Spirits
Reviews
Santa Teresa 1796 Solera Rum ($40)
Here’s a rum that will blow your mind with aromatic liveliness and complexity. With the glass sitting literally 18 inches from my nose, its scents entice with notes of caramel, vanillin and layered fall spice – sort of an edgy Bananas Foster vibe. On the palate things...
Casazul “Ultra du Blanc” Añejo Cristalino ($150)
There’s a current craze for Cristalino – wood aged tequila that has the wood color removed from it – for a while now, and some succeed more than others. Here’s a real success in the category – one that on initial nosing might fool you into thinking you’ve got a Blanco...
Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur ($35)
Richer and less sweet than most coffee liqueurs on the market, the cold brewing of the coffee is really the success to this liqueur. Of course there are definite coffee/espresso notes with light caramel, dusty cocoa powder and just a hint of butterscotch, and it’s...
Amaro Montenegro ($38)
Amaro (meaning “bitter” in Italian) has a long history in Europe – a bittersweet digestive originally meant to be drunk after dinner. First created in 1860, Montenegro is a blend of bitter herbs, herbaceous plants, fruit, alcohol and water. Montenegro has been...
Jameson Irish Whiskey ($27)
As mass produced as Jameson is, it’s still a decent Irish whiskey. It has a sweeter profile, therefore it’s surprising to many people that Jameson is made from malted and un-malted barley, water, and yeast. That’s it. They utilize traditional pot still and single...
Mad March hare Irish Poitin ($30)
As stories go, Irish Poitin has a pretty good one. Distilled in Ireland for allegedly 1000 years, before it was outlawed by the British in 1661 (the Brits wanted to tax it since typically it was over 150 proof)) only to get legal revival in 1997. Though outlawed, just...
Noble Oak Double Oak Bourbon ($45)
Though the name implies that this is “double oaked” which would lead you to believe it’s ripe with caramel and butterscotch. It’s not - the double refers to a second oak treatment - a finishing with staves of Spanish Sherry oak casks are added to the whiskey and then...
Select Apertivo ($25)
Select, which was started in 1920, was designed as an aperitif, using 30 different botanicals to craft its unique taste. Obviously, it’s meant to be used as an aperitif or for making an amaro spritz, but one purpose of my reviews is always to gauge how a beverage...
D’Usse Cognac XO ($150)
Cognac has long been a traditional spirit, made in traditional ways (French law is quite specific as to how), but there has been a move in the last decade to make a newer version - one that is more aggressive and less nuanced. That doesn’t mean bad, just different....
Thomas Ashbourne Margarita RTD ($6)
As canned cocktails go, the margarita is probably the most ubiquitous. It’s an easy cocktail to can and put on the shelf for summer parties, and often the quality matters little - it just has to taste like a margarita. And in that regard, this celebrity backed line...
Nikka Whisky “From the Barrel” ($80)
Nikka was started in 1934 and has grown to become the 2nd largest distillery in Japan. First released in 1985 this whisky combines dozens of various malt and grain whiskies to produce a seamless blended whisky. There are beautiful mature notes of caramel and...
Tia Linda’s Spicy Jalapeño Margarita ($4)
This is easily the best canned cocktail I’ve tried to date. It’s a proper Margarita, which in practice means it’s meant to be served over ice in a salt rimmed glass. Straight out of the can, it’s a little sweet and edgy, but pouring over ice (as instructed on the can...
Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Whiskey, Barrel 101 ($79)
I so appreciate the Uncle Nearest commitment to pushing the envelope and letting unique batch offerings make it to market. This single barrel edition was wisely bottled as a such an item, and it shows the caramel/toffee/spice side of what a particular wood can offer...
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey ($28)
The name Jack Daniel's is synonymous with American whiskey. They are the most ubiquitous and widely sold American whiskey in the world. The whiskey mash bill was designed by Jasper “Jack” Newton Daniel himself, and is a blend of 80% corn, 12% malted barley and 8% rye....
Fortuna Barrel Proof Bourbon Whiskey ($100)
Bold and spicy, this “Rare Character” bourbon brings both elements to bear in a totally satisfying package. I’d guess a fairly high Rye content here, and it keeps the emphasis on the spice in a way that folds the spirit in seamlessly. A fine cigar seems a natural...
Garrison Brothers Balmorhea Bourbon ($180)
Garrison Brothers has made a niche for themselves with their white corn based bourbons. I’ve always been partial to white corn, whether it be on the cob or popcorn, and I imagine that might have something to do with why I like this bourbon when I generally stay away...
Pinhook “Rye Munny” ($38)
Rye doesn’t get prettier than this! Many Rye whiskies rely totally on spice tones to get their point across. It’s a horse of a different color here, with notes of clover and honey starting things off and moving gently toward more spice throughout the proceedings....
Thomas Ashbourne Cosmo RTD ($6)
“The Perfect Cosmo” By SJP (Sarah Jessica Parker, co-founder of Thomas Ashbourne) is one of the better celebrity driven canned cocktails to come from this line. Though it is a fairly simplistic take on the classic Cosmopolitan cocktail, it is reasonably balanced....
Courvoisier Cognac VSOP ($42)
You don’t have to be a ladies’ man to enjoy this fine cognac, but you’ll see why Tim Meadow’s famed SNL character was a big fan from the first nosing. The aromatic profile leans more toasty than sweet, as it should at this grade, with notes of apple and...
The Falls Distilling “Knotty Gin” ($43)
“Navy Strength” is often used as a descriptor for Gin that goes directly from still to bottle, meaning it’s landing in the 55-60% ABV range. This one hits dead center, and it’s a sneaky little sailor. There’s no overt heat on the nose, just charming citrus and floral...
Huaraches de Oro Raicilla Lote#8 ($40)
As tequila and mezcal become increasingly popular, there is huge pressure on the agricultural aspect of growing agave to maturity – in other words, they can’t plant the stuff fast enough to meet demand. This makes room for some of the other distillates from different...
Brunel 6 O’Clock Gin ($55)
The nose on this is classic London dry, that crisp clean, aromatic traditional gin that you sometimes crave. There are traditional flavors as well; mint, eucalyptus, juniper, citrus and pine-herbal notes folded into a complex but cohesive whole. It also offers...
Huaraches de Plata Raicilla, Lote #4 ($23)
Raicilla is new to me, and it’s something worth your effort to seek out if you’re a fan of other agave-based spirits. Known as Mexico’s original “Moonshine,” it’s typically a blend of wild agaves, that come from either the mountains or the coastal area of Jalisco....
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey ($28)
Buffalo Trace produces a vast array of bourbons and this, their standard offering, is relatively inexpensive in the bourbon world, doing an admirable job at a conservative price. Initially there is a forward brown sugar note, with apricot, resin, light peach, burnt...