and delight to those looking for the less intense absinthe recipes. You’ll get your typical anise and fennel flavors but you won’t have them punch your palate in the face. You’ll find good subtle flavors to give your mouth a chance to work out the profile without being “told” what you should taste; this is one of the most interesting points to a quality spirit. For those that are considering their first absinthe experience La Clandestine is the way to go for those absinthe virgins out there because it will give you a sense of the history of absinthe without tipping those same senses on their head.

While I may find it a bit more tipped in the sweet realm of absinthe, I believe the majority of spirit drinkers and potential cocktail makers will find joy in the La Clandestine brand. You can find La Clandestine for roughly USD $69.99 to $74.99 in stores around the United States and other countries including Canada, Europe and Japan.

Flor de Caña

This Nicaraguan rum has the most unique bouquet out of all the rums I’ve had the opportunity to taste.  Initially I get a heavy caramel smell with a hint of agave and anise which is peculiar. A second sniff I’m getting a slight burn of alcohol along with some white pepper and a few curious minutes later I began to identify the last flavor my nose received: butterscotch. Once I put the rum on ice I received a huge butterscotch attack which was both impressive and unique.

Without ice or water I found this rum to be inviting and thick with an initial butterscotch attack followed by a dark caramel mid-palate transition ending with a black pepper finish. The flavors are extremely inviting and delicious even though the finish has a bit of an alcoholic bite. This alcohol is removed with a couple cubs of ice, the ice also brings through a lot more caramel and butterscotch flavoring while thinning out the spirit slightly.

Overall, Flor de Caña is a unique and flavorful rum experience for under USD $20. You’ll probably find it fits well with a cocktail or mixed with a soda like a rum and coke. The caramel in the rum would work with the coke, even a diet or coke zero branding. If you’re looking for something new to tickle your palate, the five year old Flor de Caña is a great choice.

I poured a glass and found it to be a great golden apple coloring, perhaps like a rich and dark Chardonnay. The wine simply looks rich and delicious upon sight, so let’s move on to the next sense: smell.

The nose of the 2007 Vidal is best summed up as a bright apple pie with a mango twist all arriving on the sweeter side of life. As a desert wine, you’d never expect anything less than a sweet nose but you’ll get some nice tropical flavorings with a dominant apple. It’s not the most exciting bouquet that I’ve had a chance to stuff my nose in, but it’s no slouch either. I was hoping for a few more defined flavors on my third sniff but you can’t complain about a tropical apple, right?

The initial taste, on my palate, was ripe pears mingled with a sweetly roasted apple. I also get a bit of red grape; I find red grapes have a bit more sweet factor than the greener cousins and this wine has that sweet factor all the way to the bank. However, I see the green grape side of life towards the finish because of the nice acidity on the finish that actually makes me salivate.

While this isn’t the thickest ice wine in my collection it is definitely smooth and inviting. The finish leaves a little prickle on the tongue with nothing but a well-balanced sense of sweetness and acids. The Jackson-Triggs 2007 Vidal Ice Wine has one primary feature that requires outlining: acidity. Many ice wines tend to round off the acidity because of the intense sweetness but the Vidal grape holds its sweetness against a lovely acidity which I believe is one of the backbones of the Vidal variety.

If you love a white wine because if its acids and the ability to warm your mouth up to food, this ice wine may do that for you. However, as an after dinner sweet wine, I’d probably suggest you drink this before a moderately sweet dessert to top off the night.

The Inniskillin 2007 Cabernet Franc

The nose of this 2007 Cabernet Franc is that of sweet cranberry fruit cocktail much like the color but continues with smooth pear flavors and sweet red delicious apple slices topped with granny smith apple skins. If you can imagine a bowl full of those fruits you’d probably be spot on with the bouquet of the 2007 Inniskillin Cabernet Franc Ice Wine.

Sipping the ice wine gives an initial burst of pear sweetness with a light apple attack. The mid-palate transition is a creamy semi-sweet pear which brings your palate to a slightly dry fruity apple finish. However, most of the sour bite from the tannins is rounded down by the smooth textures and sweet fruits.

The finish is long and fruity with dancing pears and apples with a smooth gentle viscosity that forces you to take yet another sip. Luckily, the 375ml bottle is only 9.5% ABV, so you’ll be able to take many long seductive sips without fear of overwhelming your senses with alcohol.

Like most ice wines, this wine would go great as an after dinner drink. Most folks will find the slight sour tannins at the tail end of the taste to be intriguing for an ice wine. However, the flavors and fruits come at a price of USD $90.00 for the 375ml bottle because Cabernet Franc is a rare ice wine, having to survive the freezing temperature of winter.

Rare wines are some of the most enjoyable to experience. I feel special being able to say I had a bottle.

First, the color has to be mentioned in Caramba Extra Añejo because it’s so dark and copper toned much like a freshly polished copper pipping. The color seems to have taken on the properties of a bourbon whiskey. Compared to a standard Añejo, this is much more deep and dark in coloring which shows the barrel aging has been working wonders on the presentation.

Moving on to the nose; my initial impression is that of a caramel agave. The Caramba Extra Añejo exhibits a very familiar bouquet, a bourbon-style vanilla profile. I went in for a long deep sniff and received a potent alcoholic punch showing me this spirit has a good amount of power to it that needs to be respected. Unlike a Scotch Whisky, the nose doesn’t present smokey properties and follows more of a American Kentucky straight bourbon with a sweetness that made me salivate a bit after a few more sniffs.

Tasting the Caramba Extra Añejo is a fun experience to say the least. The thick viscosity was impressive. Upon this thickness rode a nice black pepper spice which ran across my cheeks and down the flat of my tongue with a predominance towards the front sweeter tip. This followed with a buttery agave mid-palate transition and a very sensually silk finish that leaves a long creamy oak behind for minutes after the sip.

The mouth feel matches that of a whiskey five times older but requiring much less time to mature to such a level of taste. Ironically, the mouth feel and nose reminded me of a straight bourbon but the taste didn’t give me any other bourbon attributes. The Caramba Extra Añejo does not burn as it goes down, remaining smooth with a clean finish throughout the tasting experience.

After my initial tastings I added a bit of room temperature spring water to the extra añejo to see what else I could work out of the glass. I received a much stronger oak and vanilla flavoring than prior, the finish was slightly lighter and the agave was a bit more pronounced. Oddly enough, I never received any real chocolate notes, which I almost expected going into the tasting.

The Caramba Extra Añejo makes a great complex sipping Tequila. In many ways, I’ve found this extra añejo to go far beyond a standard tequila, almost becoming its own spirit. It seems this tequila has adopted properties from a whiskey, perhaps through using whiskey barrels to age the tequila yet it doesn’t lose its own identity in the process.

You can expect to pay roughly USD $99.99 for a bottle of Caramba Extra Añejo and receive a well crafted sipping experience. If you’re looking to bring a well aged tequila into your home and try an extra añejo with a reasonable price, Caramba is a good choice. Other extra añejo alternatives may run you USD $300+ for such an aged tequila.

The bouquet is a potent agave with a sweet nectar-like flavor near the tail end of my initial sniff. Taking a deeper sniff continues the strong agave but uncovers a hidden white pepper scent with a pineapple skin wrapping. If you take just one breath and smell, you’ll probably miss some of the more subtle hints that make the best of the bouquet.

The taste of the Caramba Reposado was well received on my palate. Bright spiciness right on the front attack with a mid-palate sweetness of agave nectar and a light caramel finish that’s subtle and clean. The finish is a bit short, lasting about 20-seconds but was good while it lasted. I would have loved it to linger for about 30-seconds more if possible.

The liquid has a good viscosity with good smooth and inviting flavors mixed with the peppery spice not too unfamiliar to me in a good reposado tequila. When put on ice, I’m experiencing another style of spirit all together.  On the ice you’ll reduce the sweetness and bring up the agave, and spice. The chill also seems to bring out an oak, it makes me think of an Irish Whiskey at first sniff, which was not expected at all. It is as if the ice and its dissolved water seems to bring out a bit more of the maturity of the liquid.

Overall, a solid tasting experience that goes above your standard tequila. I also had the opportunity to consume a few margarita’s with some friends using the Caramba reposado. A few folks thought it was a bit “strong” on flavor but within a few minutes they were asking for a second glass. What some people experience as strong is their palate warming up to the idea of the alcohols and that attack fades upon the third sip.

First, you’ll notice the nose is subtle, lightly sweet with a subtle chocolate-like flavoring along with some lime and light caramel flavors. The yeast flavoring of the Saké keeps your senses tuned to a typical Saké profile but the additional complexities in the nose make it inviting. Those new to Saké will need to first adapt to its aromas to start looking for the more subtle flavorings.

Tasting the Horin chilled is our first attack on the liquid. The taste is sweet yet acidic and light with a slight burn in the finish even while chilled. The burning sensation makes sense considering the 15% alcohol by volume within the Horin Junmai Daiginjo – take it slow or you could get a bit tipsy. The sweetness of the attack leads into a yeasty acidic mid-palate to a dry alcohol finish. Taking a quick breath after the sip leaves me with a pear and melon-like aftertaste.

Taking an opportunity to try Horin at room temperature was interesting as it toned down on the sweet factor while bringing up the alcohols on the finish. Overall, most of the flavors are retained or amplified at room temperature and this is extremely important if you believe you’re drinking a higher end product. Warm temperatures will bring out imperfections easily and Horin isn’t showing any imperfections on my palate.

If you’ve never had a chance to explore Saké you should give Gekkeikan Horin Junmai Daiginjo a taste. A 720ml bottle will cost roughly USD $30 so make sure you’re willing to explore the Saké before you buy it. This may change your perspective on some of the cheaper brews sold at some restaurants around the United States.

Still want more? Listen to our Saké podcast episode!

The 2007 Inniskillin Riesling pours a rich golden “apple juice” style coloring. I can smell the sweetness before even putting the glass to my nose. For those that don’t already know, an ice wine is a sweet desert wine made from grapes pressed after the first frost. This causes the wine to become extremely concentrated in sweet taste and maintains a fairly high cost as it’s difficult for vineyards to be given the perfect opportunity to harvest an ice wine; conditions must be favorable and frosty.

The nose of the ice wine is sweet and rich with a huge delicious factor; you want to stuff your nose right in and enjoy all its flavors. But, resisting a nose dipping, I continued to look for some scents past that of the sweetness. I found some juicy sugary apple cider notes with a mixing of pear and apricots but it was difficult to get past the sweets.

To the tongue, Inniskillin’s 2007 Riesling has a super sweet attack on the tongue with a thick and smooth viscosity. The mid-palate transition continues the sweet cider with a subtle citrus and lime flavoring. The finish is the most complex of tastes, while there is a slight ‘heat’ from the alcohols (even when chilled) the tail end contains a good bite of sour apples with lingering lime. The sweetness follows into the finish but balances with the bite adding a great elegance to the end of the sip.

The complex finish makes you savor for a second sip, then a third and a fourth leading you to an empty glass. Some ice wine varieties have a super sweet finish which leaves you wondering what else it brings to the table. No doubt, this wine brings a lot more sweetness and deliciousness above-and-beyond other brands that I’ve tasted but the additional flavors give you something to look for in the sip beyond sugar.

The Inniskillin 2007 Riesling Ice Wine isn’t cheap, you’ll probably find a 375ml bottle in the range of USD $60 to USD $80 but ice wine lovers won’t blink at the cost, considering it’s not unusual to spend USD $50+ for a good Canadian ice wine and usually more for a German Eiswein.

The Terrazas de Los Andes pours a rich dark purple without any visibility through this red wine. The nose is a delight as well, a bitter sweet bing cherry juice mixed with light leathers and smokey ripe plums. You get the essence of dark fruits coming through with a high juicy delicious flavoring which makes you want to take a sip.

So we shall.

The initial attack is a muted dark fruit flavoring, not the cherries I thought to expect. I’m getting more raspberries and plums without the sweetness or bitterness from the fruits. The mid-palate transition brings a bit of bitter bite followed by a small amount of vanilla; a good balance without an over-oaked feeling.

The finish for the Terrazas de Los Andes 2006 Reserva is slightly dry and ends with more dark fruits and the leather from the bouquet arrives back to say hello. Unlike a few other Malbec’s I’ve had, I’m not getting a rich soil feeling from the nose or the taste, it’s very much a dark fruit based wine with high satisfaction.

Decanting brings nice round tannic structure but a good “bite” near the end of the sip. This is very much a medium bodied wine, nothing too “big” for a new wine drinker to handle and not thin enough to be cheapened. For USD $17 a bottle, this is a good value wine for the tasting experience. While it’s not a hugely complex tasting experience it brings a good dark fruit pleasure to the palate and does it well. Sometimes it’s better to do a few things well than to have a complex mish-mash of unbalanced flavors.

I highly suggest seeking out the Terrazas de Los Andes 2006 Reserva Malbec if you like the darker fruit experience.

In order to provide proof that this 100% agave tequila product can sell itself on taste, I’m going to put the silver to work and see what I can find in its taste profile. First, it’s clear, as clear as a silver should be and we’ve got that out of the way up front. Secondly, how does it work on the nose? The scents are very sweet with ripe agave notes along many great qualities of a great silver including some pleasant citrus scents and over ripe pineapples.

The tail end of the Caramba Silver’s nose will define this tequila as its own branding: earthy mineral style almost like that of a red wine with terrior. It is as if I’m scooping up the soil from the terrain and bringing it to my nose. Some people may or may not be turned on by this uniqueness but it gives me a great way to characterize the bouquet and learn the tequila.

It’s not a complete review without actually tasting the Caramba Silver, so here we go! First, a warm and smooth texture which is extremely inviting. The thickness is pretty considerable for the age of a silver (almost not aged at all!) and the smoothness makes it more pleasing on the palate.

The soil-profile I found on the nose continues through the sip with a strong terrior finish, perhaps it can also be described as an earthy agave appeal. The initial attack is sweet with subtle hint of caramel followed by a sweet pineapple nectar transition into this earthy finish. Take a quick intake of breath and I feel a ripened pineapple and agave aftertaste. Add some ice to this silver and you’ll pull out even more earthy profile from the nose and taste, almost giving a little black licorice flavoring in the tail end of the taste.

Overall, this tequila has a uniqueness that makes it stand out among other silvers. This unique earthy agave flavoring defines this spirit which could be a turn-on for some and a turn-off for those that like a lighter less flavorful tequila. I’m still unsure if I like the niche Caramba is using to define their tequila, using the “sexiest” as its qualifier. I think the brand’s flavor stands on its own and should be the definition of this spirit and big tequila drinkers may see the marketing message as masking a sub-par tequila. However, in a world being filled with tequila brands everyone has to find some way to get their product in the hands of eager customers and sex does sell.

Red Stag has been available since June of 2009 and is the first infused bourbon from Jim Beam and the first innovation from the company since Jim Beam Black. The Black Cherry is a natural infusion, not some sickly sweet addition. I’m ready to sit down and see what Red Stag is all about!

I’ve poured Red Stag on ice and straight to get a full idea of the flavor profile. The color is beautiful gold and copper with a very mature and natural look. It smells delicious. Seriously delightful in nose with the inclusion of a nice dark bing cherry juice which I appreciate as a bing cherry fan without the big seeds in the center.

The sweetness on the nose carries a subtle aged whiskey along with the black cherry infusions. Overall, the largest bouquet is that of cherry with a slight creamy oak, perhaps mostly like a cherry tree. On ice, the nose loses some of its sweet cherry and brings more of the underlying whiskey to the forefront. Personally, I like the neat scents better than the iced because it brings something new and unusual.

The taste is intense and juicy. My first thought was to drink it like a juice as the initial attack was so juicy and flavorful. But, I thought better of drinking Red Stag like a juice when the burn arrived a split second following my sip. The initial attack is rich juicy cherry with a creamy oaked whiskey mid-palate to a ripe red fruit finish which ends with a slightly bitter sweetness. The bitterness is important, in my opinion, as a black cherry has both sweet and bitter properties when ready to eat.

Now for the chilled Red Stag on ice, any difference? The attack is much calmer and has more oak properties with subtle cherries. Once chilled, I was able to enjoy a bit more of the roundness and thickness of the spirit. Without the ice I’ve noticed the cherry really distracts my senses for detecting the viscosity. Taking a second sip of the straight glass allowed me a few moments to roll the liquids around in my mouth but the sweetness quickly took over and brought me for a second ride on the cherry train.

Overall, I’m leaning towards Red Stag on the rocks. The flavors are toned down enough to balance the spirit with the fine oaks and the black cherries without attacking my senses with the fruit. Folks that love cherry juice may want to focus more on a straight pour for this baby.

For those looking more for the spirit details, Red Stag is an 80-Proof whiskey created with four year-old Kentucky Bourbon along side natural black cherry flavors. A 750ml bottle should retail for roughly USD $17.99 and my next task, if enough of the sample remains, is to test Red Stag in a glass of Coke Zero or other cola product. It would also be interesting to try Red Stag in a Manhattan recipe.

I’ve done some research on absinthe and tried to gather some information to share with the community to explain away the fears of the spirit. While some may dislike the taste all together, since it’s heavy in that anise/fennel flavoring, others have continually asked me “what is absinthe?” or commented on its legality.

I’ve had folks post comments to some video’s telling me how I have to have it imported and cannot buy it in the United States, which is untrue or that it’s not “real absinthe” because that’s banned which is also untrue.

If you’d like to join a community of absinthe drinkers you should checkout the forums at absinthe-review.net. Those looking for a way to kick start their absinthe drinking should checkout the products at AbsintheDevil and get started today, then you can drink along with Common Man Cocktails!

I began by pouring the VeeV Açaí into my glass and took a look at its color: perfectly clear. This distilled spirit is as clean and clear as a blanco tequila or a highly distilled vodka. For some reason I would have expected it to be pink from the scents I received while pouring it into the glass, pink would also be more exotically sexy. But, the clear color makes for good cocktail making so I can understand why clear is the choice.

The bouquet to VeeV Açaí is extremely tropical and delicious to my nose. Closing my eyes I can completely imagine a fruit bowl in my hands with plump juicy fruit. I get floral cherries, ripe pears and tropical fruits I’ve never smelled before–I’m not versed in the Brazilian fruit Açaí but I’m gaining a huge respect for it with VeeV. The nose tails off with citrus, light limes and subtle alcohols.

Tasting this spirit is exciting; a thick consistency, heavy body and a light prickle around the lips and tongue upon my first sipping. The alcohol was a bit more than I had expected, its potent shows itself greatly. I still get a sweet up front citrus attack a smooth Açaí mid-palate transition and the alcohol heat on the finish along with subtle fruits. The second sip resulted in far less alcohols but they were still present.

Drop a few ice cubes in the glass and stir, you’ll receive a completely different experience. The initial taste is that of a sweet cherry with a full Açaí flavoring from mid-palate to finish. The alcohol all but disappears under the chill of the ice and leaves a completely pleasant experience from start to end.

Overall, this spirit will mix exceptionally in a tropical cocktail or tiki style Polynesian drink. No doubt, VeeV can be sipped and enjoyed especially on ice and the new style experience was unknown to my palate and thus, extremely enjoyable and inviting. If you love new flavors and tastes you’ll have to checkout VeeV Açaí Spirit. The bottle says $1.00 of each sale is donated to the farming communities for those that harvest wild Açaí which allows the environment to be protected throughout its gathering and preserve natures growing methods.

You should be able to find VeeV Açaí between USD $30 and USD $36, I suggest you seek it out.

Yeah, we’re hitting the whiskey hard but we’re learning a lot in the process; hopefully everyone can take something away from the episode and, if nothing else, a little bit of laughter.

ST. PETERSBURG™ VODKA TO FEATURE NEW SIGNATURE COCKTAIL — THE ‘HERMITAGE’ AT PRIVATE JEWEL CONCERT TO BENEFIT PROMISE2KIDS ON JULY 20

SAN DIEGO — (July 16, 2009) — St. Petersburg™ Vodka, the “Taste of Russia®, will feature its signature cocktail, the “Hermitage,” at the Promises2Kids’ first fundraising event of the year, Jewel — A Private Concert to Benefit Promises2Kids, on Monday, July 20 at the Estate of Joan Waitt, Honorary Chair, in La Jolla, California. Proceeds from the outdoor event will fund programs at Promises2Kids, a San Diego non-profit formerly known as the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation.

The “Hermitage” will be served at both the VIP reception and to welcome guests at the main gathering. Named after the world-class St. Petersburg museum, the Hermitage cocktail combines the smoothness of St. Petersburg™ Vodka with the richness of strawberries, a light touch of citrus, and the tingling effervescence of sparkling wine.

Singer, songwriter, poet, and three-time Grammy nominee, Jewel Kilcher, is performing at the VIP reception. For tickets or more information about the event, please visit www.Promises2Kids.org or call Promises2Kids at 858-427-1102.

St. Petersburg™ Vodka Hermitage
Ingredients
1 ½ oz St.Petersburg Vodka
1/2 oz Luxardo Triplum (Triple Sec 39%)
1/2 oz Finest Call Strawberry Puree Mix
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
1/8 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

Recipe:
1. Shake the ingredients with ice
2. Pour into martini glass
3. Pour 1 oz. Sparkling wine on top of drink
4. Drop pin a slice of strawberry (optional)
5. Cointreau can be used instead of Luxardo Tripleum

About St. Petersburg™ Vodka
Newly introduced in America, St. Petersburg™ Vodka hails from the cultural capital of Russia, home to great writers, artists and scientists. With a formula that dates back to the 18th century, St. Petersburg™ Vodka is ultra-premium quality yet affordably priced at $18.99 (msrp, 750ml). St. Petersburg™ Vodka has been a hit with critics and connoisseurs. It was awarded the 2007 Best Buy Bar Competition’s Gold Medal (Best Value Vodka, 94 points) and the 2006 International Review of Spirits Gold Medal (Best Buy, Exceptional). For more information on St. Petersburg™ Vodka call 619-857-2782.

St. Petersburg Vodka has been granted a 94 point rating by the Beverage Tasting Institute in 2008, so I have some high hopes for this spirit. Of course, after the pour it’s clear that this vodka is indeed… clear. As it should be, we’re not looking at any type of cloudy beverage, it’s as close to water as you can get without being 100% h2o.

The first scent is as I’d expect from a vodka: ethenol. You’re not going to walk away with out the potent smell of alcohol with St. Petersburg Vodka but that should be expected, you’re working with a vodka and it’s not going to be coated with sweets nectars and properties to “dull the senses.” I stirred the air around the glass and brought it back to my nose to gather the zests of lemon peel, fairly strong in their appearance in this vodka. After the lemons I get hints of caramel flavorings, subtle but behind the stronger lemon profile.

If you let your mind push away the more intense alcohols, I’m almost getting a slight shochu flavoring in St. Petersburg, reminding me of the Haamoni Smooth Lemon Shochu I reviewed a few weeks ago; no doubt I’d not have picked this scent up if I had not reviewed Haamoni.

Okay, on to the taste, I worked long on the nose as it was more complex than most vodka brands I’ve smelled, probably because most of them have been brands marketed towards the United States standard “neutral based spirit” category. Sipping it, I’ve found a nice liquid viscosity that’s pleasing on the palate, if you’re a sipping vodka enthusiast than you’ll respect that appeal.

The initial attack is subtle with hints of lemon but nothing that will suggest this is infused with the citrus; it’s enough to give you some initial impressions and let you look forward to the mid-palate play. The mid-palate has a bit of dull chocolate and light vanilla frosting style thoughts, but again, nothing that is going to make you think its flavored. These are just subtle flavors that come across in the liquid as it crosses my tongue and nasal passages.

The finish of this vodka is not offensive or followed by a war on your palate. You’ll get a slight alcoholic bite about 10-seconds after the liquid leaves your mouth but, overall, a fairly clean and crisp finish. About 30-seconds later, the finish arrives with that of unsweetened cocoa powder, something I’ve actually tasted on its own before, so I’m familiar with the taste profile.

Overall, this vodka can be sipped straight and become a respectable palate pleaser. I believe you’ll find this vodka goes great in citrus-style cocktails that use fresh squeezed lemon juice. You should be able to find St. Petersburg Vodka in the United States for under USD $20.00.

You can buy St. Petersburg Vodka at D&M Online today for USD $17.59!

First, the straight absinthe color reminds me much of green creme de menthe, slightly exaggerated and bright like a beacon. The color, much like a poisonous snake or frog, should keep you cautious as this 68% ABV or 136-Proof spirit will knock you on your rump really quick if not respected.

Louche the liquid (drip ice water over an absinthe spoon with a sugar cube on it) and you’ll get a ting of white but an overall lime green Fanta and Squirt soda-style coloring. The coloring is opaque with absolutely no chance of seeing anything but a faint light through the liquids.

The smell reminds me of Sambuca with the same sweetness and black licorice. If you’ve ever stuffed a black jellybean in your nose than you’re definitely following my train of thought. While some folks report high alcohol scents, I’m not getting much heat from this absinthe straight or in its cloudy louche. I can struggle and look for some of the alcohol nose but I’m getting obscured by the sweet anise attacks.

Upon first taste I’m reminded again of the black jellybean. This anise is let loose upon my tongue with a numbing effect, leaving a sweet mid-palate transition and a very subtle bite of wormwood… ever so subtle. The aftertaste is exactly what I get if I eat a hand-full of black jellybeans sans numbness. I get a very slight hint of alcohol on the back-end of my tongue after the sip has completed but nothing out of the ordinary for a spirit.

La Fée Absinthe Parisienne can be highly dangerous as the anise hides the alcohol extremely well, leaving you thinking about a second glass but your brain is screaming “no!” This is not the most complex absinthe I’ve tasted, as it drives hard at the anise flavors and really brings them with aggression. This mutes the alcohols as well as any other herbal complexities hiding in the spirit. At USD $60, you may find a more complex absinthe for sipping but you may not find one that brings the anise as intensely which may work out great in a cocktail.

Many cocktails that call for a sambuca can be overpowered by its huge sweet attack, La Fée could meet these challenges head on and work well. The coloring would definitely impact a cocktail in a bright and cheery way while boosting up the alcohol levels to a high degree (something some folks love).

Overall, I cannot recommend La Fée for a sipping absinthe to those that are experienced with a handful or more of absinthe brands. I think, as a cocktail addition or to those that are looking to get into absinthe because of the great anise flavor profile, La Fée is a must try if you’ve got USD $60.00 to invest in the experience. As a bonus, each bottle comes with its own Absinthe spoon to help you louche your absinthe with proper equipment.

This gin is clear and crisp looking, following the standard practices of most gins on the market. When rolling it around the glass, it hangs on the edges for over 40-seconds before a majority of the liquids begin to fall back into the glass. The nose is crisp and citric, coating the air with orange, lime and notes of lemon in a thick orange zest laced with a juniper. The juniper is more of an accent to Martin Miller’s Gin, from an aroma perspective.

I poured it on ice and neat so that I could experience Martin Miller in all its gin-tastic glory. The neat pour has excellent tasting sensations that light up my palate in many crazy ways. It initially sparks to life with spicy citrus flavors that coat your lips and tongue causing neat tickles and prickles. There is no harsh bite or roughness to the finish and I found the juniper aroma comes second to that of the citrus, becoming a focused mid-palate transition. The start is much like the finish, with hints of lemon, orange and ripe tropical limes.

The viscosity is thick and mature and I found it toned down when placed on ice. The nose, on ice, has a bit of licorice essence with subtle orange zest but nothing serious in the citrus department. I do detect a bit more spice on the nose, this might be other flavors becoming less muted when the citrus is toned down a bit. The iced down Martin Miller’s Gin is also carrying some spicy licorice with a bit more pronounced juniper berry in the mid-palate and on the finish. The finish does enforce a bit of lemon but doesn’t last as long as when drank neat.

If you’re not a fan of the prickle sensations from this gin, take a second and third sip; my mouth became more used to the flavors and this allowed me to appreciate a little more depth to the spirit. You can also mute the prickles by icing down or adding a touch of water to the gin.

I find the gin has a bit more excitement when consumed at room temperature but both experiences are fun. If I had to ice down Martin Miller’s Gin it would be within a gin and tonic or a martini. I can see this gin working excellently in a Long Island Ice Tea recipe with its citrus appeal. You can find Martin Miller’s Gin ranging from USD $25 to USD $35, search it out and enjoy a taste.

This spirit, also known as soju, is a Japanese distilled spirit much like that of vodka but it brings its own natural tastes to the party instead of staying “neutral” in flavor. Shochu flavors are subtle yet distinct and, although I’ve reviewed Haamonii Smooth, this is my first attempt at a Lemon Haamonii Smooth review.

Poured in a glass you’ll find Haamoni (“Harmony” in Japanese) to be clear in color much like that of a well distilled vodka. The nose of Haamonii’s Lemon Shochu reminds me of sprite cola. A deeper sniff gives me the essence of a lemon zest as if it were dripping off the glass itself but with less potent acids. This is undoubtedly lemon.

The taste is more subtle than I had expected. Upon first sip, I cringed expecting the finish to bite but I was far from on the mark, I should have remembered my first Shochu review which proved equivalent in smoothness and roundness. The liquid viscosity is smooth and thick almost like a frozen vodka or sambuca without the alcohol of vodka and the sweet of sambuca… so really nothing like it at all, it’s Shochu!

The initial attack is muted lemon with a semi-sweet citrus mid-palate transition followed by a great lemon finish that lasts about a minute and a half. This isn’t the most dynamic beverage as it really takes on the profile of a lemon without the sour impact of the fruit on the tongue. It’s as if Haamoni Smooth Lemon Shochu has captured all the great flavors of lemon without the negative sour unbalanced assault.

While you can sip this neat or on ice, it compliments a cocktail extremely well. Any citrus vodka can be smoothed to completion with Lemon Shochu while still bringing some alcohols to the party. This Shochu is 22% ABV, that’s almost half the alcohol you’ll find in a vodka. If you’re looking for a delightful cocktail experience, Lemon Shochu will aim to please but if you’re looking to get stone cold drunk, you’ll want to stick with the vodka. Personally, I’m past the desire to get drunk just to get drunk, I’d rather have a delicious cocktail.

This shochu has the flavors of a schnapps without the over-the-top sweetness while supporting a higher alcohol content than that of a schnapps. I highly suggest tasting Haamonii Smooth, it really shows a direction in spirits I’ve never seen with its taste profile and smoothness.

Here are two cocktail howto video’s from our show that utilize Haamonii Smooth Lemon Shochu. You can buy Haamonii Smooth Shochu at D&M online.

Cosmopolitan

Dreamsicle Martini

Please Note: We recently found out our bottle sample of Partida Añejo was bad. After receiving a new bottle, the “sour” taste reported in this video went away and it was smooth as it should have been. Sorry for the mis-communication, bad samples do happen from time to time.

We’re topping of this week with a little tasting before the 4th of July. Just incase you’re going to be out and about drinking Añejo tequila, here is a few brands you can consider tasting. We’re looking at Tres Generaciones, Riazul, Dos Lunas, Cielo and Partida Tequila.

Hopefully, you’ll get a chance to try an Añejo tequila sometime soon!

Check us out at Everydaydrinkers.tv to see the episode and leave some comments!

First, in a glass at room temperature I’m finding it has immediate vanilla scents with a light sweet oak. There is no smokiness to this Irish Whiskey, it’s all about the vanilla mingled with a bit of caramel and nuts. On ice, I get more creamy vanilla bean ice cream profiles with ripples of chocolate with much less oak. Both are sexy in their own ways but will ice drown its truth and flavors when sipped?

Sipping it neat gives me a silky front-end vanilla attack with a strong wood mid-palate transition that reminds me of a cardboard scent or perhaps that of damp wood. There are some nutty aspects but the mid-palate is very dynamic and interesting leaving me wishing I could talk it out with some other whiskey drinkers to see what they’re tasting.

In some ways, it’s too complex for a single palate to pull all the flavors and a group of folks could sit down and call out flavors their receiving and help everyone experience its full depths. The finish is a great creamy oak flavor with a long drawn out aftertaste that brings hints of vanilla for what could be ten minutes after the sip. I get a slight tingling on the tip of the tongue along with the edges of the palate as the spirit fades from my mouth.

Sipping Michael Collins Single Malt on ice is a different experience. Both neat and on ice will give you a dry-style finish, which is a bit unique and both have a black pepper spice to them but the silky textures of the iced whiskey is non-existent so, if you want the mouth-feel of a mature Irish whiskey, you’ll want to drink this Michael Collins Single Malt neat. The ice also dulls any up-front flavors and leave us with a damp wood mid-palate transition with a few nutty notes.

Overall, I think Michael Collins Single Malt is best served straight without ice. You lose too much of its complexity when chilling the liquids and all that we’re left with are the most obvious vanilla and oak flavorings. It seems almost insulting to chill it, but some folks love it best on ice so what can we do? You can find Michael Collins Single Malt ranging between the price of USD $40 to USD $50.

The Dubonnet Rouge pours brownish red much like an old red wine. Holding it up to the light in a wine glass and you’ll see the edges are very clear and the color gets richer and darker as you look closer to the center.

The bouquet reminds me of an overripe strawberry wrapped in spicy flavorings that are tough to detect. Rolling the liquids around the glass offers dark plums with a bit of black licorice notes. The taste of Dubonnet Rouge is slightly sweet with a sugary attack which continues to a dark plum mid-palate transition with a bit of heat on the finish and nice strawberry flavorings.

As expected, Dubonnet Rouge wets the appetite for food, especially a savory food. Within a cocktail, I can see this building great dynamics with its sweet up-front sweetness and smooth round flavors.

Much like its child, gin, the genever is as clear as water but radiates much more power in its scent. The nose of genever is herbal yet sweet and earthy. It is as if genever is the essence of a chocolate marriage with juniper. The bouquet is slightly confusing for the typical gin drinker as it brings many of the same impact in juniper berry without the orange peel and pines I’d find in a London Dry or American Dry variant. I want to call it a ‘gin’ but yet I know it stands alone on its own with its maltwine component. I’m almost at a loss for words on its descriptive nose.

The taste is soft and silky, seductive in many ways while remaining round and pure on the palate. My lips tingle quickly as does the tongue but I get very little alcohol burn, only subtle hints. I get a light juniper attack with juniper berry notes all rounded out with a malty mid-palate transition which reminds me of a rich brown ale.

The finish of Bols Genever is that of a dark non-sweet chocolate with very short juniper tastes as the finish fades. On ice, I get a bit more organic flavors and, oddly enough, a more sour taste with green organic herbal chocolates. I’m finding that Bols Genever tastes a bit more subtle and seductive when sipped neat at room temperature but everyones palate is different so I encourage you to try both variations.

The suggested retail price of Bols Genever 750ml bottle is roughly $38. I suggest this to those looking to really bring something new to their bar, expand their tasting palate and to those that are looking for a subtle gin style play without the floral notes offered in some of the French gins. To avid gin drinkers, keep an open mind, as this drink brings many of the genetic roots of a gin with a more ancient style that makes it stand on its own as unique.

I’ve tasted Tres Generaciones Reposado both on ice and neat (at room temperature) to get the real truth of the spirit. With most quality tequila’s you’ll notice that an iced tequila and a neat tequila will result in a few different flavors that make both methods stand out, I suggest you always try a tequila both ways to enjoy all its dynamics.

The color of the reposado is classic light gold platting with nice clarity. The nose is a salty agave with a blend of black pepper and oak. A second and third sniff yield ocean salts and a slight alcohol that rises through the nasal passages at lightening speeds. On ice, I get a completely different experience with much more tropical sweet notes with almost a sugar cane aspect to the bouquet. The slight alcohols on the nose disappear when placed on ice which is nice.

The taste of Tres Generaciones Reposado is medium bodied, a bit lighter than I would have expected but has a very beautiful mid-palate caramel which transitions into a light finish that fades off to a sweet nectar. The attack is not very well defined, balanced more towards the mid-palate caramels. There is a good benefit to a lighter attack on the tongue for new tequila drinker because it becomes much more approachable as it leaves off any direct battle on the senses.

On ice the tequila seems to thicken a bit, perhaps its all in the senses as the chilled spirit plays on the tongue. The chilled reposado brings much more caramel on the mid-palate which transitions into the finish nicely. As many reposados would be, Tres Generaciones Reposado is easier to sip on the rocks than neat but it does lose a bit of its dynamic flare and oak appeal.

Overall, Tres Generaciones Reposado brings a good amount of complexity for its $47.99 price tag, although I’ve had a few more costly bottles that have trumped it in taste comparison. Buying this tequila for yourself will bring good experiences and I highly suggest gifting a bottle of Tres Generaciones Reposado to friends when holidays arise because its easily approachable to folks whom you might not be certain of their exact palate while still being regarded as a top tier tequila at a fairly standardized pricing.

You can find tequila’s for less money, no doubt, but many offer a bit more sour and less rounded finish. When comparing cost make sure you compare the clean finish as Tres Generaciones, of all styles, keeps well to a refined mature tasting experience reflected in its price point.

First, as a good green absinthe should, Vieux Carré pours green like a rich dark grass. Based on the histories of the spirit, this product shows true heritage in its color and doesn’t portray cheapness or artificial coloring. Louche the absinthe over a little sugar cube with a nice fine drip and you’ll see it continues to hold its great colors with a slightly foggy yet transparent lime coloring.

Unlike the Lucid Absinthe, which gave off a white milky cloud, Vieux Carré brings a brighter green like an overripe lime peel. Taking nothing away form Lucid, this absinthe just brings its own unique glory to the table. Enough on the color, you get the idea, it’s green.

The nose of Vieux Carré Absinthe is very herbal with beautiful anise, fennel and slight mint notes. The scent alone gives you some earthy tones reminding me of a walk through a leafy garden with light spices healing me as I move. Vieux Carré Absinthe tells a story and you need to stand there and listen. Impressive.

For those that haven’t had absinthe, the most obvious definition for the liquid is “sambuca-like” or “black licorice” with a toned down sweetness. Replace the sugar sweets with herbs and spices and you’ve got “tea meets sambuca” and, if that doesn’t get your senses going, you’re probably not a fan of the fennel/anise flavorings.

Vieux Carré exhibits great cola-flavorings on the mid-palate transition but begins with a numbing herbal build up which will finish with a touch of Eucalyptus meets fennel. I found nice acidic flavorings, which I believe is the wormwood plant talking to me. My tongue has a slightly numbing feeling from tip to the back of the palate which is interesting and unique in this style of spirit. Unlike the fire you may get from a potent vodka or a “rough” rum, this spirit is smooth and numbing.

If you’re looking to expand your palate and explain away the rumors of absinthe, you’ll want to try Vieux Carré Supérieure. You’ll find it on retail stores for an estimated price of USD $60 to USD $67. Don’t be afraid, be an everyday drinker and give it a try tonight!

Our first absinthe review will be Lucid Absinthe and the symbolism shouldn’t be ignored. Lucid Absinthe Supérieure was the first approved absinthe in the United States since prohibition making its way to the US in 2007. This is the first true absinthe (legally) in the United States since 1912 and it’s also the first absinthe I’ve had the chance to write about but not the first I’ve had a chance to taste.

Lucid brings a 62% ABV, that’s a 124-Proof spirit so we’re going to respect it and play carefully. I’m not going to go into details about the proper way to prepare absinthe, we’ll save that for a future video show on Common Man Cocktails. Once I “louche” the Lucid, it displays a white milky color with tints of green in the glass. I expected it to be a bit greener and more clear but it’s much more cloudy and opaque.

The Lucid Absinthe Supérieure has a subtle nose, with hints of fennel and a slight candy-licorice scent. There is not as much herbal properties as I’ve seen in other absinthe’s but sometimes subtle scents are more intriguing and playful. There isn’t too much earthiness to the nose and, overall, I think this absinthe is a great introduction to the spirit. Most new folks unfamiliar with absinthe will find this less intense in the anise flavorings making it easier to handle when sipping.

The taste of Lucid leans more towards mild citrus with touches of acidic flavors. I found the mid-palate transition bringing a bit of alcohol on the tongue counterbalanced by subtle sweetness and numbing sensations on the finish. The full experience is a lighter aroma with lighter flavors and subtle herbal qualities that make Lucid an enjoyable beverage, but not extremely complex. It’s possible to find Lucid Absinthe Supérieure for USD $60.00, which is a costly amount to experiment with Absinthe if you’ve never had the tastes on your tongue before.

Luckily, Lucid offers a great introduction into the world of Absinthe by not overpowering the senses with potent powers of anise and other flavors that remind me of Sambuca and black liquorice but one-thousand times less sweet. I highly recommend checking out Lucid Absinthe Supérieure if you’re looking to experiment in absinthe for the first time; you may also find it works well in cocktails calling for absinthe as it will not overpower the drink.

Don’t listen to the stereotypes, rumors and old wives tales about the green liquid, Absinthe is like other alcohols with herbal green flavors that will expand your palate and bring it to places it has never been before.

Welcome to our second Tequila tasting, this week we’re hammering out some tastings against a few Reposado brands. These brands may be used for sipping like an aged Añejo or mixing in your favorite cocktail that calls for tequila.

The brands being covered are all top-notch in quality and taste; I ordered them in a high level preferance but I’d never turn away from any of these 100% de Agave products if ordering a cocktail at a restaurant or elsewhere. The reposado’s include: Cavalino, 1800, Senor Frogs, Don Julio, Tres Generaciones, Cielo, Dos Lunas, and Partida.

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The bouquet of Michael Collins Whiskey Blend is that of sweet oak and light notes of coconut. My second sniff resulted in something I’m not used to picking up on the nose: a cola, perhaps a little citrus cola with a hint of vanilla. My iced whiskey also gave off a few extra hints of chocolate powder.

The non-iced “neat” presentation was smooth and silky with a creamy oak which seems very approachable for new whiskey drinkers. The attack is sweet and smooth with citrus vanilla notes through the mid-palate transition. The finish was slightly “cold” and left a non-tingling numbing feeling. The finish is nice although a bit short on complex flavors and dissipates more quickly than I had imagined.

On ice, Michael Collins brings a bit more pineapple on its initial taste at the front of the palate with a chocolate mid-palate transition with a very weak finish. The finish is much flavorful without the ice when looking for a more complex tasting experience but very manageable for new drinkers. The water thinned out the smoothness a bit but kept the experience fun and fresh.

You’ll probably find Michael Collins Irish Whiskey Blend for roughly USD $26.00, a pleasent price for this Irish Whiskey and worth a try for those looking for a relaxing whiskey bringing a nice flavor profile. It’s not the most complex or unique drinking experience but it was fun and flavorful. This is a definite must try cocktail ingredient.

The Malibu Crunch is a delightful light-bodied tropical cocktail, great for Wednesdays. Okay, seriously, you can utilize this cool concoction any day of the week. We’re using Tito’s vodka, a bit of Cruzan coconut rum with some pineapple and a top off of 7UP.

The color of the Malibu Crunch looks relaxing and the taste is on par with the vision.

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The Buffalo Trace has a pretty vanilla scent with light notes of campfire smoke mingling with a rich black pepper wrapped in a lightly sweetened caramel candy. On a second swirl and sniff, I get a bit of darker Swiss chocolate with cocoa bean. The nose is quite remarkable, more than I expected from a bourbon. I expected a bit more sour alcohols on the nose but no matter how quickly I breath in over the glass nothing burns my nasal passages.

My first sip was very velvet smooth with a subtle oak and vanilla flavoring. I detect a sweet medium bodied chocolate and vanilla mid-palate transition which finishes with a nutty caramel and a tingle on the tip of the tongue of sweet creamy cocoa. The finish is clean, only hinting at an alcohol bite but far too smooth and balanced to display any intense alcohols.

This bourbon has a great sweet factor which makes it much more approachable to the novice drinker and respected by those that have more bourbon experience under their belt. The most approachable aspect of Buffalo Trace is its price tag, at roughly USD $23.99, this is an exceptional deal for its complexity. This would make a great Manhattan cocktail based on its sweeter aromas and initial attack on the tongue.

Bluecoat pours clear as water but can be distinguished from the liquid based on its “legs.” When rolling the spirit around the glass, a thin coating remains for almost 10-seconds before the edges start to break and fade into cool “frozen ice” style patterns. The nose of Bluecoat reminds me of a classic London Dry with its juniper berries rising from the glass and filling the room.

The juniper in Bluecoat isn’t nearly the “pinesol” juniper you may see in some alternative brands; Tanqueray comes to mind. The juniper is potent but subtle at the same time, giving you the impact of the berry without the burn in the nasal passages. Putting your nose right up into the glass is extremely tolerable and delightful. There is a pretty lemon zest wrapped around the juniper and other “green” organic flavor profiles.

The first taste created a sensation I’ve never had in a gin. My eyebrows literally raised as my taste predictions of this gin went completely out the window and down the road. First, the viscosity was thick and well-bodied which shows some great class. While appreciating the smoothness on the palate, a huge explosion of orange zest exploded in my mouth in every direction which tickled all the senses from the tip of the tongue to the back of the nasal passages. It was as if I zested a lemon/lime orange directly in my mouth but without the bitter attack.

You’re getting a “crazy neat” zest essence that is difficult to describe as it is not exactly what I expected from a London Dry style gin made in America. I’ve had American gin’s before but none have had the citrus attack in the mid-palate transition with a muted earthy juniper berry finish. Minutes alter, I’m still getting a mineral flavor on my palate which is very light and memorable. With all the undeniable flavors and prickling sensation, I never really felt a huge attack of alcohols. At 47% (94-proof), I was expecting a much larger attack of alcohol on the back-end of my palate but the smooth citrus dulls it down as I spend my time appreciating its uniqueness rather than the heat.

Bluecoat is a very unique and smooth experience that needs to be savored. This gin would be a great base for a gin martini as it brings great flavors without the typical overpowering juniper experience. There are some floral notes but Bluecoat isn’t really a “boquet” of flowered bontanicals as much as a fun citrus play. Replace the olives with an orange peel and you’re on your way to a wonderful night.

I highly recommend searching out Bluecoat to give your palate a new experience, one that stands lone as an American Dry Gin. What’s London again?

I found some subtle caramel in the bouquet when swirling around the Tres Generaciones Añejo Tequila. It was most apparent when swirling and bringing my nose further away from the glass. Without further contemplation, we move on to the taste and true flavor profile of the Añejo.

Initially, the great thick viscosity really hit home, almost a light oil consistency with subtle attack of dried agave and green fruit skins, very sensual and seductive. The mid-palate transition was a sweet agave nectar flavoring transitioning into an oak finish with great cracked pepper flavors. There was indeed a slight tingling sensation on the finish but very little “heat” in the way of alcohol making this Añejo a very nice experience from start to finish.

Although it wasn’t the most complex Añejo I’ve tasted, finding this tequila under $50.00 is quite possible. The spicy white pepper finish was intriguing and fun while serving itself as a well matured aged tequila which makes me yearn for a spicy beef burrito (odd isn’t it?) Many flavors were a bit more muted than I may have liked but they hinted at more of a dried fruit rather than an over-ripe or under-ripe tropical fruit which I’ve seen in other Añejos.

This is no doubt one of my top five more favored Añejo tequila brands which would go perfect after a nice Mexican dinner as an after-dinner sipping tequila. Tres Generaciones Añejo brings a lot of experience to the table while keeping the product affordable for a sipping spirit. I’d choose Tres Generaciones over an equivalent priced brandy or whiskey.

Jacques Cardin is a golden brown color with hues of amber as you swirl it around. The golden colors bounce off the light while a darker amber plays around in the center of the glass. The liquid streams like long sad tears down the side of the glass in perfect unison, almost eerie in its synchronization.

To appreciate a cognac one must appreciate all aspects of it, scent plays a big role in a good review of this spirit so we’re going to work some flavor profiles out of the glass. It’s appropriately warm and the bouquet begins to grow as I hold it longer in my hands. Initial flavors indicate a milk chocolate caramel profile wrapped around a very earthy center. It is almost as if the damp earth of the Cognac region is built into the scent of this liquid. Next, comes the vanilla profile, not too uncommon for a cognac along with some wet oak flavorings which probably fit the Very Special Old Pale (VSOP) aging on the cognac (at least four years old).

You get different scents if you move closer towards the glass and back away again. Sweeping the nose quick over the glass gives rise to nice ginger notes while diving too close gives you a big caramel chocolate flavor followed by a slight burn to the nose, Jacques Cardin is ready to hurt you if you get to close to it. Perhaps it’s protecting its inner flavors, allowing you time to learn to respect it before jumping in head first.

Taking my first sip, I spend more time feeling the cognac and less time working a taste profile. It has a medium body, not too thin yet not too thick with a smooth silkiness on the tongue. The second sip allows me to feel out some of the chocolates in the attack and caramel mid-palate transition into a slightly fiery and creamy vanilla leaving behind a finish of aged oak. Although Jacques Cardin Cognac VSOP is 40% alcohol by volume, it lets you know you’re alive by the finish.

Initially there is no alcoholic burn as you swirl the silky liquids around your mouth. Once you’ve swallowed the cognac it begins to light a little spicy fire upon the edges of your palate with a  bit of acidity as a bonus. The finish is quite satisfying as the alcohol subsides and leaves a thin vanilla oak coating on your tongue.  Closing my mouth tight, breathing in slowly reveals much of the flavors of the Jacques Cardin without any alcohols, this finish goes on and on for days (well, at least minutes).

Overall, this is a solid VSOP cognac, at around USD $30.00 (750ml) its a value buy. Is it the best cognac I’ll ever taste? I don’t know if that’s true but I sure do sleep well at night knowing I can spend thirty bucks on something that is smooth, clean and fairly complex in flavor profile. I’m sure this would liven up a cocktail with its silk textures as well.

The Look

On site alone, you’ll see no difference between G’Vine Nouaison and Floraison because they’re both perfectly glass clear spirits. It’s more important to look more at the other senses, specifically that of smell!

The Nose

While it’s easy to confuse the glasses when looking at them, putting your sense of smell to the test makes the differences obvious. The Floraison has subtle light blossom-like scents with huge complexity. It’s almost as if roses meet peppermint with very little in the juniper profile.

Nouaison gets right up in your face with flavors, cutting through the subtleties found in the Floraison. G’Vine Nouaison has scents that describe a more subtle London Dry gin without the potent attack of juniper. I get a bit of bright green leafy juniper mingled with lemon/lime sprite and slight ginger notes. Taking a deep breath brings a much more potent strength that almost makes your eyes water, much like the effect I get walking into the perfume section of a department store.

Going back to the Floraison shows off its subtleties ten fold when compared to the Nouaison gin. However, both do have similar subtle properties when moving back and forth between the two gin styles. Much like you can tell two brothers are related even when they have their own defined characteristics, both G’Vine brands have difficult to identify commonalities but you know they are sisters when comparing side-by-side.

The Taste

While I believe the nose of a good spirit tells a lot about its story, the taste will give us more definition and character of the styles effort. The Floraison tastes like a bouquet of wildflowers would smell, many varying smooth flavors attacking the senses one by one yet all at the same time. Strict concentration helps you pick-out a few of the big ones: rose peddles, grape skins, ginger with a smooth mouth-feel and a green organic finish.

The Nouaison gin is a bit thinner in mouth-feel but, overall, a fun experience non-the-less. Much like the nose, the initial attack is more fierce and head-on with flavors and tongue tingling action when compared to the Floraison. A juniper-like mid-palate transition to a lime finish all after a bit of a floral attack. While Floraison starts with floral berries and peddles and finishes with more floral flavors, G’Vine Nouaison begins with a subtle rose peddle start but transforms itself into a medium bodied London Dry near instantly. The Nouaison finish is stronger and “right in your face” against your tongue and down the edges and tips of your palate like a small shock of lightening.

Both the Nouaison and Floraison have a long finish with very similar properties and flavor profiles as the gin begins to fade on your palate. I find both to be very similar but unique enough to define each as their own recipe. The G’Vine Floraison will satisfy those that are hesitant towards gin and Nouaison will be preferred by those looking for a well crafted London Dry style alternative.

Gin lovers must try G’Vine Nouaison, most definitely, but either product will build the experience of your palate and make you appreciate the French ideas of what a gin should taste like. In the end, I still prefer G’Vine Floraison between the two products because of its subtle flavors and aromas.

First, it’s got a great polished gold coloring which is impressive. I had expected it to be a bit browner like a few Añejo’s I’ve had in the past but Riazul holds a very polished color, it must have cost them a pretty penny to polish it up! The color is beautiful, that’s excellent, but let’s talk about the nose… the bouquet.

The scent is unique because it doesn’t have the stereotypical sea-salt and agave nose. Riazul Añejo has a citrus style playfulness in its bouquet which is exciting and fresh. After the initial citrus burns off I get a neat white chocolate profile with very little sugary presentation. In some ways I’m envisioning the makings of a salty sprite with a hint of black pepper.

My excitement at the nose lasted at least five minutes, continuing to pick out new flavors and using my senses to present the images of the profile in my head. Alas, it was time to take a sip of the gold spirit. The initial flavors were very light, very subtle tropical fruits, perhaps a young pineapple flavoring? Expecting an initial strike of alcohol, I braced myself but was left with a smoother liquid viscosity and no true burn.

My wife took a sip and said “good but potent” so I told her to try it again and the alcohol attack dissipated quickly. The lesson, take a few sips before you begin to build your impression of the liquid so your senses can catch up with the experience. Three sips later, you can start explaining the flavors. My tongue didn’t tingle until the very finish of the Riazul Añejo.

The mid-palate transition is an undeniable dark chocolate mingled with a bit of agave leading to a dry finish with notes of the chocolate reoccurring again. A few ounces of sipping later and I’m picking up more tropical fruits, a black pepper mango followed by a little Clementine orange.

The thickness is perfect, leaving a thin layer on the glass which stands on the edges for many seconds before whisking away to meet the contents once again. The flavor profile is massively complex with no one flavor dominating and many new flavors appearing as you sip. Riazul Añejo resembles a 15 year old wine in smoothness and completeness and can easily compete with the best aged whiskey on the market today in complexity.

Riazul’s structure and flavors define a good Añejo Tequila while keeping it approachable for both novice and expert Añejo drinkers. There are many great Añejo’s on the market today and Riazul competes with the best of the top shelf and should give pause to all competing brands. If you don’t play at the top of your game you’ll have no chance against the complex inner workings of Riazul Añejo.

The nose of this whiskey is a treat, quite literally, reminding me of a vanilla bean ice cream mixed with a little hazelnut topping. Swirling the glass around in my hand and bringing up the aromas with a swift flick of the wrist brings a nice campfire smokey smell followed by more sweet vanilla.

Upon first taste it’s only appropriate to mention the extreme smoothness to this 12-year old whiskey. It has the expected creamy and buttery oak style approach on the tongue yet leaves a tingling sensation down the middle of the palate like it was a motorcycle of alcoholic pleasures cruising the highway of seduction (woah, that was even too deep for me). The mid-palate transition keeps with the vanilla and smokey oak flavors leaving a beautiful nutty finish behind as it goes.

This whiskey is very approachable and ends with a very smooth finish that doesn’t sour the face. It’s round in nature and finishes clean leaving behind only its flavor profile, no harsh or abbrassive alcohols. For a bottle of Canadian Club Classic 12 at USD $21.99, this is a great value for all involved. The sweetness of this whiskey would go excellent in a whiskey based cocktail like the Manhattan.

The color is a dark gold, rich and stylish which explains why Tommy Bahama is in such a clear tall bottle. They’re standing up showing off their color against the competition and they’ve got a lot of stiff competitors in the market that will use whatever tactics needed to win, even artificially flavoring their rums. Tommy Bahama doesn’t contain a drop of artificial flavors or colors, the same bottle you buy in the United States is available in Europe (where it’s not legal to artificially flavor standard rums).

The nose is incredibly smooth, offering a sweet cedar wood, deep brown sugars with a slightly earthy smoke mingling in the bouquet. The best way to pull the smoke scents from the spirit is to wave your hand over the glass and let the smells come to you, diving your nose into the glass will get you a nice woody blend of brown sugar.

This is an aged rum so you’re going to get some great roundness and smooth tastes from the liquids. In fact, I get a very silky smooth texture to the rum both on ice and neat (without ice in a slightly chilled glass). To experience the full smoothness you’ll want to drink this rum neat as the ice coats your senses and relaxes them a bit too much to gain the exact mouth-feel. Drinking it neat will result in a little more prickle on the tip of the tongue from the alcohols, something completely missed when drinking it on ice. I’ve got both in front of me to measure the differences.

The initial attack has a slight bit of lime flavorings with a dose of vanilla coating that transition quickly into other flavors. The mid-palate transition is warm and smooth with cinnamon sugar, light hints of chocolate with an small oak finish. The finish is clean and clear, leaving no explosive alcohols in both a neat drink and on ice. The aged rum blend shows its maturity in the ability to finish without a harsh bite or desire to shake your head like you just took a shot of grain alcohol.

The finish is long, leaving your mouth with an oaky vanilla flavor that lingers on your palate for five minutes or more. It’s important to realize that Caribbean rum ages quickly in the barrels and can compete with a whiskey that’s five years older. I’ve seen Tommy Bahama in the store selling for USD $21.00 and the price I’ve found on record listed it at $29.99. You’re getting an absolutely huge deal if you find Tommy Bahama in the mid-twenty range because it looks and acts like a finely aged whiskey that’s at least double the price.

Some of the complexities missing from their White Sands rum are made up ten fold in their golden rum. It’s not really fair to compare the two given their differences in age, but it’s fun to do it anyway. Overall, this is a must try rum for those that are looking for a great sipping beverage, on the rocks or neat, or for cocktails calling for amber/dark rum as I think this will fit the bill nicely.

First, the presentation, the liquid is perfectly clear, like a highly filtered spring water. This Silver tequila is bottled directly after distillation without any “resting.” It offers you a clear glimpse into its production through the look and feel of this Riazul tequila.

The nose is quite awesome, pouring it alone is enough to get a sense of its aroma from a distance. Up close, Riazul Silver has a lot to offer in bouquet including a mildly sweet agave meets pineapple blend with a very nice herbal organic nectar style profile. As I move my nose away from the glass I get a bit of a vanilla and caramel wafer image in my head, interesting.

The initial attack is that of brown sugar with an agave brine mid-palate transition and a cool crisp albeit slightly sour hotness towards the finish. The front of the tongue and forward edges tend to light up with a tingling numbness as you finish the sip. The finish is long and powerful, offering a neat over-ripe pineapple skin which lingers for minutes at a time. I’m left with a little vanilla and hints of chocolate long after the finish.

The mouth-feel is a bit chalky and not as thick as I had expected, based on some of the other blanco/silver tequila’s I’ve had in the past few weeks. Some brands will rest their tequila for a few weeks after distillation to round out some of the flavors which may thicken the viscosity of the spirit; I don’t know.

The end result is a worthwhile Tequila with class, complex flavors and a crisp clear color. What more can you ask for?

Haamonii Smooth can be used as a substitute to vodka so we’re going to do our best to compare it to vodka in order to give you a baseline of comparison. First, it’s as clear as a five times distilled vodka, such as Tito’s Handmade Vodka. Since I like Tito’s and respect it for the taste, clarity and finish, it seems the best contender for baseline.

Haamonii Smooth has an unusually light and sweet aroma hinting at a slight amount of green stemmed “vine” floral experience best compared to a Grappa. This sweet vegetal bouquet gives us something more interesting to work with compared to a true neutral based alcohol. But, how does it compare in taste experience?

The initial attack is light and refreshing first without the sweet attack I thought to expect based on the sweeter-style scents given off on the nose. My first impression was smooth roundness with a semi-thick viscosity resembling that of a well-crafted tequila product, such as my Tito’s Vodka.

Unlike vodka, however, swishing Haamonii Smooth Shochu around in your mouth does not bring the alcohol numbness to the tongue. The alcohol is masked away in the smoothness of the experience and the overall flavor is fairly neutral from the initial attack to the mid-palate transition ending with a very lightly chocolate and vanilla coffee finish. At 22% Alcohol by Volume (ABV) or 44-Proof, this bottle of Shochu should at least hint at alcohol, but it remains silent.

The finish is the best experience of the spirit, leaving your palate clean and polished with just hints of what can be best described as Kahlúa and Sake dancing together. Five minutes later I’m still getting the clean mingling of the finish, extremely impressive.

This is my first experience with Shochu and, if this is any indication of a smooth Shochu, it will not be my last. Thankfully Haamonii has given me the chance to open my eyes to this rich Japanese history.

Secondly, the price point on this 100% de Agave Plata is USD $25.99 and any tequila in the mid-twenty dollar price point is a must try. I’m not expecting it to blow my mind in complexity at this price point, but I am expecting it to give me a smooth tequila experience with some subtle flavors to bring something unique to the table.

The pour is perfectly clear as I’d expect, leaving the title of Plata a worthy labeling. The nose is quite unique for a Plata bringing a smokey sea salt with a ripe fruity aroma, something a bit more green than tropical. It’s bouquet can best be described as “earthy” with slight salty pineapple and fresh crispness. For a Plata, it brings a well defined scent that can be detected with a foot clearance between my nose and the glass.

The taste is like an earthy explosion of thunder in your mouth. Impressive mouth feel, thicker in viscosity than many of the high priced competitors, including Patrón (which is a bit watery). For an unaged tequila, I’m at a loss to how they managed to get such a smooth texture to the tequila for a $25 dollar price point. The attack is a subtle pineapple, an organic agave mid-palate and a spicy finish with a small explosion of alcoholic fire. As the finish begins to play out, I get a smokey taste not seen in many of the Blanco/Plata tequila’s I’ve reviewed. The finish lasts forever, lingering there with a tongue tickling vanilla and more of that earthy mineral play.

Perhaps most tequilas refine the organic flavorings out of the product; I’m unsure. Señor Frogs seems to want to give you a taste of the Mexican Terroir that birthed the agave. This stand out feature makes Señor Frogs worth tasting immediately, with the price point being perfect for those looking to experience something new in 100% de Agave tequila.

I’m honestly at a loss for what I’m experiencing in such a low-cost tequila as it holds many complexities, more than I had initially expected. The bottle was fun and silly, I expected the tequila to quality for its position but it seems to take it to the next level. I believe this tequila could sell for USD $40 and still be considered a top-quality product, smoking the cost of higher priced products in the quality arena.

This is a big boys tequila, a new tequila drinker may want to mix this into a cocktail or start with something a bit more subtle. The flavors, potency and organic agave flavorings might excite a young tequila drinker’s palate to a magnatitute not yet handleable. Everyone’s palate is different but I’m going to stand by my claim: this is one of the most complex tequila’s for $25 that you’re going to find on the market, it’s new to the US and needs more attention. I’m impressed, very impressed.

As expected, this rum pours clear as water and looks as a white rum should, thus the White Sands name stands defended. The nose of this rum reflects that of its name, it smells similar to a suntan lotion mingled with the white sands of a tropical beach setting.  Overall, the nose fits a sweeter profile with a tropical backdrop.

Tasting the white sands keeps with the theme, very bright and potent with tastes that remind me, quite instantly, of a tropical island. The mid-palate transition is a bit hot, with alcohols tingling the center of the tongue and pretty much avoiding the edges of the palate. Much like the mid-palate potency, the follow through to the finish is a very intense sour bite as the alcohols show you who’s boss. The rum finishes clean with a coconut spice and a charcoal mineral finish which lingers for a few minutes. By the third sip my palate grew used to the potency and the sour bite all but diminishes, perhaps my mouth just wasn’t ready for that first sip.

The Tommy Bahama White Sands rum has an estimated price of USD $29.99, which puts it at the price point of a Cruzan Single Barrel rum. Personally, I don’t feel this rum has the complexity to compete with the Cruzan Single Barrel but it does outshine many white rums in its smooth solid structure and great viscosity in mouth-feel.

While I would never use Cruzan Single Barrel in a mixed drink, Tommy Bahama White Sands brings a very important texture to the cocktails. With a slightly tropic taste and a great mouth-feel, I’d suggest this rum in a Polynesian drink that calls for a white rum such as the Zombie cocktail, as long as you include all the other rum requirements with at least the same quality spirit.

This rum is impressive in texture and has a great tropical aroma and aftertaste although most of the rums profile fits what you’d expect from a $30 clear rum spirit. It fits well in a classic mojito without cutting into the drink with too much alcohol but I think it would work best in a polynesian drink. If you can find this rum in the market for USD $24.99 it’s a must try product, the USD $29.99 makes it a harder decision when there are so many competitors on the market. In New Hampshire, today, we found Tommy Bahama selling for USD $18.99 – that’s a must buy price.

With that I pour Tres Generaciones Plata into my glass and hold it to the light: crystal clear. This might as well be water from the gods with its clarity. However, I’m not so sure the gods can create a water with such a beautiful aroma. In all seriousness, this is the scent of beauty and nature — only something greater than us could have developed the plant that birthed the aroma of this tequila.

The nose reminds me of the salt waters of a beautiful coastline, perhaps Hawaii or a tropical island of sorts. It comes alive with firm pineapples, sea salts, agave and notes of slightly sour candies? Subtle in candy with a strong yellow fruit-like structure floating in a deep blue brine. Sure, it’s only a vision when closing my eyes and letting my nose hover over the glass but half the expectations of a beautiful spirit is where it can take you mentally.

Our first sip continues the subtle fruit from the bouquet but follows it through with a smooth light and refreshing taste with great viscosity and thickness for such an un-aged tequila. There is a slight alcoholic tickle on the tip of the tongue and near the front edges as the liquid slides away to a finish that reminds me of the scent I grew to love only seconds ago.  The finish is fairly long, dry and fruity leaving you yearning for another sip.

A Plata isn’t typically something one will sip neat, but I can only imagine how smooth this Tres Generaciones Plata would be on the tongue if chilled. The subtle alcohols would dissipate and leave only the pineapple fruits, sea salts, cracked white pepper and what can only be explained as the nectar of agave. I’m a huge fan of Agave Nectar to sweeten my Margaritas and companies have begun to use Agave Nectar as an alternative to fake sugars and high fructose corn syrup. Imagine a 100% natural sweetness in your drink and you’re on the road to the finish of Tres Generaciones Plata. The beauty of agave is in its subtle sweet taste, only hinting at it, much unlike a honey which attacks your palate like an army of sweet candies.

Is it the smoothest white tequila I’ve had? No, both Cielo and Partida have a slightly thicker viscosity with a rounder more complex finish but you may find yourself paying USD $10.00 or more for that experience. Cielo offers a bit more on the sweet side of the finish while Partida is a shorter finish with more citrus than I’m getting from Tres Generaciones. However, I do not believe they can beat this brand in its beautiful nose, a telling sign to a great experience.

The Tequila market, in the United States, is an ever growing explosion of brands and you’ll be selecting from a huge shelf of contenders. The low-to-mid $40 tequilas are everywhere and you’ll have to choose wisely. I’m not sure there is a finer $45 bottle of tequila on the US market today, Tres Generaciones could easily contend with the $55+ brands and come out on top as each person palate is slightly different.

If you like a milder sweetness with a bit less vanilla but want a tequila that will send you exploring on a far off island, Tres Generaciones Plata will get you there. I challenge you to find me a better bottle of tequila at this price point, I’ll put my reputation on the line.

Of course, I’m not sure I have a reputation so there is very little to gain from the wager.

We’re drinking the Canadian Club on the rocks in an old-fashioned class. It pours to a beautiful thin copper color which reminds me of the pipes in my basement, when polished and cleaned of course! This whiskey smells light and smooth with an “oaky” vanilla nose which reminds me of a Scotch Whisky more than a Canadian, but we’ll trust the label!

At first taste, it’s obvious this whiskey has had some time in the barrel as the oak rounds out the alcohols (40% ABV) such that it barely numbs the tongue. There is a slight prickle on the front of the palate, suggesting it’s got a bit of sweetness to it and leaves absolutely zero sour tastes, something I’ve felt from a lower grade young whiskey.

I did find Canadian Club Reserve a bit thin, even for a 10-year old whiskey it was a bit watery. However, I’m not sure too many people would sit down and sip a bottle of 10-year old whiskey on the rocks. Although, for my palate, I find the Canadian Club 10 Year Reserve approachable on its own, a real whiskey snob will probably want to migrate to the 12-year classic or higher. The 12-year old classic as a thicker viscosity that’s more pleasing on the tongue but has more potency to it.

The taste is a thin slightly sweet vanilla with the roundness of fresh oak and a long finish that hints at vanilla bean. Overall, the whiskey fits its profile well, is structured like a well designed whiskey with all the stereotypical flavorings you’d expect to be offered in a $15.00 or less bottle. For the price, this is a great value; the taste is very approachable to a new whiskey drinker and will fit well in a cocktail calling for a whiskey.

If you’re looking for more complexity with a bit more punch, check out the Canadian Club Classic 12-Year.

Cruzan, pronounced “Cru-Shun,” is known in the industry as one of the de-facto standard rum selections and offers many great flavored rums for a reasonable price. This $12 Dark Rum has a dark gold “worn penny” coloring and presents itself well in the fairly new bottle design. So, considering it looks like a dark rum should we should move on to the next phase… the scent.

Never underestimate an alcohol, always smell it to gather all the essences and efforts put forth by the brand. Utilize your sense of smell and gather in the slightly spicy notes of Cruzan Aged Rum ending with hints of caramel candy. The smell is light on the nose, requiring you to really dig deep and put your nose in the glass to gather all its notes.

Sipping the liquid extends the scents to the next level, by adding a bit of vanilla, cracked white pepper spice with a slightly sour mid-palate transition which fades quickly into a warm vanilla and nutty licorice finish. Cruzan impresses with its low levels of sweetness and mild levels of alcohol bite considering the price point. Most lower cost alcohols tend to be harshly overbearing in the alcohol department or utilize thick sweetness or over-oaked flavors to burn off the alcohol attack; Cruzan does none of these things and remains clean throughout the experience.

Cruzan‘s Aged Dark Rum has a great thick viscosity which compliments the slight sweet vanilla flavors. It would be difficult to detect the true viscosity if the alcohol taste were beating down the palate with their pikes. While Cruzan Aged Dark Rum is a fine sipping rum it does lack some of the complexities found in more expensive alternatives. It becomes a one-trick-pony when searching for new flavors but that’s not where Cruzan Dark Rum would play best.

Cocktails.

Cruzan would find a warm home in the contents of a great cocktail. Smoothing out the Zombie cocktail and other Polynesian drinks in short time will raise the eyebrows of the consumer. The flavor profile of this rum will reflect its quality upon any drink it mingles with, leaving your guests impressed by your cocktail making prowess. If you’re looking for a Cruzan for sipping, you’ll want to look more towards their Single Barrel alternative and keep Cruzan Aged Dark Rum for drinks that call for a darker rum that plays with fruits and juices.

You’ll want to keep a bottle of Cruzan Aged Rum handy for when your cocktails call for “Dark” rum. This bottle is a cost effective way to make sure your cocktails stay top-tier.

[Learn more about Cruzan at MixDrinkipedia]

10,001 Ways is a great resource book for those looking for wise ways to cut costs in their home life, travel and other social activities. The book is broken into smaller segments, bite sized chunks of reading material, making it easy to digest. You’ll find the book has two major chapters, Frugal Living and Personal Finance, which break out into sub-sections so readers can flip to the pages of interest and pickup some of the valuable tips. The back of the book covers invaluable websites and resources to put the lessons to practice.

The variety in this book will assist all styles of human being with varying habits and lifestyles. For instance, if you’re currently interested in saving money while shopping for products, you can jump to that specific topic while others can head over to the travel section to prepare for a trip. Of course, as an “everyday drinker” and cocktail enthusiast I was wondering what the book covered in the realm of drinking.

While the book sheds a bit of light on wine buying techniques it does go into detail on tips for beer drinkers and ways to extend your beer to new levels, including making chili, bread (recipes included) and methods to killing some insects with your golden beverages to save on pesticides or other dangerous remedies. Of all the uses of beer suggested in the book, making “beersicles” was something creative and crazy; a use I’ve never heard of before.

Before reading the 10,001 Ways I was a bit skeptical on its use in my lifestyle because I thought I was pretty good with our budget and selecting the right products when making informed purchase decisions. However, this book doesn’t just give you common sense tips like “buying generic saves money,” it gives you strategies to saving money without sacrificing all the brands you love. For instance, I like my specific type of spaghetti sauce and wouldn’t think of changing it up, but buying the sauces in bulk and freezing it in ice cube trays to store in Ziploc bags never crossed my mind. Imagine that, ice cube trays hold a consistent measured amount of product which can be dumped into a pan and reheated as needed. Not only does it save me money buying in bulk but it saves waste on extra sauce and keeps the life in the sauce longer than in my refrigerator!

Time is money, this is one of the biggest takeaways in the 10,001 Ways archive of knowledge. My time is valuable! If my family is spending half the night cooking there is less family time and other fun activities. It becomes apparently, especially in the cooking techniques, that the writers focus on working smarter and not harder. Buying a generic brand of pasta doesn’t get dinner prepared any sooner but a little thinking ahead and the use of a crock pot is a great way to prepare tomorrows dinner ahead of time so you can get home, eat and head out to the kids baseball game or play at the park. In addition, crock pots do a great job on lower grade products and bring them to life.

Not every idea on the book is going to be utilized in my family but I’ve got 10,001 selections to choose from so it’s not like I’m losing out. For a book that can be purchased on Amazon for under USD $12.00, there is at least a dozen techniques that will peak your interest or make you think different. 10,001 Ways To Live Large on a Small Budget isn’t just about saving money, it’s about thinking outside the box and coming up with a game plan to wise spending.

This week we’ve got a new style video, as per request, folks would love to know a bit more about orange liqueur and the differences. I didn’t know all the answers so I sat down to figure it out! The tasting includes Included in the tasting is Triple Sec, Blue Curacao, GranGala, Tuaca, Patron Citronge, Cointreau and Grand Marnier.

Check us out at Everydaydrinkers.tv to see the episode and leave some comments!

Rhum is a fancy (read: French) way of saying “rum” so when you see the fancy word you can think about the more basic wording. Agricole rhum is an agricultural style of rum which uses real cane juice over the standard “industrial rum” usually utilizing molasses. Molasses is cheaper, faster and an all around easier way to produce a rum while sugar cane juice requires more work, money and time. As a result, you’ll find a different experience from a cane rum than from that of molasses and your wallet will feel the difference.

Depaz Blue Cane Rhum Agricole pours fresh and clean in appearance with a lightly off-white color reminding me of a thin layer of liquid gold plating: light and fare properties. In appearance, Depaz impresses with its clarity yet defining color characteristics with a completely natural look. While some rum brands may dress their liquid with caramel color and other makeup, Depaz is the “natural blond” beverage.

This natural coloring is no accident, Depaz Rhum has the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) French certification granted to agricultural products including guidelines for no artificial coloring or flavorings; you’re looking at the real thing.

The nose reminds me of bananas, carrots and minerals blended together evenly with faint notes of pineapple and a subtle sweet undertone. The smell is harmony to the senses with a unique mineral play, which I’ve not tasted in anything but a classy wine. It is as if you’re getting a taste of the terrior in this brand, the land itself.

A bit of ice, a rocks glass and I’m on my way to the first small sip. Immediately you’ll feel the silky smoothness with very light flavors playing on the palate: banana and every-so-slight tropical pineapple. Even sweetness distributes itself across your tongue without any focused attack on the palate. You taste the earthy mineral tones with small pockets of green vegetation and a well received oak finish.

The aftertaste feels much like you’re taking a deep breath just upwind of the blue cane fields where Depaz Rhum is born (not that I’ve been there!) The terrior is the structure behind this light gold fluid. The long finish lasts a good two-minutes after the sip, leaving behind a pineapple and stone mineral style flavor-fest upon the tongue. Breathing out reminds you of the beach beside the sweetness of a banana tree. Before the finish drains completely from your senses, it tickles your tongue with a bit of vanilla ice cream; no doubt a property from the oak nose I picked up in the early presentation.

Depaz is 90-Proof (45% ABV) and I’m not going to lie, it’s a bit on the pricey side of rum brands. Weighing in at a USD $42, you’re paying for the craftsmanship of the product and the hard work that goes into keeping the certifications, keeping it “real” with the natural flavorings and growing the Blue Cane that is the heart of Depaz Rhum.

Can I justify the cost of this 750ml bottle? Absolutely. Straight up, on the rocks or in a cocktail Depaz brings something to the table that is sure to amaze the senses. If you’re unwilling to compromise on cost consider this: how much have you spent at the pub or bar in the last two months? If you tend to buy cocktails at a bar you’ll save money while maintaining the highest quality of your beverages if you pickup a bottle of Depaz Blue Cane Rhum Agricole and make your drinks at home instead of paying inflated prices at the bar.

If you’re still unwilling to try a top-class rhum, you’re missing out.

[Read the History of Depaz Blue Cane Rhum Agricole at MixDrinkipedia.com]

Was I correct? Let’s see!

901 Tequila launched in New York in early May and will be creeping across the US in the future. The suggested retail price is USD $40.00, attacking the premium tequila market. However, there are varying levels of pricing in the premium tequila market, a market full of crazy tequila bottles, names and gimmicks.

The 901 coloring is perfectly clear, excellent start to a Blanco tequila style. We’ve yet to see a blanco tequila that hasn’t held a strong clear coloring so we’re on par with all other non-rested alternatives. So far, it fits the bill and passes the first test.

Once I poured it into my sipping glass I was shocked at the scents, bright salty briney pineapple smells. There is a great deal of character in the nose alone, separating itself from a few other mass market tequila’s like Patron, which often goes without a scent. First impressions mean a lot to me, a silent tequila tells no story. 901 Tequila tells a tropical story of beaches and bright sun with hints of sugary agave.

The initial attack is bright and tropical in flavor profile with an agave-like salty mid-palate transition ending with a tongue numbing burn with a light vanilla aftertaste. The pineapples in my first impression continue through the length of the sip enforcing 901‘s character and differentiating style. The liquid is both smooth and graceful on the palate with a great visocity, leaving you yearning for another sip.

I’ve yet to try 901 Tequila in a cocktail but it’s high on my list of priorities this week, it will happen and I’m sure I will be impressed. When a tequila brings its own personality to the table it carries that personality into its mixing partners as well.

I’m going to have to take back any initial hesitations, 901 Tequila is for real and competes at a good price point. 901 Tequila puts Patron to shame in terms of nose and smooth gracefulness, although both will light a fire in your tummy. Up against a Cielo Blanco or Partida Blanco, 901 falls a bit short but not by much. The tequila brands that beat out 901 Tequila in taste also beat it out in price, leaving 901 to compete against the $40.00 alternative in which their is very little competition against this clear spirit.