Review: Papa’s Pilar Marquesas Blend Dark Rum
Papa’s Pilar Marquesas Blend Dark Rum is a Limited-Edition Release that will be available in October. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a bottle a little early. All of Papa’s Pilar’s rum expressions are inspired by Ernest Hemingway. Marquesas Blend Dark Rum is named after the Marquesas Keys, a group of islands just west of Key West. After a brutal storm hit during a fishing expedition, Ernest Hemingway was stranded for two weeks on these islands. Papa’s Pilar Marquesas is made from 7 hand selected rums aged up to 24 years. The rums are crafted by Master Blender Ron Call at Hemingway Rum Company’s distillery in Key West Florida located just yards from where Hemingway used to dock his boat. The rums are sourced from the Caribbean, US, and Central America. After blending, the rum is placed in #4 char Kentucky Straight Bourbon barrels to finish maturing before bottling at 88 proof. Read more 
Review: Tahoe Blue Vodka
Tahoe Blue Vodka was launched March 2012. Founder and CEO Matt Levitt grew up in Maryland. After earning a business degree, Matt drove to California in his blue Econoline van for a two week vacation. On his scheduled last day Matt arrived in Lake Tahoe and fell in love with the brilliant blue color of the lake and never left. Tahoe Blue is made to Matt’s specifications at Essential Spirits Alambic Distilleries in Mountain View California. It is distilled from a three spirit blend of 50% Sugarcane, 25% Grapes, and 25% Corn. Each is distilled separately. They are then blended together and distilled two more times. Pure water from Lake Tahoe, the second deepest lake in the US, is blended to reduce to 80 proof. Read more
Review: The Devils Own Coconut Rum
The Devils Own Coconut rum is one of 18 rum varieties crafted at Stillwagon Distillery in Coos Bay Oregon. Rick Stillwagon started the distillery in 2013 with a custom built still crafted by Rainer Distillers. They also produce vodka and whiskey at the distillery. Each of the rums start with their silver rum base made from American black strap molasses and cane sugar sourced from Texas and Louisiana. The spirit is fermented in a repurposed stainless steel milk cooler in 500 gallon batches. The rum is twice distilled in a reflux still with a double column. After distillation the rum rests in stainless steel barrels. It took Rick Stillwagon two years to perfect The Devils Own Coconut Rum. 100 pounds of flaked coconut is infused in the 160 proof silver rum base to make 130 gallons of rum. The rum is lightly filtered to remove the flaked coconut. Cane sugar is added to balance the naturally bittersweet coconut flake prior to bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Cincoro Blanco Tequila
Cincoro Blanco Tequila is one of four tequila expressions just released in limited distribution. The plan is to roll them out nationally in 2020. The others include a Reposado, Anejo, and Extra Anejo. Cincoro comes from the Spanish words for five, cinco, and gold, oro. The brand originated from a dinner in July 2016 attended by five friendly rivals attending an NBA owners meeting in New York. They exchanged stories and discovered a shared love for tequila. Those five included Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan, Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wes Edens, and Boston Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck and his then fiancée Emilia Fazzalari. They soon decided to craft the finest tequila. After sampling about 1000 different tequilas they selected a distillery, Destiladora del Valle de Tequila. This distillery currently crafts almost 100 other tequilas including the previously reviewed Los Sundays, 21Seeds, Sparkle Donkey, Contigo, and El Padrino de Mi Tierra brands. Cincoro Blanco is made from hand selected agave grown on private farms in the San Miquel el Alto region in the Highlands, and the El Arenal region in the Lowlands. The agave is slow cooked separately in small batches in traditional clay ovens for 35 hours, fermented with a proprietary yeast, double distilled, and then artfully blended together. Nike’s VP of Innovative Special Projects Mark Smith designed the bottles with five sides to reflect the five co-owners with a glass embossed agave on the bottom of the bottle, The base tilts 23 degrees, in a subtle nod to Michael Jordon’s jersey number. The crystal stopper is an inverted replica of the bottle. Read more
Review: Fugu Vodka
Fugu Vodka is crafted in San Diego California at Cutwater Spirits. Cutwater Spirits was built by the Founders of Ballast Point Brewing and was originally named Ballast Points Spirits. In 2015 Ballast Point Brewing was sold to Constellation Brands for $1 Billion. The executives used the money to expand the spirits product line and moved to a 50,000 square foot facility that includes bottling, canning lines for their canned cocktails line and a restaurant. In February 2019 Cutwater Spirits was acquired by Anheuser Busch. Fugu is named for the poisonous puffer fish also know as the Fugu fish. The Fugu is hundreds of times more poisonous than cyanide. Fugu fish is considered a delicacy in Japan where it is meticulously prepared so as not to poison their customers. It is with that same attention to detail that Fugu vodka is crafted. Fugu is made from the finest corn grains and is distilled six times and carbon filtered 15 times. The spirit then passes through a chamber of diamonds in a proprietary diamond blending vortex blending the vodka with water purified through reverse osmosis to reduce to 80 proof. Read more
Review: Recipe 21 Coconut Rum
Recipe 21 Coconut Rum is made in Rochester New York by LiDestri Spirits. LiDestri contract bottles and private labels more than 100 different brands of alcoholic beverages for company’s including Blue Chair Bay Rum. They also produce their own line of spirits under the Roc House Brands umbrella. Recipe 21 has a full line of spirits including several vodka’s, whiskey’s, tequila, rum, gin, and liqueurs. Besides the Recipe 21 Brand, Roc House owns and produces Cask & Crew Whiskey, Nativo Rum, Mu Coffeehouse Cocktails, Tuttobello Limoncello, and LiDestri Pink Lemon Liqueur. Roc House Brands received Impact’s Hot Prospect Award given to brands that achieve at least 15% depletion growth for 2017, and 2018. Recipe 21 Coconut Rum is made from a rum base distilled in Puerto Rico. Coconut flavors are blended before bottling at 42 proof. Read more
Review: 21 Seeds Valencia Orange Tequila
21 Seeds Valencia Orange Tequila is one of three flavor infused tequilas created by sisters Kat Hantas, and Nicole Hantas-Emanuel, and their close friend Sarika Singh. The other flavors are Grapefruit Hibiscus, and Cucumber Jalapeno. It is distilled at the female owned and operated Casa Maestri. The 100% agave tequila base is infused with Valencia oranges grown in Vera Cruz and other natural flavors. A custom built refrigeration system was built at the distillery to ensure all ingredients maintain their optimum freshness prior to infusion. Read more
Review: ALOO Vodka
ALOO Vodka is one of three premium well spirits produced at OOLA Distillery. The others include ALOO Gin, and ALOO Chili Pepper Flavored Vodka. The OOLA Distillery was founded January 2010 in Seattle’s Capitol Hill Neighborhood by owner and Master Distiller Kirby Kallas-Lewis. ALOO Vodka is made from a multigrain distillate of wheat, corn, and barley. It is Lab Certified Gluten Free. As a grain distillery special measures are employed to ensure no post production contamination from sources including grain dust mix with the spirit. ALOO comes in a light weight one liter bottle designed specifically for a bartender serving cocktails. Read more
Review: Boracay Coconut Rum
Boracay Coconut Rum was recently released for sale in the US. It is made in the Philippines by Tanduay. Tanduay has been producing rum since 1854 and they are currently the worlds largest producer of rum. Yes they sell more rum than Bacardi and Captain Morgan. Tanduay also released Boracay Cappuccino Rum. Boracay is named after the Philippines world famous island and beach. Boracay was awarded as the worlds best island in 2012 by Travel and Leisure, and again in 2014 by Code Nast Traveler. Boracay translates to white cotton for the white sugary sand found on the island. Boracay is made from their white rum base made from island grown Asian Heirloom sugar cane. It is fermented for twelve hours before it is distilled. Natural and artificial flavors and caramel color are added before bottling at 50 proof. Read more
Review: Sunora Cream De Bacanora Mocha
Sunora Cream De Bacanora Mocha is one of two cream liqueurs made from pure bacanora by NLV Tequila Bottling in North Las Vegas. The other is the previously reviewed Sunora Cream De Bacanora Pineapple Colada. For years locals have blended pure bacanora with rich dairy cream and deep dark mocha to produce a decadent cream liqueur drink. Bacanora is a cousin of tequila. It is made from the Agave Pacifica plant grown exclusively in the Sonora Mexico region. Once harvested and trimmed the agave are fire roasted in stone pits lined with mesquite wood and charcoal. The pinas are crushed using large stone wheels. The juice is fermented, triple distilled, and cold filtered. It is blended with dairy cream and mocha coffee flavor and bottled at 30 proof. Read more