El Tesoro Platinum Tequila

by

0

Tequila (NOM 1139), Blanco, 40% ABV, $30

I’ve been drinking El Tesoro Añejo Tequila for a while and enjoying it quite a bit… mostly in margaritas. Recently, I opened a bottle of their Platinum offering and am comparing it to Fina Estampa Blanco tonight.

The aroma is spicy, woody and vegetal with little sweetness. I still detect straw, olive and a bit of toffee, but the sweetness is very mild in comparison to the notable spice. There’s no hint of smoke or wood. The taste is somewhat briny, vegetal, tangy and spicy. The sweetness is most notable as it balances out the tart flavors. Up front, there’s lemon, sweet pepper, ginger, plum, pear, black pepper and tart cherry. The finish is leathery and spicy with a bitter wood that persists for a good while as the spice gently fades long after the fruits are gone. This is an easy  tequila to drink with more of the vegetal flavors of agave, while avoiding the typical agave “bite” that is prominent in cheap tequila.  It does all of this while offering a good amount of spice, which I like. The additional fruits and mildly sweet flavors blend well resulting in a well balanced tequila. It’s easy to see why people like this one. I highly recommend this one too along with the Añejo offering as well (I’ll get around to tasting notes for that one eventually).

Toro de Lidia Extra Añejo Tequila

by

0

20130728-113836.jpg

Tequila (NOM1531), Extra Añejo, 40% ABV, $32

My nose is greeted by buttery smoke, toffee, sweet peppers, black pepper, straw, plum and sweet ginger. My tongue is bathed in vegetal green peppers, mildly spicy black pepper, sweet ginger, straw, honey, tart cherry and lemon drop. The palate is light and the finish is sweet, mildly spicy and faintly bitter. The flavors are bold at first, but nicely balanced. The light spiciness that follows is a nice transition to the finish that highlights the smoky agave with a leathery sweetness and spice. The wood is very much under control for an extra aged tequila, but the mellowing influence is apparent. This is great stuff; however, I’d hesitate to use these flavors (or waste them) in a margarita. Instead, this is a great way to get to know agave distillate and an excellent tequila to prepare you for the flavors of non-Tequila Mezcal (distillate not from Weber Blue Agave grown in the Tequila region).

Fina Estampa Blanco Tequila

by

0

Tequila (NOM 1436), Blanco, 40% ABV, $29

This smells creamy and buttery, but there’s still the vegetal agave. There are notes of straw, smoke and toffee as well. The taste is sweet bell pepper, white pepper, lemon, persimmon, vanilla, light smoke, ginger and a hint of sulphur. On the palate its mildly chewy as it transitions to a peppery finish with a bit of leathery dry wood. I’m used to tequila having an agave “bite,” but this one avoids that with a somewhat creamy texture on the palate. The balance of vegetal, sweet and spicy flavors are great with an added dimension of wood and char, but its subtle. I highly recommend this one even along side El Tesoro Blanco as it offers a creamy profile as opposed to the salty, spicy profile of the El Tesoro.

Sangster’s Old Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Liqueur

by

26

Liqueur, No Age Statement,
30% ABV, $20

While exploring liqueurs at a smaller store in Dallas, I happened upon this bottle of Blue Mountain Coffee Liqueur that I can find little information about.  Apparently, this was distilled at the World’s End Distillery in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica using a recipe developed by the owner, Dr. Ian Sangster.  There is also a 34 proof cream liqueur version, but this is a 60 proof coffee liqueur.  Based on my brief tasting, this is distinctly Jamaican in flavor as their style of rum comes through immediately.  The coffee flavor is not as dark as Starbucks Coffee Liqueur and more of a “bright” flavor akin to Kahlua; however, the coffee flavor is much richer than Kahlua and this liqueur has a distinct alcohol burn that belies the proof statement.  The gold seal on the lower left side is hard to read, but above and below it reads, “Bristol 1978” and “London 1976.”  My thinking is that this bottle is from the late 1970’s or early 1980’s and I feel fortunate to have found it.

Springbank 12 Year Old Cask Strength Calvados Cask Finished

by

0

Campbeltown Single Malt, 12 Years,
52.7% ABV, $90

There aren’t but a few Campbeltown distilleries in operation today, so I’m excited about this offering from Springbank. It comes highly recommended and is still available (it’s a limited edition) so that plays a role in the timing as well. After all, I only have a 1.5 oz. sample (thanks, Mark!).

It pours a clear golden color or a light amber. On the nose, its lightly peaty with a soft smoke that’s barely detectable. There are added notes of honey, toffee, ginger, cherry and vanilla (sorry, I don’t get any apple).

The taste is hot ginger with lots of vanilla, lemon, orange, white pepper and the finish is woody with mild peat and smoke. The spices linger in the background, but aren’t bold. This definitely needs some water.

With the addition of a few drops of water, the apple appears but it’s still light. The peat and smoke are subdued, but the honey remains dominant with notes of grass and white pepper. The taste becomes spicy and hot briefly, but diminishes to a mildly bitter wood, ginger, leather and white pepper finish. The fruit up front is dominated by spice; however, I still taste bitter pear, pineapple and apple along with vanilla. I’m going for more water.

The initial burst of spice is almost overpowering and it still settles into a spicy and woody finish… more water. By the time that the peppery heat is tamed, the fruits are too subdued. The spice is far too dominant here and I’m disappointed. It could really use some help from that Calvados cask, but I’m just not getting it… at least not to the degree required to restore some balance.

Having come this far, I’m pretty sure that the water destroyed the fruit and enhanced the spices and that’s the opposite of what I was hoping to achieve. It could be that the balance was best at full proof.

Based on this experience, I’m thinking that I’m going to pass on this $90 offering (and that’s with $15 off for the next few weeks), but I’m still not sure. It’s hard to believe that all of these people have been that far off in their praise. It’s also possible, that I just don’t appreciate this whisky.

Update

I was provided with another sample (thanks, Gene!), so I’m giving it another try. This time no water!

My notes above still stand. The taste is spicy, slightly sweet and fruity. The wood arrives last and carries into the finish with the spices as the sweetness and fruits fade. The finish is leathery, bitter wood and spices of ginger and white pepper. The fruits up front are mildly tart and sweet with flavors of green apple, orange, lemon, tart cherry, peach, persimmon and pink grapefruit. There are notes of vanilla and grass, but the prominent flavors are fruit and spice that transition to a spicy bitter finish. As i sip it more, i discover more sweetness up front that lasts a bit longer, but the spice still wins out easily. Also, at this proof I start to experience some numbing that subdues these sweet flavors as they develop. It’s very flavorful, but I don’t think its the style I prefer. For me, this is not well balanced mostly because of the bold spice and wood. I stand by my previous assessment and will pass on this one. If you like this profile, then this is a fine whisky.

I was discussing this one with a friend and we wondered if this one works better on ice, which is the way he drinks his whisky but not the way I drink mine. In any case, I share that just in case its your method and you like a spicy, woody malt.

10 Best American Rums

by

0

According to Caribbean Journal’s Rum Journal, I have a sample of one of the best rums in the country:

  • Prichard’s Fine Aged Rum (Kelso, TN) – Tennessee is known for another fine spirit, but it’s quickly developing into a home for rum. One of the best is Prichard’s, which makes a range of rums, including a range of flavoured rums. But the Fine Aged Rum is the best of the bunch.

The only other mainland rums I’ve had are:

  • Sweet Crude (Broussard, LA) – Hailing from my homeland, this rum was introduced last year in south Louisiana.  I’ll be posting a tasting of this one at some point, but it’s not worth looking for yet.  I still hold out hope for this craft distillery to produce something noteworthy… even rooting for them!
  • Copper Run Gold Rum (Walnut Shade, MO) – This is a decent rum, but overpriced.

So, it looks like I need to branch out a bit.  There are some interesting mentions in the article and I plan to actively pursue bottles of these:

  • Siesta Key Spiced Rum (Sarasota, FL) – Rum Journal named Siesta Key Rum our spiced rum of the year in 2012, meaning it wasn’t just the best American spiced rum — it was the best spiced rum period. And so it remains. (Siesta Key’s other varieties, including spiced and gold, are also excellent).
  • Dancing Pines Cask Rum (Loveland, CO) – Dancing Pines makes three rums, including a light and a spiced variety, but the cask rum is our favourite. It’s made from cane molasses and distilled in charred oak barrels. It’s got strong notes of caramel, toffee and malt.
  • Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum (Maui, HI) – Made by Sammy Hagar, the legendary frontman of Van Halen, Sammy’s Beach Bar rum is actually a rhum agricole, meaning it’s distilled from sugar cane juice in the style of rums from Martinique. It’s fresh, it’s Hawaiian and it’s delicious.

Willett Family Estate Single Barrel Rye (5 Year)

by

0

Single Barrel Rye, 5 Years,
55% ABV, $30

This is from barrel #58, bottle #53 of 192. I’ve had a 3 and 4 year old selection from Spec’s, but I picked up this bottle from Total Wine in Orlando for $30 (usually about $38-40 here).

This pour is a slightly cloudy golden amber. The nose is toffee, vanilla, grass, honey, straw, dark cherry, pear and a bit of charred wood. He taste is vanilla, caramel, apple, pear, cherry, lemon, ginger and black pepper. The spice and fruits are nicely balanced all the way through to the sweet, spicy and mildly oaked finish. A little water reveals a bit of tart cherry, bitter orange, Granny Smith apple… the flavor really comes alive! On the finish I now notice a bit of apple and honey, while the spice is turned up a bit as well. A little more water accentuates the ginger just a tad along with an appearance of clove. There’s still plenty of caramel and vanilla about midway through as the fruit and spice subside.

This is a great rye whiskey and you can’t go wrong here. I just hope the barrel you find is as good as this one. The three I’ve had have all been good, but this is probably the best one. You’re really missing out if you don’t add water to this one, since that’s when it really comes alive.  You can also make a fantastic Sazerac with this one!

Wild Turkey Straight Rye 101

by

0

Straight Rye, 6-8 Years,
50.5% ABV, $19

This was discontinued last year in favor of the 81 proof version, but its rumored that this one will eventually return. Who knows if it will be the same stuff or not, but I had to grab some before it disappeared to see what all of the hype was about as this whiskey has quite the reputation.

The color is a really nice clear golden amber. Moving on to the aroma, I smell honey, straw, toffee and slight orange peel and cherry. The taste is almost malty with citrus and spice… lemon, ginger, white pepper, vanilla, peach, pear, cherry and green apple. On the finish its peppery and mildly oaky with a bit of lingering orange and cherry. Adding a tiny bit of water changes things dramatically. The pepper is subdued while the ginger flavor remains. The fruits are much less tangy and the flavor is more wood, but the finish is mostly the same with an additional straw flavor. The fruits are a more rounded collection of cherry, pear, peach, pomegranate and persimmon (you heard that right) with a mild caramel base.

This is a very good rye whiskey and easier to approach than the younger Willets or Rittenhouse 100. I still think that both of them are better, though. If this one comes back in good form and at a reasonable price (i.e. less than the Willets), then I’ll go for another bottle. By the way, this stuff is great in a Mint Julep or Sazerac.

Found Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2010

by

0

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2010

I stopped into a store that I’d never seen before and happened upon a bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2010 for $24.  That’s about the best deal I’ve found yet.  Aside from the inaugural release in 2002, the 2007 is widely considered to be the best release and the 2009 release is generally considered to be the worst.  The 2010 got a lot of praise from Jason Pyle on his Sour Mash Manifesto, Geoff Kleinman on Drink Spirits and Lance Mayhew.  Chris Morris, Brown-Forman Master Distiller told BourbonBlog,

This year’s vintage release of Old Forester is crafted from a 72 barrel batch that was put into barrels on October 24, 1997. These barrels were evenly matured together in the very middle of Warehouse K, on the 5th floor in ricks 42, 43 and 45, surrounded by open space. This environment allowed the barrels to easily breathe during maturation and develop a rich fruit and spice character.

There have been many who have generally been critical of all of the releases and didn’t like this one either. Personally, I’m excited to have found this one, especially at this price, and I’m looking forward to giving it a taste.

The 2013 Spirit Journal World’s Top 120 Spirits

by

0

Spirit JournalF. Paul Pacult has published his Top 120 Spirits for 2013 and here’s how I fared with the list:

7. Parker’s Heritage Collection Master Distiller’s Blend of Mash bills Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (USA) 63.5% abv, $80.

I know of 4 batch releases of this sixth release from the Parker’s Heritage Collection, but this doesn’t match any of them.  Perhaps this was a pre-release batch that he reviewed, after all he is a special guy in the world of spirits.  My bottle is the most current release at a whopping 69.7% ABV and considered by many to be the best batch of the four.

32. Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (USA-2012) 66.2% abv, $70.

I have the 2011 edition of this limited annual release from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, but I’ve yet to open it.

56. Merlet Crème de Cassis de la Saintonge Boisée Liqueur (France) 20% abv, $25.

I have a bottle of this that a friend of mine picked up for me in Paris last year.  It’s quite good!

60. William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (USA) 61.7% abv, $70.

This is another one in my cabinet from the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection and I’m looking forward to opening it.  It’s a wheated bourbon and I don’t have any experience with this type, so I need to open it soon.

67. El Tesoro de Don Felipe Añejo 100% Agave Tequila (Mexico) 40% abv, $59.

This is my favorite tequila and I’ve still got another bottle of it left from a clearance deal I happened upon over a year ago.  I also have the blanco and reposado from El Tesoro and they’re quite good as well.

85. Laphroaig Cask Strength 10 Years Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Scotland) 55.3% abv, $60.

I’ve had a sample of this from a friend and it’s a bold Islay whisky.  I prefer Ardbeg Ten, but this one suits the preferences of many.  I spent too much time evaluating it at cask strength and my mouth was becoming numb by the time I had added enough water to bring it down to a realistic level.  I plan on giving this one another try.

86. Dos Maderas 5 + 3 Years Old Superior Reserve Rum (Guyana/Barbados) 40% abv, $38.

I finished my bottle of this one last year and it was pretty good, if not bit too sweet.  I like this much better than Dos Maderas PX (5+5), which is finished in Pedro Ximenes Oloroso Sherry casks, as that one is overly sweet for my taste.

87. Herradura Blanco 100% Agave Tequila (Mexico) 40% abv, $55.

Last year, I bought a sample pack of Herradura Blanco, Reposado and Anejo.  I liked the Anejo the best.

92. Santa Teresa 1796 Ron Antiguo de Solera (Venezuela) 40% abv, $39.

My brother introduced me to this Jamaican rum.  While it was good, I consider Appleton Estate Extra 12 Year Old Jamaican Rum to be better.

97. Rhum Barbancourt Réserve Spéciale 8 Year Old Rum (Haiti) 43% abv, $23.

I’m on my second bottle of this rhum agricole (i.e. cane juice rum) and it was a slow start for me with this one.  At first, I was totally unimpressed and considered it a bit over-aged, but as time wore on I came to appreciate it more and more.   It’s got a “reedy” flavor to it that takes a bit of getting used to.  Now, I don’t think I would be without it and plan to try other rums of this style.

99. WhiskeyPig Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 10 Years (Canada) 50% abv; $70.

This one is 100% rye (most rye whiskeys are around 90-95%) and is bottled in Vermont.  I found a bottle in Louisiana about a year ago, but now it’s readily available here in Texas.  I’ve not opened my bottle yet, but my friends tell me that I’m in for a real treat when I do.

114. Balcones 1 Texas Single Malt Whisky Special Release (USA) 52.7% abv, $68.

This local distillery in Waco, TX has won many awards with their Texas Single Malt.  Personally, I find it to be the best of the young or no age statement (NAS) malt whiskys that I’ve tasted.  It’s bursting with flavor and has a nice dry finish.