Tastes
-
The high end Absolut offering, Elyx is an upgrade over the standard Absolut. Is it worth twice as much, probably not but it is very smooth. The nose is clean with a bit of ethanol and wheat. On the palate there is a touch of sweetness, but it is incredibly smooth. It's pretty much what you want from a vodka with no off-putting aromas or flavors. The finish is short but again, no burn. I don't often drink vodka neat, it's just not that interesting to me but I will say this is good. Is it worth twice the amount of the standard, probably not unless you like your vodka neat. I gave the standard a 3.75, but neat it was more of a 3, with the 0.75 boost because of the value and the use in cocktails. This one is a 4/4.25 neat, but with the value lower I will go with a 4.30.0 USD per Bottle
-
I've only had a few different Calvados bottles, so I wouldnt say I'm an expert. Daron is a negociant, which means they buy calvados at various points and then bottle it under their own label as opposed to owning an orchard or distilling themselves. They dont seem to say where they buy from, so not exactly transparent but it tastes ok. The nose is musty, with some pear notes. It seems to hint at an older calvados but after the first few sips you realize it's pretty young and quite thin, with baked apple, cinnamon and oak. The finish is unremarkable, but smooth with no burn. I dont think Daron is bad, it's just nothing exciting. I'm not a fan of their lack of transparency and at $40 or so, I'm not sure it's a great value. I would probably stick with something like Busnel or Lemorton.38.0 USD per Bottle
-
I have no clue why I bought this back in the day. I think it was one of my first gin purchases when I was just getting out of college and clearly didn't appreciate gin like I do now. I found it after probably many years just sitting in a box. It was still over half full. The fact that it comes in a large plastic bottle, should have given me enough warning as to why would I even consider trying this again, but I did. The nose is all ethanol. I couldn't even really detect anything else. The palate is all heat and burns the tongue to the point it's hard to detect anything else. There are the faintest lemon peel notes, but honestly, it was just hard to even finish it. Speaking of the finish, it was short, peppery and just an overload of heat. I should have just left the bottle where it was, or even better just dumped it all down the sink without trying it. It's really just awful stuff and even if it is less than $10 for a liter, it's just not worth it. Could it be used in a cocktail without ruining it? I don't think so, but since it's insanely cheap I'm going to give it a 1.8.0 USD per Bottle
-
My wife wanted to try some fruity tiki drinks so I picked this up at the store because I had a recipe that called for mango rum. I had no intention of drinking this neat, but I figured I would give it a chance since the cocktail (which I can't remember what it was) was pretty decent, albeit a bit too sweet. The nose is heavy on mango, but more of an artificial fruit flavoring of mango instead of fresh mango. The palate is very sweet, with again that same artificial mango. It's the definition of one note and a complete sugar overload. The finish is short and sweet, as if you couldn't have guessed. At least there was no burn. I regret trying this neat and I'm not really sure what I expected, but as you can imagine, it's not good. The only reason you should pick this up is if you plan to make some very sweet tiki style drinks. Otherwise avoid at all costs. I'm giving it a 1.5 because it's very cheap and it can work in certain cocktails.10.0 USD per Bottle
-
Bernheim 7 Year Original Wheat Whiskey
Wheat Whiskey — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed September 18, 2022 (edited December 21, 2022)This was the first wheat whiskey that I ever tried. I saw it for a pretty good price at $30, so I figured why not. I was pleasantly surprised. The nose is pretty light, with a touch of cinnamon and honey. The palate is sweeter than expected, with a touch of oak, nutmeg and vanilla. It's not that far off from what I would expect from a bourbon, but the finish is a bit longer than expected with some wheat toast and more sweetness. There is very little burn. For $30, I would say this is a pretty good value and a solid everyday dram. It's not very complex, but it's very smooth. I haven't tried too many other wheat whiskies, but this one was pretty good, so while it probably should be more of a 3/3.25, I'm going to bump it up to a 3.5 since it's a very good value.30.0 USD per Bottle -
When I first started drinking bourbon I usually stuck with the lower end, sub-$40 bottles. This was my first semi-premium bourbon, and I thought it was really good back in the day. Did I just want it to be good because I had spent more money than I usually do? Probably, because revisiting this again I'm not sure what I thought was so great about it. The nose starts off nicely, fruity, thinking peaches and apricots, with some oak but not too much. On the palate it's very thin, which I guess shouldn't be that surprising since it's only 80 proof, with vanilla, oak, pepper and a bit of baking spice. The finish is pretty short with a little bit of burn, but nothing too bad. I'm definitely not sure why I liked this so much back in the day, but in my opinion it's not worth the price tag. I've had $20-30 bottles that run circles around this one. If price doesn't matter, then you can probably put this at a 3, but I think it's too run-of-the-mill to deserve that when combined with the price.40.0 USD per Bottle
-
Lillet Blanc, which originally was called Kina Lillet, has changed a bit over the years. I never got to try the original Kina Lillet which was apparently much more bitter and more in line with how Cocchi Americano Bianco tastes, but this version is certainly very drinkable, albeit a bit boring. The nose is very floral, with some citrus notes. On the palate, I get lemon peel and sweetness. It's a touch too sweet for my liking. The finish has just a hint of bitterness, but not much, it's very smooth, but not all that exciting and pretty short. I think the one thing I can say about Lillet Blanc is that it's not offensive in any way. Unfortunately, it is nowhere near as complex or exciting as Cocchi Americano Bianco. Adding this to cocktails is probably the way to go, although having this on the rocks with a lemon peel isn't a bad option either. I would love to know how the original Kina Lillet tasted because this just seems very muted.18.0 USD per Bottle
-
BarSol Quebranta is probably the one pisco that I see in nearly every liquor store that carries pisco. It has never really impressed me, but it seems to be geared towards cocktails and I can say that it works great in all the classics (pisco sour, pisco punch, etc). The nose is pretty floral, maybe some pine needles, but pretty light overall. On the palate it's pretty thin, with a bit of lemon custard and berries. It is pretty smooth though, something I was surprised by in all three BarSol piscos. The finish is a bit of a letdown. It's short with some light burn, pear notes and some sweetness. After trying the other two, this one seemed to be too bland for my taste. Everything seemed to be dialed back, but in no way was it bad and despite my slight disappointment in trying it neat, it's still a very good pisco for cocktails. Neat I would put this at a 2.5/2.75, but with how good it is in cocktails, I'm going to bump this up to a 3.25.0 USD per Bottle
-
BarSol Italia seems to be the higher end pisco in their lineup. I've seen the blends, Quebranta and Torontel piscos, however, Italia always seems to be the most expensive. I've never had an Italia pisco, so when I saw this, I figured I would give it a try. Plus, I already had the other two so why not. I've never seen the BarSol Torontel before, but maybe someday. The initial nose was not at all what I expected. It was very musty, almost like an aged armagnac. The first couple of sips though there is an underlying sweetness, with hints of blackberry and rosewater. The finish was actually quite long, with very little burn, especially in comparison to the other two I tried, with some green grape must, a bit of pepper and a touch of sweetness. I was really impressed with this bottle. I may have to adjust this score up at some point, but for now I'm leaving it at 3.75. The bottle is nearly 3/4's full so maybe it will open up over time, similar to how many mezcals taste better after they have been opened for a couple of months. Either way though, if you want to try pisco neat, this one is probably one of your best bets.40.0 USD per Bottle
-
Pisco is not something I typically drink neat, sort of like vodka and gin. I prefer to use them in cocktails, but I figured since I had three of the more available BarSol pisco's, I would try them all out (Acholado, Italia & Quebranta). The acholado is a blend of three types of grapes that are allowed to be used in pisco production (at least in Peru). It seems to be made for mixing, but I found it pretty decent neat. To be fair, I had very low expectations. On the nose it had a lot of pepper and some melon. My expectations increased a bit with the nose and I was pleasantly surprised with the first taste. It was buttery and almost creamy, with lime and salt. It was very smooth and even the finish, while a touch hot, was pretty long with a bit of blackberry and spice. I have to admit, for how little pisco gets talked about, it was more than drinkable. I wouldn't say it was very complex, but it was smooth and didn't have any off-putting notes. Is it better in cocktails? I think so, but its still pretty good neat. I would say neat it's a 3, but if you plan to use in cocktails I would say a 3.5, so I will split the difference.25.0 USD per Bottle
Results 51-60 of 115 Reviews