Tastes
-
An intense, agave from Mazamitla, Jalisco, Mexico aged in French & American oak casks for a minimum of 1 year. It has an aromatic birth with notes of tropical flowers, wood, herbs & spices; while a bold & complex life adds notes of agave, oak, vanilla, wet Tillandsia, over ripe vegetables, wet jungle floor & earth; that led to a long death in the jungle flooded after a tropical storm. August 2021 'Swamp Sludge' came to mind; a term I use to describe most Asian food made for or by Westerners. Drowned in fluids to hide flavors or they skimped on ingredients. My mother-in-law always drowned my aloe plants; maybe it was a rainy harvest season!
-
Gran Orendain Extra Anejo Tequila
Tequila Extra Añejo — Jalisco (Los Altos), Mexico
Reviewed December 13, 2024A complex, Agave Spirit made from 100% Weber Blue Agave hand-harvested from a single plantation on the Tepecoste Hill in the Los Altos Highlands of Jalisco that is aged for more than 3 years. It has an aromatic birth with notes of cooked agave, wood, nuts & herbs; while a fibrous & bitter life adds notes of vanilla toffee, honeyed spice cake & toasted meringue; that leads to a long, dry & earthy death with notes of oak, pepper, salinity & minerals. February 2020 / December 2021 -
TCapri Tequila Blanco
Tequila Blanco — Jalisco (Los Altos Southern), Mexico
Reviewed December 13, 2024An intense, Agave Spirit by Tiffany Capri Hainesworth in a partnership with Tequila el Tepozan SA de CV; in Jalisco (Los Altos Southern), Mexico crafted in pressurized clay ovens & double distilled in Stainless Steel Pot. It has an aromatic birth with notes of agave, earth, spice & cooked citrus; while a bold life adds an overabundance of sweet vanilla & black pepper; that led to a long & complex death maintaining Nom 1584 tradition of bold Tequilas! July 2022 -
An intense, 123 proof Dark Rum by Stolen Spirits in Jamaica made using hand harvested sugar cane grown by local farmers & fermented using a proprietary yeast strand that is cultured in outdoor wood vats. The mash ferments for 7 days in a selection of the distillery’s 50 different traditional cedar tanks; using mountain rainwater collected by the estate’s own water retention system; then it is distilled using very old, traditional pot stills; before being matured in ex-Whiskey barrels for 6 years. It has an aromatic birth with notes of charred oak, ripe banana, white & black pepper; while a harsh life adds notes of charred vanilla, pineapple, banana & pear; that led to a rich death of medium length with notes of baking spices, orange & grass. March 2020 / January / March 2021
-
Professor Cornelius Ampleforth's Cold-Distilled Absinthe
Anise Liqueurs — England
Reviewed December 13, 2024An intense herbal apéritif/cordial from Ableforth, England; maceration botanicals in wheat spirit that include Artemisia Absinthium, Aniseed, Fennel, Licorice, & a blend of contemporary ingredients including Coriander Seed, Fresh Lemon Peel & Bitter Orange Peel. Then the spirit is cold distilled in a vacuum still (producing a crystal-clear distillate). It won't give much (if any) louche effect bottled at a 91.2% abv (182.4 proof)! An intense throat burner with a touch of anise! March 2017 -
Batch #2 is a concentrated, herbal aperitif / cordial by the Hope Springs Distillery in Lilburn, Georgia; products used in the distilling process highlight the diversity of Georgia's agricultural production, with their first batch of 540 bottles. It has an intense, floral opening; the palate adds a bouquet of herbs fresh from spring harvest & young pinecones; that leads to a long & complex, off-dry finish with notes of wormwood & spring wildflowers. May 2018 The stroll in the forest did not end in a dirty barn!
-
Batch #1 is a concentrated, herbal aperitif / cordial by the Hope Springs Distillery in Lilburn, Georgia; products used in the distilling process highlight the diversity of Georgia's agricultural production, with their first batch of 540 bottles. It has an intense, floral opening; the palate adds a bouquet of herbs fresh from spring harvest & young pinecones; that leads to a long & complex, off-dry finish with notes of wormwood & spring wildflowers. April 2017 Back label is more poetic with a walk in an evergreen forest ending in a barn (dirty).
-
A complex bitter herbal apéritif / cordial from The Great Southern Distilling Company down on the Western Coast of Australia. This is made with two different types of wormwood: Roman Wormwood & Pontica Wormwood. The Great Southern Distilling Company has used the highest amount of Thujone allowed by law, thus requiring it to be labeled as Bitters. It has an aromatic birth or anise, while a bold life led to a long & slightly smoky death. March 2017
-
Valdespino Rare Spirits Ron Viejo is an intense, Aged Rum by Valdespino better known for their Sherries, but they've also released some spirits over the years, too. This right here is a rum from Panama & the Dominican Republic which have been aged in Sherry casks. It opens dry with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, herbaceous spice, orange peels & tropical fruits; while a dry palate adds notes of thick Pedro Ximenéz-style sweetness, zesty grapefruit & bergamot; that led to an extra-long & extra brut finish with notes of oak, a hint of chocolate raisins & waxy fruit. The 'Brut' of all Rums! June / September 2018 / June 2019
Results 1-10 of 1071 Reviews