Review: Bols Sweet Tea Liqueur
Don’t have any sweet tea vodka on hand (that’s odd, because there are nearly a dozen brands of the stuff on the market now)? Now you can easily fake your own, thanks to Bols Sweet Tea Liqueur. Bols Sweet Tea Liqueur, as the name would imply, is the essence of tea boiled down into a…
Review: Treaty Oak Platinum Rum
Texas isn’t a region one typically associates with rum production, but what the hell: It’s hot, and there’s plenty of sugar to go around. (Imperial Sugar is based here, after all.) Graham Barnes names Treaty Oak Rum after a famous tree in its hometown of Austin, and is made from all-Texas ingredients (which, in the…
Review: Hardy Vanille Cognac & Vanilla
Flavored cognac is not exactly a big market, but let’s run with it (particularly since a reader requested coverage of this very spirit): A. Hardy blends authentic, French, 8-year old Hardy VSOP Cognac with natural vanilla (plus caramel color) to come up with, well, a vanilla-flavored Cognac. Bottled at 80 proof, if nothing else it…
The Poor Stay Poor, the Rich Get Lit
Want to drink better? Stay in school. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that spending on booze is strongly correlated with education. Not, perhaps, because the more educated someone is (and, thus, the richer they are) drink more… but rather that they simply drink better. Related posts: Review: The Macallan Harmony Collection Rich Cacao…
“Batching” Bourbon with Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris
Recently I had the opportunity to make my own Bourbon. No, I didn’t distill it, age it, or bottle it. I did the hard part: Batching it. Woodford Reserve’s Master Distiller Chris Morris was in town to talk shop, and I had the good fortune to be able to attend an experiment that, for Morris,…
Review: Sub Rosa Spirits Saffron Vodka and Tarragon Vodka
You can keep your citrus, your chocolate, your Asian pear flavored vodkas. Sub Rosa strikes out for more uncommon ground, with two flavored spirits: Saffron Vodka and Tarragon Vodka. Crafted in Oregon and available in limited distribution domestically, these are unique vodkas unlike anything else you’ve ever tried. All natural, high-end stuff, as Sub Rosa…
Review: Brandon’s Vodka and Gin
Who is Brandon? Brandon is Phil Brandon, the founder of Rock Town Distillery, the first legal distillery in the state of Arkansas since Prohibition. Both are distilled from Arkansas red winter wheat and are bottled in hand-numbered bottles. Here’s how both — available regionally in limited markets — shake out. Brandon’s Vodka – Incredible nut…
Review: Benromach Hermitage Finish
Wine barrel finishes are hardly unique, but Benromach’s latest, very limited release is the first time I’ve seen barrels used in the Hermitage region of France (via Rhone Valley regulars Guigal) used as a finishing wood. This whisky spends an undisclosed amount of time in ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry oak before being transferred into Hermitage casks,…
