Review: Shock Top Strawbanero Wheat Beer
Shock Top Strawbanero Wheat Beer was introduced in 2015 and it is sold in the Shock Top Winter variety pack. Each 12 pack features 3 bottles each of Shock Top Strawbanero Wheat, Belgian Wheat, Pretzel Wheat, and Honeycrisp Apple Wheat Beer. Shock Top Strawbanero is a Belgian style wheat ale brewed with habanero peppers, strawberries, and orange peels. After brewing natural strawberry flavor is added. The beer is left unfiltered before bottling at 5.5% Alcohol. Read more 
Review: Three Olives Vodka
Three Olives Vodka was introduced in 1998. It is probably best known for its flavored vodkas. They currently produce 30 varieties. Three Olives was the first to introduce several vodka flavors including cherry and grape in 2001. In 2007 the Three Olives brand was sold by White Rock who at the time also owned Pinnacle Vodka to Proximo. Three Olives vodka is made with English winter wheat and is quadruple distilled, and triple charcoal filtered. Demineralized water from Lake Vyrnmy is blended to reduce to 80 proof before bottling. Read more
Review: Calypso Coconut Rum
Calypso Coconut Rum is named for the Greek nymph from Homers Odyssey best known for keeping Odysseus prisoner on the island of Ogygia for 7 years in an attempt to make him her immortal husband. Calypso rum is one of 28 rum brands in the Sazerac product line. It is made with rum distilled in the US Virgin Islands. After arriving in Kentucky natural flavors are blended before bottling at 42 proof. Read more
Review: Dripping Springs Artisan Gin
Dripping Springs Artisan Gin was crafted by brothers Gary and Kevin Kelleher, and introduced September 2014. They also craft a very tasty vodka and Texas Orange flavored vodka. It is made with sweet Mid-Western non GMO corn and is micro distilled over 20 times in small 50 gallon batches. Nine botanicals including juniper, hibiscus, cardamom seed, Grande Valley oranges and Mexican limes are steeped for 24 hours in the 120 proof spirit. It is then distilled again in 40 gallon batches in hand made copper pot stills. The process takes 3 days to complete with only 55%, the heart, kept. After a light filtration through Swedish activated carbon, artesian spring water is blended to reduce to 85 proof before bottling. Read more
Review: Revel Stoke Cinnamon Whisky
Revel Stoke Cinnamon Whisky as the name would imply is another Fireball clone. It is one of six Canadian Whisky varieties currently made by the Phillips Distilling Company under the Revel Stoke label. The other flavors include Pineapple, Spiced, Pecan, Apple, and their Original Blended Canadian Whisky. Revel Stoke is made with a blend of rye, corn, and barley malt that is triple distilled in copper stills. The whisky is aged for 3 years in charred white oak barrels. A blend of warm Ceylon and Saigon Cinnamon are infused before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Malibu Black Coconut Rum
Malibu Black Coconut Rum was released in 2011. At 70 proof this should not be confused with Malibu Original Coconut Rum which is bottled at 42 proof. It is one of 14 varieties of rum created by Malibu. Each flavor starts with molasses from the finest sugar cane crops and pure water. After fermenting with a proprietary yeast it is distilled 3 times at the West Indies Distillery in Barbados. The rum is shipped to Canada where coconut liqueur is infused with the rum before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Sauza 901 Silver Tequila
Sauza 901 Silver Tequila was released January 2014 when Justin Timberlake joined forces with Beam to relaunch his 901 tequila. The tequila was moved from Distillery NOM 1173, also home to Grand Mayan, Amate, and El Capo tequila, to NOM 1102 where Sauza creates their entire tequila line. 901 had been crafted using agave grown in the highlands. While no information is provided, the Sauza line of tequila is made with agave grown in the lowlands. Like its predecessor, Sauza 901 Silver Tequila is triple distilled. The original 901 tequila was priced and positioned as a premium tequila. I paid $40 for my bottle. Sauza 901 Silver is priced as a midrange tequila. I picked up this bottle for $22.99. I really enjoyed the original 901. Lets see how Sauza 901 compares. Read more
Review: 901 Silver Tequila
901 Silver Tequila was introduced by Justin Timberlake May 2009. 901 partnered with Beam and their Sauza tequila line January 2014, and has moved production to their distillery. This review is of the original 901 Silver, which is no longer in production. My review of Sauza 901 Silver tequila will follow. While I paid $40 dollars for this tequila, I purchased a bottle of Sauza 901 Silver tequila for 22.99. 901 is named for the area code in Memphis Tennessee, Justin’s hometown. 901 is also the time of day when evening ends, but the night is just beginning. 901 Silver is made in small batches with 100% blue agave. After the agave is slow cooked in stainless steel ovens the juice is extracted and fermented with a proprietary yeast for 72 hours. After being triple distilled, the tequila is filtered and then bottled. Read more
Review: Opulent Vodka
Opulent Vodka is made from American-bred corn and distilled five times and filtered to a quality of less than one micron. Water purified in a three bed deionization process is then blended to reduce to proof. Opulent is made in Princeton Minnesota and is part of the Prestige Wine and Spirits Group. They also produce Opulent Passion, a passion fruit flavored vodka. Read more
Review: UV Blue Vodka
UV Blue Vodka was introduced in 2001. If you haven’t tasted this vodka before you probably haven’t been in college for at least ten years. It was the first of the now 22 vodka varieties UV creates with Midwest grown yellow corn. UV distills their vodka four times before purified water from deep aquifers in Princeton Minnesota that has been filtered through carbon and reverse osmosis is added to reduce to proof. Natural flavors including vine ripened raspberries and certified color are blended before bottling at 60 proof. Read more