Review: Cadenhead’s Old Raj Gin 110 Proof and 92 Proof

Check the top shelf of any respectable bar and Old Raj Dry Gin is probably represented there. And rightly so: This is top-shelf gin in both its incarnations and merits serious praise from any gin aficionado. Old Raj comes from the UK’s Cadenhead’s, a company best known for its independent Scotch whisky bottlings (it’s Scotland’s…

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Review: Four Roses 2009 Single Barrel Limited Edition Bourbon

The bourbon wizards at Four Roses are at it again, with yet another solid expression. Four Roses updates its portfolio with this limited edition single-barrel release, vintage dated 2009 and limited to just 1,800 bottles — at most. Made using the OESQ recipe and aged 11 years, it was selected from 10 recipes lingering around…

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Review: Malibu Island Melon Rum

The original Malibu coconut-flavored rum isn’t just a staple of every bar, it’s also one of the most venerable flavored spirits on the market, dating back to 1980. Lately, Malibu’s been branching out into other flavors, since 2004 launching Mango, Pineapple, Passion Fruit, and Banana expressions. Malibu Island Melon marks the company’s first step into…

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Review: Mijes Mezcal Joven

No other way to put it: Mijes’ (also known as Mixes on some bottles, see below) mezcal bottles are unmistakeably eye-catching, shaped vaguely like a drunken snail or perhaps a brain that’s been run over by a truck. Inside, Mijes’ premium joven (a blend of new and old spirit, filtered back to clear) mezcal/mescal (100%…

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Review: Xanté Liqueur

If you’d have told me someone was going to try to blend cognac with the essence of pears and bottle it as a liqueur, I’d have told you that was nuts. But Xanté isn’t nuts, it’s real. And it is indeed a lot like pears, defying all logic and expectations about what a deep brown…

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Review: Finlandia Tangerine Fusion

Not sure if Finlandia’s Tangerine Fusion is the solution to the energy crisis, but it’s a catchy name nonetheless. Many orange (and related fruits) flavored vodkas give off a vague citrus character that lies somewhere between orange and lemon, which is never altogether satisfying. Finlandia eschews both major ends of the citrus spectrum in favor…

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Revisiting Absinthe: Seven Bottlings Re-Sampled

Absinthe is the subject that keeps on keeping on — some of the forum battles over the intricacies of the subject here are legendary — and in honor of Vieux Carré‘s fine showing, I thought it would be personally instructive to revisit some of my most highly rated absinthes — and a few I didn’t…

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Review: Vieux Carré Absinthe

It is fortunately far easier to drink Vieux Carré Absinthe than it is to type Vieux Carré Absinthe. This absinthe is produced by Philadelphia Distilling (which also created the fine Bluecoat Gin) and is composed, as the bottle tells us, of “grain neutral spirits distilled with herbs with additional herbs added.” No mention of artificial…

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