Review: Marble Gingercello
Marble Gingercello was introduced in 2015 along with Marble Vodka 80, and Moonlight EXpresso. They have since added Gingercello Reserve, a barrel aged Gingercello. Bourbon and whiskey are currently aging at the distillery, and will be released in 2017. Each of these spirits is hand crafted at the Marble Distilling Company in Carbondale Colorado, about 30 minutes from Aspen. The distillery takes its name from Marble Colorado. The marble used to make the columns for the Lincoln Memorial, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier comes from Marble Colorado. In crafting Gingercello, Head Distiller Connie Baker starts with a 60% ABV corn distillate. She redistills this in a 250 gallon Vendome Copper Pot still with vapor transferring through a botanical basket filled with fresh cut Brazilian ginger. There is macerated ginger in the belly of the still as well. The now 80 % ABV ginger infused vodka is left to rest for several weeks with lemons zested by hand to ensure only the sweetest part of the lemon is utilized. A light simple syrup made from beet sugar grown in Wyoming, is blended with the ginger lemon vodka, before bottling at 70 proof. Read more 
Review: Vesica Vodka
Vesica Vodka was launched in 2010. It is made from premium grade potatoes grown in Poland. The vodka is triple column distilled and triple filtered through activated carbon at the Polmos Poznan Distillery. Artesian well water is blended for balance and to reduce to proof. A state of the art ceramic candle process follows to give clarity to the vodka. Vesica is named for a vesica piscis. The vesica piscis is a geometric image formed when two circles of equal radius intersect in such a way that the center of each circle lies on the circumference of each other. This is the case when a 750ml bottle of Vesica is placed next to a 1 liter bottle. While I still see Vesica Vodka at several liquor stores I frequent, the Vesica vodka website is no longer available, and their Facebook page has not been updated in some time. This is never a good sign. Read more
Review: Shock Top Ruby Fresh
Shock Top Ruby Fresh was introduced February 2017. It is a spring seasonal beer that is sold in six packs and The Shock Top 12 bottle Spring variety pack that also includes three bottle each of Lemon Shandy, Holy Citrus, and their original Belgian White. This is a refresh from last years Shock Top Summer Grapefruit. The Original Shock top was brewed in Ft Collins Colorado and released 2006 under the name Spring Heat Spiced Wheat. Shock Top Ruby Fresh is a Belgian style wheat ale brewed with citrus peels and coriander with natural grapefruit and orange flavors. Read more
Review: Tapatio Blanco Tequila
Tapatio Blanco Tequila is crafted at La Altena Distillery in the mountainous region of Jalisco. This distillery was built by Don Felipe Camarena in 1937. Tapatio is a Mexican word referring to a man from Guadalajara Mexico. Today Tapatio tequila is made by Master Distiller Carlos Camarena, the grandson of Don Felipe. While Tapatio tequila had been very popular in Mexico for 75 years, it was not released in the US until 2012. Since then, Tapatio Blanco has won several awards and was selected as one of the top 18 tequilas by Men’s Journal. Tapatio is made from 100% Arandas estate grown agave. After slow roasting for four days, the agave is crushed with a traditional large stone Tahona wheel, fermented with a wild yeast culture dating back 80 years, double distilled in a small copper pot still, and then rested for 2 months in stainless steel tanks before it is bottled. Read more
Review: Strongbow Orange Blossom Hard Cider
Strongbow Orange Blossom Hard Cider was introduced in six packs of 11.2 ounce bottles and four packs of mini 4 ounce cans in March. Orange Blossom is also available in the Strongbow 12 bottle variety pack. It replaced Strongbow Ginger. The other flavors in the variety pack include Honey, Cherry Blossom, and Gold Apple. The Strongbow brand was launched in England in 1962 and was acquired by Heineken in 2008. The apples used to create Strongbow cider are grown to produce cider and nothing else. Once harvested the apples are washed and crushed. The pure juice is extracted, fermented, and filtered. Natural flavor and color is blended with the cider. Read more
Review: Tap 357 Maple Rye Whisky
Tap 357 Maple Rye Whisky was introduced February 2012. Tap 357 is named for the blend of 3, 5, and 7 year old rye whiskies and the natural Canadian maple tapped at the first hint of spring in Quebec, used in crafting it. Each of the blended rye whiskies are produced in small batches in the oldest distillery in Western Canada. The whisky is distilled four times before maturing in a combination of new, second and third use bourbon barrels. Master Distiller Michel Marcil blends the whisky and then blends pure local grade 1 light Canadian maple syrup sourced from Quebec. In a proprietary finishing process the maple flavored rye whisky is left to rest until the blend is ready for release. As someone who has visited New England dozens of times and has several friends and business associates who don’t leave New England without a bottle of 100% maple syrup, I’m very familiar with how serious people in New England and Quebec take their maple syrup. Harvesting maple, commonly called maple sugaring depends on weather conditions each year, but in Quebec it generally occurs between February and April. Mild days with temperatures falling below freezing at night are ideal. Read more
Review: 123 Organic Blanco Tequila
123 Organic Blanco Tequila was released in 2011. The brand was created by David Ravandi. David also co-founded Casa Noble Tequila. 1 2 3 is crafted with 100% estate grown organic agave grown for 10 years in the Lowland region of the Amatitan valley. The agave is hand harvested and the hearts are slowly cooked in stone ovens for nearly 2 days. After the juice is extracted it is naturally fermented and then double distilled in small batches in a stainless steel pot still. The tequila is hand bottled in recycled glass bottles with labels made from recycled paper and natural soy ink. Read more
Review: Lost Coast Watermelon Wheat Ale
Lost Coast Watermelon Wheat Ale is one of 11 year round and seasonal beers currently crafted in Eureka California at the Lost Coast Brewery. The Lost Coast Brewery was founded by Barbara Groom in 1990, and was first produced in a 100 year old building purchased from the Fraternal Order of the Knights of Pythias in downtown Eureka. Their beers are now brewed in a state of the art brewery they opened August 20, 2014 just south of Eureka. No longer a small brewer, this facility bottles up to 135,000 bottles and 1000 kegs each day. Lost Coast Watermelon Wheat is an unfiltered wheat beer brewed with wheat and crystal malts with natural watermelon essence. Read more
Review: Not Your Moms Iced Tea
Not Your Moms Iced Tea was released in February along with a Strawberry Rhubarb and Apple Pie flavored ale. After creating three Hard root beers, a hard Ginger Ale, and a hard Cream Soda under the Not Your Fathers label, Small Town Brewery has moved on to hardening deserts, and iced tea. You know, thing a mom might make. Not Your Moms Iced tea is brewed as an ale with lemon juice and tea leaves from India. This is by no means the first hard iced tea as Twisted Tea has been creating several hard iced teas since 2001. Miller Coors also introduced their Easy Tea line of hard iced tea last fall. Read more
Review: Blackmask Island Coconut Spiced Pacific Rum
Blackmask Island Coconut Spiced Pacific Rum is one of 4 rum varieties produced by United Winery and Distillery in Nakhon Pathom Thailand. The other varieties include Original Spiced, Black Premo, and Tropical Chai. Each starts with a cask aged pacific rum base. Island spices and coconut are infused with that rum base in creating Blackmask Island Coconut. Coconut rum may be synonyms with the Caribbean, but the coconut is native to Asia, so it’s only natural a distillery in Thailand would make a coconut rum of their own. Read more