Review: Oryza Vodka and Oryza Gin
Donner-Peltier Distillers, the Louisiana-based company behind the Rougaroux line of rums, has a little bit of everything in its stable including, of course, two white spirits: Oryza Vodka and Oryza Gin. Oryza Vodka is distilled from local rice, 17 times, they say, in a copper (column) still. The vodka has a rustic quality to the…
Review: William Wolf Pecan Bourbon
William Wolf Bourbon is made in Holland of all places, and it’s the only product under this curious brand so far. It’s made from American bourbon and infused with natural flavors — but otherwise we know almost nothing about the product except that there’s a cartoon wolf playing a banjo on the label. Presumably this…
Review: Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon 2014 Edition
September is here, which means the second of Four Roses’ annual limited releases have arrived. The 2014 Limited Edition Small Batch release from 4R is a vatting of four different bourbon recipes: 13 year old OBSV, 12 year old OESV, 11 year old OBSF, and 9 year old OBSK. Three of those four, the OB…
Review: Brockmans Intensely Smooth Premium Gin
Never mind the double negative in the name, that’s a lot of superlatives to put on the label before you ever tell anyone what the product is. “Intensely Smooth Premium Gin?” That’s a little like saying you have the “Absolutely Tastiest Expensivest Whiskey.” Maybe this bottle is working a little too hard and it ought to…
Review: Elijah Craig Single Barrel Bourbon 23 Years Old
Following on its Elijah Craig Single Barrel 21 Year Old expression, Heaven Hill is jumping straight to 23 years old for this increasingly improbable yet clearly popular series. I guess 22 was an unlucky number. Old bourbon, living in the shadow of Pappy Van Winkle, remains a dominating force in the whiskey business. But with so…
Review: Cognac Claude Chatelier XO
I recently encountered this Cognac for the first time on a trip. I wasn’t familiar with the brand at all, but was pleasantly surprised by what I found inside the bottle of its XO release. No age statement is provided. Perfectly fruity nose, with notes of cherry, apricot, and a bit of ruby Port. Some…
Review: Denizen Merchant’s Reserve 8 Years Old Rum
Who says you can’t teach an old spirit category new tricks? Denizen, which released a white rum a couple of years ago, is back at it with an exotic amber. This spirit is a blend of two styles of aged rums: a Jamaican, Plummer-style pot still rum and a “rhum grande arome” from Martinique —…
Review: Torani Sweet Heat Syrup
Torani’s line of coffeehouse syrups now spans some 120-plus flavors, and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. The latest concoction is Sweet Heat, which has particular eyes on the world of mixology. Sweet Heat is a concoction of pure cane sugar and … wait for it… ghost peppers, the now well-known…
