Tastes
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Casamigos Blanco Tequila
Tequila Blanco — Los Altos, Jalisco, Mexico
Reviewed March 29, 2021 (edited April 6, 2022)My main gripe with Casamigos is the price point. Granted with Clooney endorsing the product & it's surging popularity they can charge a premium but it feels inadequate given that you're buying a Tequila with additives and a very artificial flavor profile. At $45 a bottle I'm looking to get the real deal and not a Tequila I'd be fine mixing and only occassionaly sipping. Make no mistake, by itself there's nothing wrong with Casamigos unless you're a diehard Tequila purist. But if you aren't then this is an incredibly smooth, fun to drink Tequila. Seriously, this stuff has no burn at all and there's hardly a finish. Just a super simple, extremely easy to drink product that is great for shots or mixing. The nose is of agave and (artificial) vanilla. That's it. Similarly it just tastes like agave, caramel and some fruit I couldn't quite pinpoint but if I had to hazard a guess I'd go with dried plum. The entire experience feels entirely artificial though. This almost plays as a sweetened, flavored Tequila rather than the real deal. Given the price range this just isn't acceptable. It's fine to make a product that's meant to be accessible if artificial but quite another to be charging this much for it. A clear instance of paying more for the brand and prestige than the actual product. This is a Tequila for people who don't like Tequila and that's fine. This will likely get many newbies interested in the spirit. I just can't in good faith give it any more stars given the price point. If it were at $18-25 per bottle this would be an easy 3.75 stars and my go to mixing Tequila for sweet cocktails where the more subtle Tequila flavors would be obscured. -
Bacardi 8 Years is an excellent beginner's sipping rum. It showcases what the world of rum has to offer while remaining extremely accessible and palatable. More experienced rum drinkers may find this one a tad boring but for the price it's a great option. On the nose it smells like their white rum with some more character, showcasing the smell of dried fruits and oak barrels though you do have to tease them out as they're surprisingly understated. There may even be a hint of a tobacco smell though I'll admit I didn't immediately pick it up until I read the Expert Review. Like other Bacardi products this is a very sweet rum which I actually adore as it's sweet without feeling cloying. After the initial burst of sweetness and fruits you can find some vanilla, brown sugar, a bit of leather and earthy notes at the finish. I will note there is a bit of an "off" taste that other online reviewers have picked up on. It isn't unpleasant. It's just hard to describe and feels a bit out of place. There are plenty of more complex sipping rums out there but few that are this affordable let alone finding that perfect soft spot of sweetness. Recommended if you're wanting to broaden your rum horizons.
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Smells of caramel and sweet grain. Tastes of sweet bread and some subtle flavors I couldn't quite pin down. That's no surprise. This is a sherry and white oak barrel mix exclusive to BevMo! The closest comparison I have is the RedBreast 12 Years in the same light bready taste. Fairly accessible stuff. However be warned that this isn't truly a Japanese Whiskey. It's just marketed as such. Very little info is available online about it which makes me suspect it's from less glamorous origins. Nonetheless I enjoyed drinking it and that's all that matters.
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It's not often you run into Italian Vodkas & as a Total Wine Spirit Direct for which I had a $2 off coupon, it was hard to say no to it. Made of winter wheat, the European influence shows from the aroma. It's straightforward but surprisingly pleasant: it smells of wheat, an undefined gentle sweetness and just the slightest bit of ethanol betraying this is indeed an alcoholic drink. The palate is surprisingly sweet without invoking any particular flavors. It's actually almost as sweet as a good deal of corn vodkas with the added bonus that it is decidedly less bitter than corn based distillates tend to be. There is a nice wheat flavor underpinning the entire experience that closely follows the nose and lasts all the way to the back palate. Besides the sweetness and wheat undertones, the finish is extremely light, very smooth with only the a light burn and the slightest hints of alcohol bitterness. Texture wise it has a medium viscosity similar to other wheat based vodkas. Overall this is a very smooth, sweet experience. It's a bit one-note and unexciting but there's nothing wrong with it either. For the price point it's a bargain providing good sweetness without much bitterness. Be sure to give this one a try.
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The first thing you'll notice about this Mezcal is the extremely leathery smell that greets you. Seriously. You'd be forgiven for thinking you were smelling brand new leather shoes than a Mezcal but faint notes of toffee just barely break the illusion. On the tongue though it's surprisingly sweet--by Mezcal standards that is with a finish that is completely the agave. The barrels have definitely helped tame this Mezcal making it surprisingly approachable though be advised it isn't very smokey. Not a bad reposado as it makes for some good sipping but it does feel a bit pricey, so -.25 points for that. Got mine at a discount and I'm extremely happy for it.
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Chinaco Reposado Tequila
Tequila Reposado — Tamaulipas, Mexico
Reviewed March 25, 2021 (edited April 29, 2023)This isn't a bad reposado by any means. It just strikes me as being somewhat pricey for what it offers. On the nose it was of agave and a bit leathery. Try it though and it does taste quite a bit like chocolate and vanilla, the official review nailed it. You catch a glimpse of the agave on the way out but it doesn't have much of a finish. I personally feel a lot of reposados fall in a weird no-man's-land where they don't really have the complexity of añejos or the bite of blancos. This embodies that dilemma. Still, Chinacos is peculiar both historically and as the only Tequila made in Tamaulipas it's a worthy addition to a Tequila collection. -
Roku Gin is an incredible buy from the beautiful bottle to quality product. The aroma is strongly citrusy, no doubt the yuzu influencing the immediate smell. But look harder and the botanicals almost remind you of a tea shop. Not surprising then to find out two of its six Japanese ingredients are tea. Despite being 47% this gin is quite unassuming on the tongue opening with a slight citrus before other, almost tea like botanicals emerge, giving way to the yuzu peel & juniper and finishing on a spicy note. The flavors are understated and don't bombard your palette. Quite good!
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