Review: Steel Dust Vodka
Steel Dust Vodka is named for a horse who was born in Kentucky in 1843, and brought to Texas as a yearling. The 16 hand tall champion quarter miler match horse was so fast his jockey reportedly coated the stallions back with molasses in order to stay aboard the entire ride. Steel Dust is made from locally grown corn and is distilled six times. The first five times in small batches in a copper pot still. The spirit is finished in a custom column still. If a vodka made from locally grown Texas corn distilled six times in a copper pot still sounds familiar, the bottle design including the plastic top closure will remind you even more of another Texas born vodka. Steel Dust Vodka touts a farm to bottle experience but no farm or distillery information is provided. Steel Dust is bottled by Ocean State Distillers, Woonsocket Rhode Island. Read more 
Review: Manifest Citrus Vodka
Manifest Citrus Vodka is the result of a mistake. While experimenting with the production of their gin they created individual botanical distillations, some of which were different types of citrus peels. During a fractional blending, different citrus distillates were mixed. The tasty result was the light bulb moment for Manifest Citrus Vodka. Manifest Citrus starts with a high proof potato neutral spirit made from non GMO Russet potatoes sourced from a craft distillery in Idaho. Valencia and Parson Brown oranges, Meyer Lemon and Pink Grapefruit sourced from C&S Groves in San Mateo Florida are washed, cut and pressed to remove the juice. The fruit is then macerated for two days and redistilled with the high proof distillate in a pot still. Deionized water is blended to reduce to proof. I am reviewing bottle 1204 from batch 2 Read more
Review: Sunset Reef Coconut Rum
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nset Reef Coconut Rum is produced by Toorank Distilleries in Zevenaar, The Netherlands. and is imported by Saranty Imports. Bottled at 42 proof, Sunset Reef weighs in with the same alcohol content as Malibu. The bottle describes Sunset Reef as a liqueur with the flavor of coconut and rum. No additional product information is available. I found my bottle at Total Wine and More. Read more
Review: Old Fourth Distillery Vodka
Old Fourth Distillery Vodka is made from minimally refined non GMO turbinado cane sugar sourced from a small Louisiana farm. The distillery was started by Jeff and Craig Moore, two brothers who located the distillery in the fourth ward district of Atlanta. Turbinado cane sugar was selected because the distillery is located in an urban area, and they were looking for something they could convert to alcohol with zero waste. The only by-product is pure distilled water. The distillery was Atlanta’s first legal distillery since 1906, when it opened in 2014, the same year the vodka was released. Old Fourth Distillery Vodka is distilled three times on a Carl still. Carl has been building custom stills since 1869 in Stuttgart Germany. The Old Fourth Distillery also currently produces a gin, straight bourbon whiskey, and Lawn Dart. Lawn Dart is made from their vodka base and is vapor infused with fresh lemon peel, fresh organic cold-pressed ginger juice and a hint of the same cane used to craft their vodka. Read more
Review: Puntagave Rustico Tequila Blanco
Puntagave Rustico Tequila Blanco is one of five expressions in Puntagave’s, Rustico line of spirits. The others include a Mezcal, Raicilla, Sotol, and Bacanora. Puntagave was founded in 2015 by Guillermo Barroso Arnaud and Juan Pablo Garciabueno. Guillermo became the second certified Maestro Tequilero in the world. He has developed four unique agave brands including El Pintor and Fat Ass. Juan is the mastermind behind Tequila Specialist founded in 1997. He is responsible for the introduction of hundreds of brands of tequila into US and European markets. Some of those brands include Casa Noble, Tres Agaves, Clase Azul, 30-30, and Oro Azul. He is also the Co-Founder of Tequila Don Fulano. Puntagave Rustio Tequila is made from 100% Highland grown Tequilana Weber agave. The agave is baked in an autoclave oven and double distilled in copper stills by Guillermo Barroso Arnaud at Compania Tequilera Hacienda La Capilla. Read more
Review: SomruS Mango Cream Liqueur
SomruS Mango Cream Liqueur was released in 2017. It is produced by SomPriya Fine Spirits in Pewaukee Wisconsin, and is sold as The Original Mango Cream Liqueur outside the US. The husband and wife team at SomPriya also produce the previously reviewed SomruS Chai Cream Liqueur, (also known as The Original Indian Cream Liqueur outside the US). SomruS Mango is described as an artisanal blend of lush Alphonso mangos, real Wisconsin dairy cream, and finest Caribbean rum. The Alphonso mango originated in India 4000 years ago and is considered the King of Mangos for its sweetness and flavor. Read more
Review: Absolut Juice Apple Edition
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bsolut Juice Apple Edition was recently released along with the previously reviewed Strawberry Edition. Both are real fruit juice infused vodka’s. After years of ridiculous flavored vodka, the industry is focused on three flavoring trends. Zero Sugar, Real Fruit, and Real Fruit Juice Infused. Absolut Apple starts with the Original Absolut vodka base, which is made from Swedish winter wheat sourced from 450 local farms. Once the spirit is distilled, it is filtered through a mesh filter, and reduced to proof with pure deep well water. 5% real apple juice and natural flavors are infused with the vodka base before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Oak and Palm Coconut Rum
Oak and Palm Coconut Rum is made at the St Petersburg Distillery that was founded in 2014 by the father-son team of Dominic, Steve, and Dominic Jr. Iafrate. In 1997 they moved their successful recycling business from Michigan to Florida. The St. Petersburg Distillery also produces Oak and Palm Spiced Rum, Tipplers Orange Liqueur, Royal Mead, Banyan Reserve Vodka and the complete line of Old St Pete’s spirits. The Master Distiller is Henry Kasprow. While no specific production techniques are offered, the distillery boast a handcrafted copper pot still produced in the early 1930’s by EB Badgett and Son. Oak and Palm Rum is flavored with real coconut and natural flavors. Read more
Review: Molly’s Coconut Irish Cream
After a 4 year absence Molly’s Coconut Irish Cream is back for a limited time. It comes back in a new bottle with a new flavor profile. I reviewed Molly’s Coconut almost six years ago and I awarded a Gold Medal. I always get a little nervous when a product I really enjoy changes its flavor. Remember New Coke? In more recent times Butterfinger also changed its flavor. In both cases I liked the previous version better. Fingers crossed that’s not the case here. The first Molly’s Coconut was introduced in 2012, also as a Limited release flavor. The flavor was so popular it was actually produced until 2015 when it’s brand owner Terra decided to focus all of its resources on building its original Molly’s Irish Cream brand. Terra, is the largest family owned cream liqueur producer in Ireland. While Terra produces over a dozen private label brands of cream liqueur, Molly’s is their own flagship brand. Due to popular demand Molly’s Coconut is back, joining the original Molly’s, an Irish cream with a more traditional, natural chocolate flavor. The new Molly’s Coconut is made from fresh Irish dairy cream, aged Irish whiskey, fine Irish spirits and natural coconut flavors. The fresh cream is sourced from a dairy 1 mile from their cream liqueur plant. The fresh cream travels from cow to finished bottle of Molly’s in 48 hours. Read more
Review: Old Dominick Honeybell Citrus Vodka
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Dominick Honeybell Citrus Vodka is distilled in Memphis by Alex Castle, the first female distiller in Tennessee. Honeybell citrus is also known as Minneola Tangelo, and is a cross between a Duncan Grapefruit, and Darcy Mandarin. The brand is named for Domenico Canale whose image appears on the back of each bottle. Domenico was born in Italy. At 16 he sailed to America in 1859, and worked for his uncle running a fruit cart up and down the streets of Memphis. In 1866 he established D. Canale & Co, a food wholesaler. In 1880 he developed The Dominick Toddy, A bourbon based cordial. In 1919 Dominick died and three days later Prohibition was ratified ending the brands 39 year run. In 2013 Chris and Alex Canale discovered an unopened bottle of Old Dominick Toddy and they decided to recreate the spirit brand their great, great, grandfather launched. In 2016 their distillery opened in an old warehouse where they spent $10 million converting. The Honeybell Citrus vodka base is made from corn and pristine water sourced from the Memphis sand aquifer. The spirit is double distilled. First in a 250 gallon pot still and then in a column still. The vodka is filtered for clarity. A natural extract and no sugar are infused with the vodka base before bottling at 80 proof. Read more