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Posts from the ‘Reviews’ Category

7
Apr

Review: Elvis Midnight Snack

Elvis Midnight Snack is a Peanut Butter, Banana, and Bacon flavored whiskey.  It is produced in partnerships with Grain & Barrel Spirits and Elvis Presley Enterprise.  Grain & Barrel produces several brands including Chicken Cock Whiskey, Dixie Vodka, Virgil Kane Low Country Whiskey, High Goal Luxury Gin, and Tequila Eterno Verano.  Midnight Snack joins Elvis Tiger Man Whiskey, and Elvis The King Straight Rye Whiskey.  While the brand claims Elvis’ longtime cook was the first to serve Elvis a Peanut Butter Banana and Bacon sandwich, the story I’ve always heard and research supports is that on February 1 1976 Elvis Presley took his private jet from Graceland to Denver and back in one night because he was craving the 8000 calorie Fools Gold sandwich made by The Colorado Mine Company.  The original recipe includes a loaf of French bread, 1 pound of bacon, one jar of creamy peanut butter, and 1 jar of grape jelly.  The Colorado Mine Company has since closed, but one can still enjoy The Kings favorite snack at Nicks Cafe in Golden Colorado. Read more »

5
Apr

Review: ArteNom Seleccion de 1579 Blanco Tequila

ArteNom Seleccion de 1579 Blanco Tequila is crafted by Felipe Camarena at Destilera El Pandillo 6788 feet above sea level in the town of Jesus Maria Jalisco Mexico.  This distillery produces a limited number of tequilas including G4, Primo 1861, Terralta, Volans, and Don Vicente.  Jacob Lustig launched the ArteNom brand in 2010.  Jake had worked for 11 years at Southern Wine and Spirits as their in-house expert on agave spirits.  He worked closely with over 40 distilleries and over time he discovered his favorite blanco, reposado, and anejo tequilas were made by different distilleries.  The ArteNom brand also includes ArteNom 1123, a Blanco rested 28 days in a barrel that previously aged Don Amado Mezcal, ArteNom 1414 Reposado, and ArteNom1146 Anejo.  ArteNom 1579 is made with 100% agave grown in the Los Altos region with a brix count of 28, 50% rain water, and 50% mineral rich deep well water.  The trimmed pinas are halved and quartered then steam roasted in a brick kiln oven for 30 hours including a 6 hour pre roast to melt off bitters, and a 6 hour cool down.  The pinas are macerated intact with their fibers by a mechanical tahona to extract the juice.  The spirit is double distilled in copper pot stills followed by a 24 hour oxygenation process before it is bottled. Read more »

3
Apr

Review: Bluebird Vodka

Bluebird is a true grain to glass distillery.  Master Distiller and Founder Jared Adkins opened the doors of Bluebird Distilling May 2015.  The distillery was built in an abandoned laundromat in Phoenixville Pennsylvania.  They currently craft Bluebird Vodka, 12 whiskey varieties, 2 gins, 2 rums, and Agave Blanco. Bluebird Vodka is handmade from the finest American rye grain.  It is small batch distilled using a state of the art 1000 liter, 17 foot tall, Kothe hybrid copper still built is Germany. Read more »

31
Mar

Review: Whiskeysmith Coconut Whiskey

Coconut is one of seven flavored whiskeys bottled for Whiskeysmith Co. a division of Old Elk in Fort Collins Colorado.  The other flavors include Banana, Chocolate, Pineapple, Blood Orange, Salted Caramel, and Peach.  Each flavor is made from a real American whiskey base.  No age statement or source of the whiskey is provided.  The whiskey is blended with essence of fruit and candy store extracts and bottled at 60 proof. Read more »

29
Mar

Review: Mighty Swell Techniflavor Pack

The Mighty Swell Techniflavor Pack was just released.  This is the fourth 4 flavor 12 can variety pack currently sold by Austin Texas based Mighty Swell.  The Mighty Swell brand was launched in 2016 by Sean Cusack, David Barnes, and Clayton Christopher.  Combined, the trio, Founded or Co-Founded Deep Eddy Vodka, Treaty Oak Distilling, Sweet Leaf Tea, and Waterloo Water.  Mighty Swell is made from a cane sugar alcohol base, with purified carbonated water, 2.5% grape juice from concentrate, and natural flavors. Read more »

24
Mar

Review: Rooster Rojo Tequila Blanco

Rooster Rojo Tequila Blanco was created by Master Distiller Arturo Fuentes Cortes at Fabrica de Tequilas Finos.  This distillery produces tequila for 19 brands including Cenote, Kah, Villa One, Tonola, and Thunderstruck.  Rooster Rojo was launched by Amber Beverage Group in Europe in 2017 and in the US January 2021.  It is made from 100% Blue Weber agave from the Los Altos de Jalisco region.  The trimmed agave is cut in half and quarters and steam cooked in a high pressure autoclave for 10 hours.  The extracted juice is fermented with a proprietary yeast for 72 hours and double distilled in a stainless steel pot still.  The spirit is reduced to proof with water filtered through Mexican Silver.  Rooster Rojo is also available in a Reposado, Anejo, and Smoked Pineapple expression. Read more »

22
Mar

Review: American Yeoman Vodka

American Yeoman Vodka is crafted at Perlick Distillery in Sarona Wisconsin.  The Perlick family purchased a small farm in the Northwoods of Wisconsin in 1920.  Five generations have worked the land which now consists of 2000 acres dedicated to growing corn, wheat, soybeans, barley and several other crops.  The distillery was established in 2014.  All of their spirits are made from grains grown on their farm.  Yeoman Vodka is made from an 80% wheat and 20% malted barley blend.  They recently released a Maple Syrup flavored vodka blended with Grade A Maple Syrup from Compass Farms.  A single malt whiskey is currently barrel aging and will be available this summer. Read more »

20
Mar

Review: Ciroc Honey Melon

Ciroc Honey Melon was just released.  Jean-Sebastien Robicquet created Ciroc in 2003 at Maison Villevert Distillery in the south of France.  This distillery has been in his family for over 500 years.  In 2007 brand owner Diageo partnered with Sean Combs to market Ciroc, with profits shared equally.  In 2010 Ciroc introduced Red Berry and Coconut their first two flavored vodka’s.  They currently produce twelve flavors, all made from the Original Ciroc vodka base.  This base is crafted from a blend of Ugni Blanc and Mauzac Blanc grapes.  The juice is made into a wine.  It takes 4 bottles of wine to make 1 bottle of Ciroc.  The wine is distilled four times in a stainless column still.  A fifth distillation follows in a traditional copper pot still.  Natural melon, honey and other natural flavors are infused to create Ciroc Honey Melon. Read more »

18
Mar

Review: Sunny D Vodka Seltzer

Sunny D Vodka Seltzer was just released.  If you have never tasted Sunny D before, I’m sure your kids have.  Think of it as an orange flavored juice box sold in plastic bottles.  Sunny Delight was positioned as a healthier alternative to sugary juice boxes and pouches.  Each individual bottle contained real juice and 100% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C.  Sunny Delight was developed in 1963 in Mount Dora Florida.  Over the years they have changed owners, their name, ingredients, and flavor varieties.  One of the formula changes happened after a 4 year old girl in England’s skin turned orange.  It was determined this was caused by the beta carotene in the Sunny Delight and her daily diet of drinking 1.5 liters.  After sales plunged the formula was changed and the name was rebranded to Sunny D.  Artificial sweeteners were later added to reduce sugar and calorie count.  Sunny D currently produces a dozen flavor varieties.  If all goes well I’d expect to see a Sunny D Vodka Seltzer Mix pack soon. Read more »

16
Mar

Review: Powers Three Swallow Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

Powers Three Swallow Single Pot Still was released in the US in 2018.  It replaced Powers Signature Release which was introduced in the US September 2013.  Powers Irish Whiskey has been around since 1791 when James Powers opened the Johns Lane Distillery in Dublin in 1791.  Three Swallow was crafted to be a modern expression of what the Original Powers Whiskey tasted like.  Single Pot Still whiskey must be made in one distillery with malted and unmalted barley, and that distillery must be in Ireland.  Single Pot Still was once the worlds best selling whiskey.  Three Swallow is made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley triple distilled in copper pot stills by Irish Distillers at the Middleton Distillery in County Cork Ireland.  The whiskey is matured 5-7 years in American Oak Barrel with 3% of the distillate aged in Oloroso Sherry casks.  It is non chill filtered before bottling at 86.4 proof. Read more »