Review: Baileys Cinnamon Churros
Baileys Cinnamon Churros Irish Cream Liqueur was just released in the US. It was originally launched May 2022 in Australia in a white colored bottle. For those unfamiliar, cinnamon churros originated in Spain with early credit going to Spanish Shepherds. They are made from deep fried dough that is rolled in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Baileys Irish Cream is sold in 160 countries, and they have a history of releasing different flavors in different countries. The Original Baileys Irish Cream was the first spirit we reviewed when we launch Best Tasting Spirits 11 years ago. Baileys Cinnamon Churros is the 20th Baileys Irish Cream liqueur flavor we have reviewed, but there are still several Baileys flavors that have never reached our shore. Those include Orange Truffle, Birthday Cake, Tiramisu, Eton Mess, and Apfelstrudel. Baileys Cinnamon Churros is made with real Irish Whiskey, Irish Spirits, fresh dairy cream, vanilla, and cinnamon flavors, and caramel color. Read more 
Review: Aguasol Tequila Blanco
Aguasol Tequila Blanco takes it’s name from water and sun. Austin City Limits Music Festival Co-Founders Charles Attal and Eduardo Margain began exploring the idea for a lighter tasting tequila in 2018. They spent 4 years traveling in Mexico visiting distilleries before partnering with Tequila Cascahuin, a family owned distillery since 1904 to create their tequila. Tequila Cascahuin produces tequila for 17 brands including Cascahuin, El Gran Legado de Vida, Montagave, Revolucion, Siembra Valles, and Wild Common. Aguasol Tequila Blanco is made from 100% agave grown in the valley at 1400 meters above sea level. The agave is steam oven cooked at 95 degrees celsius over 3 days, cooking in 8 hour shifts for a total of 24 hours. The extracted juice is open air fermented with naturally occurring yeast in a stainless tank. The juice is then pumped into larger tanks for 3 days to complete the fermentation and double distilled. Read more
Review: ALB Vodka
ALB Vodka is made from 100% US grown corn at Albany Distilling Company located in Albany New York’s historic downtown Quackenbush Square. Albany Distilling is a New York Farm Distillery meaning over 75% of the ingredients are grown in New York state. The Distillery was founded in 2011 by John Curtin and Matthew Jager. They started operations July 2012 and opened their door for business October 2012. They currently produce canned cocktails, Ironweed Whiskey, Quackenbush Rum, Awakened Coffee Vodka, Orange Vodka, Cucumber Vodka and ALB Vodka. ALB Vodka is distilled six times and charcoal filtered before bottling. Read more
Review: Codigo 1530 Rosa Tequila
Codigo 1530 Rosa Tequila is produced at Varo Destileria. Codigo 1530 is named for the year the town of Amatitan received their official charter from Spain. Unlike some distilleries that produce dozens of tequila brands, Codigo is the only brand produced at Varo Destileria. Codigo was originally produced at NOM: 1500, Tequilera Las Juntas. Co-Founder Federico Vaughn had long been the custodian of the brand that was a private unnamed tequila stock only available to close friends and family. He partnered with Ron Snyder, Crocs CEO, and Country Music star George Straight to launch the brand in 2016. Pernod Richard acquired a majority stake in the brand October 2020. Codigo 1530 is distilled from 100% Weber blue agave grown in the Lowland region. The agave is slow cooked in an autoclave. Once extracted the juice is fermented for 4 days with organic bakers yeast and double distilled. It then rests in uncharred French white oak Napa Valley Cabernet wine barrels for 30 days before bottling additive free. Read more
Review: Pollinator Vodka
Pollinator Vodka is produced and bottled at Catskill Provisions Distillery in Long Eddy New York. Catskill Provisions founder Claire M Marin was born in Madrid and raised in New York. She previously was the publisher for Women’s Day magazine. In 2003 she moved to Long Eddy and started beekeeping as a hobby and today she tends to over 300 beehives. She launched Catskills Provisions in 2010 and now supplies honey and maple syrup to over 300 restaurants. In 2013 working with another distiller she launched a Honey Rye Whiskey. In 2018 she built her own distillery in a former firehouse on her 40 acre property. The distillery currently produces 2 rye whiskeys, 2 gins, maple bourbon, amaro, and Pollinator Vodka. Pollinator Vodka is made from New York Non GMO corn, and New York wildflower honey. Once distilled it is proofed down with pure mineral rich Catskill Mountain spring water before bottling at 90 proof. Read more
Review: Dos Angeles Caidos Tequila Blanco
Dos Angeles Caidos Tequila was founded by Yahaira Nunez, a Biochemical Engineer who was born and raised in Sinaloa Mexico. She partnered with Hacienda de Oro and Jaime Villalobos Sauza a fifth generation Tequila Master to craft her brand. Hacienda de Oro, ” House of Gold” currently produces 29 tequila brands including 4 Copas, Entremanos, Hacienda de Oro, and Suave. Dos Angeles Caidos Tequila Blanco is made from 100% Weber Blue agave grown in the Lowland Region. The agave is cooked in an autoclave for 12 hours and once extracted the juice undergoes a natural fermentation with wild yeast from the Amatitan Valley in an open air stainless steel tank. After a double distillation the tequila is chill filtered before bottling additive free in a recycled glass bottle. Read more
Review: 46 Peaks Potato Vodka
46 Peaks Potato Vodka is made from potatoes grown on Tucker Farms in Gabriels New York in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains at Lake Placid Spirits. Michael McGlynn, the son of ski instructors first came up with the idea to open a distillery in 1993. At the time he owned a specialty ski and sporting goods store that had declining sales and he was going through a divorce. Michael not only owns Lake Placid Spirits he is their distiller. In 2008 he introduced their first product, P3 Placid Vodka. A grain based vodka filtered through garnets. 46 Peaks Potato Vodka gets it’s name from the 46 Adirondack Mountains High Peaks. It was their second spirit when it was launched in 2010. 46 Peaks is distilled in a custom column and copper pot still, then blended with filtered crisp clean water drawn directly from Lake Placid. It is charcoal filtered, followed by a final filtration through crystals from the Herkimer Diamond mines. Read more
Review: Montagave Heritage Blanco Tequila
One quick glance at the bottle’s golden pink hued liquid shows Montagave Heritage Blanco is not your typical transparent uncolored blanco tequila. My bottle is from Lote 404. The Montagave tequila story began in 2019 when Lucie and John Melvin looked for a way to mesh her French and his Texan heritage for their upcoming wedding. They settled on maturing a single estate tequila in a single fill Cabernet Sauvignon French oak barrel sourced from a French winemaker, to serve at their wedding. John had previously worked at Andalusia Whiskey Distillery a single malt, grain to glass distillery in Blanco Texas, so it didn’t take long to start planning on creating their own tequila brand. John and Lucie partnered with Master Distiller Salvador Rosales Trejo and Cascahuin Distillery in El Arsenal Jalisco Mexico to craft the tequila. The Rosales family began distilling tequila in 1904 and now their fourth generation continues the family legacy. Montagave is made from 100% agave grown in the valley and deep mineral rich well water. Once trimmed the pinas are brick oven cooked for 72 hours. A roller mill extracts the juice which is naturally fermented in an open air stainless steel container. A double pot still distillation follows. The spirit is then aged for 45 days in Grand Cru Bordeaux barrels. Some of the earlier Lote’s only sat in a barrel 29 days. 14 barrels are used in each batch. 9 first fill Pape Clement wine barrels and 5 second fill Bordeaux barrels. Once matured the tequila barrels are blended, and bottling additive free at 82 proof. Read more
Review: Eleven Lakes Vodka
Eleven Lakes Vodka is crafted at Yankee Distillers in the heart of Saratoga County across the street from Shmalz Brewing Co. in Clifton Park New York. Eleven Lakes is named for the eleven Finger Lakes that lie within a triangle between Syracuse, Rochester, and Elmira-Corning. The distillery was founded by Matt Jager, Walter Kleemeier, and Scott Luning and opened July 2015. All three previously worked at Albany Distilling Company. Matt a former Business School Teacher at The College of Saint Rose Co-Founded Albany Distilling Co. with John Curtin. Yankee Distillers is a New York State Farm Distillery and as such they are required to use a minimum of 75% NYS raw materials in their spirits. They currently make rye, bourbon, white rum, amber rum and vodka. Eleven Lakes Vodka is made from Finger Lakes wheat grown on Inverness Farms and malted wheat from Valley Malt Farms. It is small batch distilled on a custom Italian made copper still at their 9000 foot facility. Read more
Review: Tequila Revolucion Blanco
Tequila Revolucion Tequila was launched in 1995 by Juan Carlos Arav who partnered with Tequila Cascahuin to craft his tequila. Tequila Revolucion Blanco is handcrafted in El Arenal Jalisco from 100% tequilana weber blue agave grown in the Lowland region. The trimmed pinas are cut in half and cooked in masonry ovens. Once cooled they are milled no more than twice to obtain the true pulps of the plant. The juice is fermented with natural yeast in stainless steel tanks and distilled in stainless steel stills with copper coils. Read more