Review: Novo Fogo Tanager Cachaca
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ovo Fogo Tanager is one of three varieties of cachaça in Novo Fogo’s Two-Wood Series. The other two are Novo Fogo Graciosa, and Novo Fogo Colibri. Wood is very important in the production of cachaça and the Atlantic Forest has lost 88% of its original size of 375 million acres due to deforestation. Novo Fogo has a reforestation project aimed at reversing the journey towards extinction of several threatened native Brazilian tree species. Tanager was the first two-wood cachaça broadly available in the USA. Novo Fogo crafts their cachaça at a distillery in the heart of Brazil’s coastal rainforest, Floresta Atlantica from organic sugar cane hand cut with a machete and pressed within hours. Like Novo Fogo Chameleon it is aged for one year in repurposed oak barrels. Tanager is finished in casks of Arariba, (Brazilian Zebrawood), non chill filtered, and bottled at 84 proof. Read more 
Review: Smirnoff Cucumber & Lime Zero Sugar Infusions
Smirnoff Cucumber & Lime Zero Sugar Infusions joins Strawberry & Rose, and Watermelon & Mint in Smirnoff’s just launched Zero Sugar Infusions line of vodka. Cucumber and Lime have been a popular flavored vodka combination, as Svedka, Three Olives, Burnett, and Rain have previously released their own Cucumber and Lime flavored vodkas. At 72 calories per 1.5 Oz. serving I view Smirnoff Zero Sugar Infusions and Diageo stablemate Ketel One Botanicals as the next generation of reduced calorie vodka. Previous reduced calorie flavored vodka brands include Bethenny Frankel’s Skinnygirl and Pitbull’s Voli Vodka. Both were good concepts, backed ,by popular celebrities, but both lacked an important ingredient, good taste. Neither brand currently produces a flavored vodka. Smirnoff Cucumber & Lime is made from a corn distilled vodka base. Natural flavors and essence of real botanicals are infused with the vodka base before bottling at 60 proof. Read more
Review: Driftless Glen Vodka
Driftless Glen Vodka is produced at the Driftless Glen distillery build around the hillsides of the Baraboo valley nestled along the Baraboo river in Baraboo Wisconsin. Baraboo Wisconsin is located about 50 miles Northwest of Madison Wisconsin, near the Waterpark Capital of the World, The Wisconsin Dells. The site was selected by husband and wife team Renee and Brian Bemis as much for it’s water supply, as it’s great scenic beauty. About 10-12,000 years ago a glacier moved its way to what is known as the Driftless area where it stopped and melted off, creating a huge underground aquifer unloading massive amounts of sand and sediment that naturally filters the water making the water some of the purest in the country. The distillery opened in 2015. They also produce Bourbon, Rye, Brandy, Moonshine, and Gin. At launch their vodka was branded with the Sleepover Vodka name. Driftless Glen Vodka is made from their own blend of corn and sugarcane based spirit. Both are redistilled in a hybrid pot still made by Artisan Still Design. That pure water is used to reduce to proof. Read more
Review: Bom Bom Coco Mochanut
Bom Bom Coco Mochanut was launched by husband and wife team Kevin Mowers and Eva Maria Janerus in 2016. Coco Mochanut was inspired by Kevin’s attempt to deconstruct a Mounds candy bar, Eva Maria’s favorite sweet treat, while trying to craft a cocktail with the same flavor DNA. Kevin is a food scientist. Bom Bom translates to “my sweetheart” in Spain. Coco Mochanut is an all natural, gluten free, and kosher blend of chocolate, coffee, cream, coconut, and Caribbean rum. It is produced and bottled at 36 proof, by LiDestri Spirits, a private label bottler in Rochester New York. By comparison Baileys weighs in at 34 proof. Read more
Review: Skyy Infusions Cold Brew Coffee Vodka
Skyy Infusions Cold Brew Coffee Vodka was just released. While I have reviewed several espresso flavored vodka’s, this is my first experience with a cold brew coffee vodka. The only other brand I know of is Beak and Skiff 1911 Cold Brew Coffee Vodka. This is produced in Lafayette New York, and distribution is limited, so we haven’t been able to get our hands on a bottle to review. For those not familiar with cold brew coffee, it differs from Iced Coffee. Cold Brew is coffee brewed with room temperature or cold water for 12-24 hours. Skyy Cold Brew starts with a vodka base made from Midwestern grown wheat. It is quadruple column distilled and triple filtered through California limestone. Water filtered through reverse osmosis is blended to reduce to proof. Real Arabica coffee beans and natural flavors are infused with the vodka before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Smirnoff Strawberry & Rose Zero Sugar Infusions
Smirnoff Strawberry & Rose Zero Sugar Infusions is one of three flavor variants in Smirnoff’s new Zero Sugar Infusions line of vodka. The other two flavors are Cucumber and Lime, and Watermelon and Mint. Vodka has long been the adult beverage of choice for those counting points and calories. An ice filled glass, a shot of Smirnoff, topped with your favorite flavored seltzer water, was, and is a popular healthier lifestyle option. That option has been challenged with the popularity of Hard Selzer’s. Turn about is fair play as Smirnoff Zero Sugar joins Ketel One Botanical in launching a sugar free flavor infused vodka. Smirnoff Zero Sugar is gluten free and infused with natural flavors and essence of real botanicals. Add a splash of soda and you are still sitting pretty at 72 calories per serving. Read more
Review: Senor Rio Blanco Tequila
Senor Rio Blanco Tequila was launched 10 years ago, on Cinco De Mayo 2009 by Co-Founders Jonathan and Debbie Medina Gach, from a family recipe handed down by Debbie’s father. His image appears on each bottle and glass bottle stopper of Senor Rio Tequila. Senor Rio is made from 100% estate grown blue weber agave grown 8-12 years in the Lowlands of Jalisco. The agave is slow cooked for 36-40 hours under high steam pressure at temperatures of 90-105 degrees. Once cooked the agave stays in the oven with the doors closed for 6-8 hours. After the agave is cooled the juice is extracted using a tearing machine in combination with roller train mills. The juice is fermented with yeast from the honey of agaves extracted during the cooking process in open tanks so the fragrance from the fruit trees surrounding the distillery blends into the tequila. The tequila is double distilled and then rested for 24 hours before bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Two Brothers Vodka
Two Brothers Vodka is crafted by Jim and Jason Ebel, the same two brothers who have been leading the craft beer movement for over 20 years with their Two Brother’s craft beers. If you haven’t tried their beers, I highly recommend them. Two Brothers Vodka is one of several craft spirits produced in Aurora Illinois in a former roundhouse that was constructed in 1856 to serve Aurora on the Chicago Aurora Railroad. Two Brothers Vodka is made from a 100% corn base. The spirit is distilled in a 300 gallon hybrid three column 20 plate still. The vodka runs through the still once, but achieves the same amount of purification as 20 times through a standard one plate still. Two Brothers Vodka is filtered once through a louse filter prior to bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Trader Joes Blanco Tequila
Trader Joes Blanco Tequila is sold exclusively at Trader Joes stores. As Traders Joes has expanded their footprint they have expanded their portfolio of privately branded spirits. Trader Joes Blanco is currently made at Destiladora Gonzalez Gonzalez, NOM 1143. This distillery also produces El Mayor and Exotico tequila. TJ’s Blanco replaces the previously sold Trader Joes Silver Tequila that was made at Premium de Jalisco, NOM 1558. Little information is available about this tequila including the region where the agave is harvested. Read more
Review: Sugarlands Shine Talladega 50th Anniversary Corn Whiskey
Sugarlands Shine Talladega 50th Anniversary Corn Whiskey was just introduced. It is a Limited Edition release, as the 50th Anniversary tag would suggest. Sugarlands Distilling Company is the Official Moonshine of NASCAR and the primary sponsor of the 2019 NASCAR Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway. The Talladega Superspeedway hosted its first race on September 14, 1969. The track is NASCAR’s biggest, steepest, and fastest venue. The Sugarlands Distillery grinds their own grain and distill their products onsite in Gatlinburg Tennessee. Their corn whiskey is made from Tennessee white corn. Read more