Tastes
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It's solid for what it is. If I had to choose between this or another quality budget creme de cacao in Marie Brizard, I would probably lean towards this one. The chocolate flavor is a bit more pronounced here and less syrupy. You do taste the alcohol a bit more as well. However, by far the best creme de cacao is from Tempus Fugit. That one makes this one seem incredibly thin and typically when I'm looking to add creme de cacao to a cocktail I want something rich and not artificial tasting (Marie Brizard is a bit more artificial tasting than Giffard).20.0 USD per Bottle
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Famous Grouse is a solid blended scotch. It's quite useful in cocktails but it isnt exactly complex or unique. I would classify it as a decent everyday dram. The nose is a touch bland with some light malt and smoke. The palate leads with some sweetness, with sherry, toffee, honey and grain. The finish is not very long with a touch of spice and no burn. If you plan to use this in cocktails or as a simple everyday dram then you cant go wrong with Famous Grouse, just dont expect to be wowed.20.0 USD per Bottle
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I would venture to say when one thinks of Islay scotch, the Laphroaig 10 year is one of the first ones that come to mind. Even as a relatively young scotch, this one lives up to the hype. On the nose you get brine, smoke and sea. The palate leads with iodine and peat, followed by vanilla. It is just a touch thin but the finish is long with very little burn, some malt and a touch of sweetness. There are very few 10 year old scotches that I would recommend over Laphroaig. Maybe Ardbeg but honestly you cant go wrong with this one and it adds a nice smokey touch to cocktails. If they could just bump up the proof to 90 or so, this would probably score closer to a 5 but either way it's a strong 4.25.45.0 USD per Bottle
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Cocchi Americano
Other Aromatized Wine — Piemonte, Italy
Reviewed May 2, 2022 (edited August 9, 2022)As an aromatized wine, Cocchi Americano is the closest thing you will get to the original Kina Lillet. Lillet blanc, the one that you find nowadays, is a different recipe from the classic, which means for any drink from back in the day that called for Kina Lillet, Cocchi Americano Bianco is your best bet. On it's own, it's actually pretty tasty and has a nice bite to it, which Lillet Blanc is missing. The nose is a bit tame, with pear and elderflower. The palate has that slight bitterness, along with some sweetness and citrus notes. The finish isn't that long, with no heat and a bit of pine. I wouldn't say this blew me away neat, but it makes for a fine aperitif over ice with a lemon peel. I probably would score this a bit lower, but it's very useful in cocktails and can replace dry vermouth or a white vermouth in any cocktail recipe. The fact that you can get it for under $20 also makes it a solid value.18.0 USD per Bottle -
Bowmore, Islay's first distillery, is one of the most famous distilleries out there. They have a good number of long aged single malts that go for crazy sums of money and yet I was surprised at how tame the entry level single malt is. The 12 year comes in at 80 proof, well below that of many of the other Islay entry level single malts out there and while its solid, it's not as exciting as the others. On the nose its very mild, almost bland with a faint smell of the sea. The initial sips are a bit watery, with some sweetness, followed by light peat and a smooth mineral taste. In the end it tastes a bit thin. The finish has a touch of heat but it doesn't last all that long. It's not a bad single malt, I just expected much more from such a famous Islay distillery. It also comes in at $60 or so, which seems a bit steep for an 80 proof entry level single malt. I would stick with Laphroaig or Ardbeg or even Talisker (which isn't an Islay distillery but seems to offer a comparable experience) as opposed to this. Again though, it's not bad, I just wanted a bit more from it and maybe that's on me for expecting that.60.0 USD per Bottle
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The lone distillery on the Isle of Skye, Talisker, at least to me, seems to taste pretty similar to an Islay scotch, although I can only judge that on this bottle, as I don't own older Talisker bottles. I will say though, from this bottle I think I may have to consider investing in their 18 year. On the nose I get smoke and salt, definitely giving the impression I am tasting an Islay scotch. The palate starts with some light peat, iodine (less than that of Laphroaig), seaweed and then finishes with green apple. The finish is very long lasting, with just a touch of heat, a bit of sweetness and some smoke. I'm not sure I like this better than an Islay scotch, but it's pretty close and I would definitely not turn down a dram of it. If I had to choose this or say Laphroaig 10 year, I would go with Laphroaig, but this is a close second. I will say, Talisker tends to be a bit more expensive than Laphroaig, so that may go into my decision a bit, but either way, very good.60.0 USD per Bottle
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Don Julio Reposado Tequila
Tequila Reposado — Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico
Reviewed February 11, 2022 (edited August 11, 2022)Don Julio reposado tequila was one of the first tequilas I ever bought. I, like most people, only drank the gold tequilas that made you sick in college and so when I finally decided to dig into cocktails I wanted something that was 100% agave. I remember this tequila fondly, but I have to say now that I've had numerous other tequilas, this one isn't as good as I remember, but still solid nonetheless. The nose is heavy on the caramel and you can tell it's going to be sweet. The palate confirms the nose and after having El Tesoro this one seems even more sweet than I remember. There is also a pretty heavy oak, pepper and vanilla flavor to it, which isn't all that surprising. Despite this one aging for slightly less time than the El Tesoro, this one is definitely sweeter and more oaky. The finish is a touch hot, with a good amount of spice. I wouldn't say this is bad and if you are a whiskey drinker, this one is probably more up your alley than El Tesoro reposado. Both are pretty similar in price, so if you are a whiskey drinker and want to try a tequila, this would be my choice over El Tesoro. If you are a fan of tequila, stick with El Tesoro. There are obviously other good reposado tequila choices out there, but just comparing these two today, that's how I would decide. You could also probably get away with using Don Julio reposado tequila in place of bourbon for cocktails since they have very similar profiles. In the end though, if you are a whiskey drinker, you can score this closer to a 4, while those that prefer tequila would probably lower this closer to a 3, so I will split the difference.45.0 USD per Bottle -
El Tesoro Reposado Tequila
Tequila Reposado — Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico
Reviewed February 11, 2022 (edited August 9, 2022)This is my go to reposado tequila for cocktails (one's that are spirit forward). Unlike a lot of reposado tequilas that I have tried, this one tends to have less pronounced oak and sweetness and leans more heavily on the agave. The nose is a bit light, but you get the agave and a mineral like smell. The palate is where this one shines, as it has hints of smoke, lime, spice and a touch of sweetness. The finish is pretty long, with no heat and a bit briney. Overall, it's hard to go wrong with this tequila. It's a touch expensive, which is why I don't use it in cocktails that tend to have large amounts of juice or mixer in it. But neat, this is one of the better reposado tequilas out there. I would probably still favor the blanco over this, but not by much. It would probably come down to preference, but either way you can't go wrong with either (and really the anejo for that matter).45.0 USD per Bottle -
I often use Ransom Old Tom gin when I'm making cocktails that call for that type of sweet gin. The barrel aged old tom is supposed to be similar to the style from back in the day, but rarely do I drink it neat. Since I was near the end of the bottle, I figured I would review it. On the nose I get the barely, touch of juniper and citrus (orange peel). The palate still has citrus, a touch of sweetness, but that is joined by some spice along the lines of coriander and cloves. The finish is actually pretty whiskey like with grain/barley and a touch of heat. All and all, it's not a bad drink neat and I could see someone who likes whiskey giving this a try and finding it decent. It's definitely not that sweet, in comparison to other old tom gins and leans more towards the grain/barley as opposed to juniper. I wouldn't go out of my way to have this in place of whiskey, but it's not that bad neat. I would probably give it a 3-3.5, but because it's so useful in cocktails, I will bump it up to a 3.75.30.0 USD per Bottle
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Fords gin was made for mixing. The gin was created to be the one gin that bartenders reached for when mixing any number of gin cocktails. I will say after having it in quite a few of them, they aren't wrong. It has a nice ABV to hold up in nearly any cocktail you throw at it. As for drinking it neat, well I'm not sure it's as worthy, but it's still decent. On the nose I notice the juniper, but it's not overpowering. The palate has a nice balance of juniper and citrus, primarily orange peel. The spice hits you after a couple of seconds and it's a pretty pleasing sip overall. The finish is a touch short though and a little hot, but not terribly so. For a gin that is pretty affordable and does very well in cocktails (it makes an excellent negroni and martini), it's hard to complain about this gin. I still like the heavy hitters like Tanqueray, Tanqueray No 10, Beefeater, Beefeater 24, Sipsmith and Plymouth better, but it's pretty close all things considered. I may even concede it's better neat then a couple of those, but either way it's a solid gin that is well worth having on your shelf if you are into making cocktails.25.0 USD per Bottle
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