Reviews
December 15, 2009
Bacardi Superior 89 Proof Rum Review
The folks at Bacardi sent us a bottle of a special 89 proof version of their famous Superior Rum - a slightly overproof version of the white rum you're probably familiar with, which is rumored to be closer to the original Cuban formulation of Bacardi's flagship product. We gave it a taste on your behalf - our notes are below.
The bottle looks very similar to the one you might see at your local liquor store, and might be hard to differentiate from a distance. It is slightly different, however, even beyond the fact it's all in Spanish. "Ron Superior de Bacardi y Cia" has a pretty cool ring to it, though. That and just holding the bottle made us feel very Hemingway, without the gift for prose or the suicidal urges.
The nose was very mellow in comparison to Bacardi as we remember it (and most other white rums we've tried), even though it has a higher-than-average proof, and had a light, sweet, sugary smell. The taste at bottle strength was similarly mellow, with some hints of molasses, and was much dryer than expected. As you might anticipate, we were able to mix some daiquiris that curled our toes, and packed just that little bit of extra punch.
It's more expensive than your typical Bacardi Superior, weighing in at close to $50, but we think this is a must-have for rum enthusiasts and those who want to taste a bit of Bacardi's heritage, and a great gift idea. Don't take our word for it - head over to Bacardi.com for more information; otherwise, this rum should be available at your local liquor store.
* PS we apologize for the chintzy iPhone photo of the label...it was the best we could do and hopefully it'll help you recognize the bottle.
November 25, 2009
Review: Chivas Regal 18 vs Johnnie Walker Blue
Remember the Pepsi Challenge, back in the 80s? When people would be offered a blind taste test to see which they liked better between Pepsi and Coke? We just had the opportunity to do one that was way, way better than soft drinks. The folks at Chivas sent us a bottle each of their Chivas Regal 18-year-old and Johnnie Walker Blue, daring us to try both and see which we liked better.
We, of course, were up for the challenge, so we got out our tasting glasses and set to it after asking an intern to pour so we didn't know what was in each glass. We did the tastings blind, and then once we were finished we paired up our notes with the proper whisky. In the verdict below, we give more info about our thoughts before we knew which was which.
Chivas Regal 18 Year Old
Blended Scotch
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Typical Price: About $60
The Look: Squat, clear bottle that's different than a lot of the scotch brands we've seen. In the glass, it's light amber, looking a bit like honey.
The Nose: We smelled very little peatiness, with the major notes being caramel, toffee, and spices.
The Taste: Still very little smoke or peat until we added a drop of water, and then we got a hint. There were more caramel notes, with citrus peels and the dryness of oak. Big oaky finish, long and complex.
Johnnie Walker Blue
Blended Scotch
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Typical Price: About $150 at the lower end
The Look: Signature Walker bottle, in green glass. The whiskey looks like honey in the glass.
The Nose: We smelled a bit of caramel, with hints of smoke, peat, and the sea, with some dried fruit in the mix as well.
The Taste: Big and round, with a lot of smoke once we added a drop of water. Continues the peat and sea theme, with almost no sweetness. Notes of malt and spices.
Overall Verdict: Both of these are fine whiskies, and ones we wouldn't hesitate to order for ourselves or recommend for the blended scotch lovers in our lives. The Johnny Walker had the big smokiness and bold flavors we want sometimes, but at triple the price tag. We were impressed with the Chivas, with its nice soft notes and delicate sweetness, and we felt it held its own against the Blue.
Never having had either, we would have been hard-pressed to say one scotch was better than the other in our blind taste test. We tend to like a smokey whisky, so we liked the Blue, but there is definitely something to be said for the fruity mellowness of the Chivas Regal (and being Scotsmen ourselves, we're extremely interested in that significantly smaller price tag).
November 12, 2009
Akvinta Vodka Review
Akvinta Vodka
Triple-distilled organic super-premium vodka
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Review Sample Supplied By: Avkinta Vodka
Typical Price: About $40
Available in: New York, New Jersey, California
The Look: The Akvinta bottle is pretty striking, shot through with crimson and gold on the label and a cool little bronze button on the side. In the glass, Akvinta looks like, well, vodka.
The Nose: Lemon and other citrus peels.
The Taste: Citrusy with some pepper and an herbal bite. Very dry mouth feel, almost astringent, which we liked. Once we chilled it some of the sharper edges went away, and we were left with a very smooth, drinkable vodka.
The Verdict: We thought this was a tasty vodka - hell, maybe they're onto something with their crazy "Quintuple Filtration" idea. They run this stuff through birch charcoal, marble, silver, gold, and platinum, which may sound like overkill but it seems to work. We liked it chilled and on the rocks with a twist of lemon, and it would be a darned good fit for any citrusy cocktail if you ask us, as long as you can foot the super-premium price tag.
They include some pretty fancy Akvinta cocktail recipes on their site, and we're dying to try the Croatian Breakfast, so it looks like we're going to have to round up some orange marmalade and egg whites.
November 9, 2009
Cruzan Single Barrel Estate Rum Review
Cruzan Single Barrel Estate Rum
Dark St. Croix Rum
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Website: CruzanRum.com
Typical Price: Around $30
Available online at Internet Wines & Spirits
The Look: The bottle is tall and slender with black and gold labeling, getting away from an island party vibe to something a little more classic. In the glass, the rum is a smooth brown color reminiscent of whiskey...not too dark, not too light.
The Nose: The nose was full of caramel and brown sugar and molasses, and there was a hint of nuttiness there too. No huge alcohol burn, but not too sweet either.
The Taste: This rum is on the dryer side, not too sweet, with nice sweet flavors in the mix that don't overpower. There was maple and spice, nutmeg and vanilla, and the faintest hint of dried fruits on the back end. Very nice at bottle strength, but we liked it even more once we added a splash of water.
The Verdict: This is a good rum, period. It's not too spendy at around thirty bucks, and we were really impressed with the effects of blending various rums of various ages into a single cask and aging them another year. Don't step on this one with cola - this one's a sipper for after meals, and would make some excellent cocktails as well.
Many thanks to the Cruzan Rum folks for sending us our review bottle.
November 7, 2009
Canadian Club Classic 12 Whisky Review
Brand/Name: Canadian Club Classic 12 Blended Whisky
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Review Bottle Source: Supplied by Canadian Club
Typical Price: Around $25
Available online at Internet Wines & Spirits
The Look: A squat and flat-shouldered bottle; the black and white accents on the label give it a classic look.
The Nose: Whiffs of caramel, honey, brown sugar - very reminiscent of a well-aged rum at first whiff. Doesn't jump out of the glass and bite you on the nose - has the reserved quality we associate with aging. There's fruit in there too, adding an interesting sour tang on the back end, but it doesn't overpower the sweet.
The Taste: Starts off sweet, with a burn like raw ginger. Gets a bit more bitter toward the finish, but not in a bad way...like the bitterness of the charred oak it was aged in. Some fruit to go along with the nose, finishes quickly, leaving a vanilla taste in the mouth.
The Verdict: We liked the Classic 12 just fine on the rocks, and a little water went a long way to smooth whatever edges were left on it. We were impressed with it in cocktails we usually make with bourbon as well...right on down to our standby drinks, the Old Fashioned and the Manhattan, where we thought it added a nice je ne sais quois. A must-try for folks who like the regular Canadian Club expression, and bourbon lovers who're looking to broaden their horizons without straying too far from what they like.
October 26, 2009
Vinturi White Wine Aerator Review
We've been excited to try out the Vinturi Aerator, especially considering the fact we'd never given much thought to decanting white wine, or even letting it "breathe" as we might a red. Vinturi was kind enough to send us a model to review, and when we opened the box we were impressed with the heft of the vaguely cylindrical gizmo that greeted us, and pleasantly surprised to find a no-drip stand and cloth storage bag as well.
We peeked through the Aerator, unsure how much effect it would really have on our wine, but decided to take it at face value. We poured two glasses from the same unchilled bottle of the best Chardonnay we could get at the supermarket for $3.49, one directly from the bottle and the other through the Aerator.
It sloshed through the gadget with a satisfying glugging sound, and we were fascinated by the bubbles we saw in the chamber, and if nothing else we felt like we got our money's worth for the show alone. But would it fulfill its promises of a tastier glass of wine?
We took the two aforementioned glasses of wine, and we put them in front of our Senior Wine Intern, asking for a blind taste test of the contents of the glasses, to identify which had been aerated. After going through the tasting rigamarole, our intern correctly identified the aerated wine, saying the flavor and bouquet were subtly, but noticeably improved. Further tasting with other interns confirmed the positive review - this thing really works, especially on wine that starts out not-so-hot. The price tag may seem high, especially for those who don't drink much wine, but it strikes us as a great gift and an exciting addition to the gadget-hound's wine rack.
Vinturi White Wine Aerator; more info at the Vinturi website.
May 28, 2009
Belvedere Black Raspberry Vodka Review
Sometimes we get a liquor in to review that feels...well, it just feels too classy for us. You know, like we're the only guys in shorts and flip flops who show up at a black tie affair. Belvedere's Black Raspberry vodka is one of those bottles - we feel like we should handle the bottle with white gloves so we don't smudge the finish.
Then we remember Belvedere puts their pants on one leg at a time, and we crack the bottle and get to sipping.
Continue reading: "Belvedere Black Raspberry Vodka Review"
May 19, 2009
Jim Beam Red Stag Black Cherry Bourbon Review
We got our bottle of Jim Beam's soon-to-be-released black cherry flavored bourbon, Red Stag, a couple weeks ago and now it's time to review it. We mentioned this before - we were hesitant to even try it at first, because full disclosure requires us to say right up front we're Jim Beam White Label men from way back, and we were a bit concerned about a syrupy Nyquil nightmare that would forever tarnish our sweet, sweet nectar.
So how did we fare? Surprisingly well, we must say
Continue reading: "Jim Beam Red Stag Black Cherry Bourbon Review"
May 17, 2009
Hiram Walker Triple Sec Review
We've never reviewed triple sec here on the site, but we're starting to think we should focus more on things like this. Hell, sometimes liqueurs and other mixers make up 25 or 30 percent of the cocktail you're drinking - we're thinking we're going to want to make sure the stuff is on the level.
Plus, this is going to be a fun review for another reason - because the Hiram Walker folks sent us a bottle of Cointreau, what many people consider the industry standard in orange liqueurs. So how does good old Hiram measure up to Cointreau? Only one way to find out, isn't there?
Continue reading: "Hiram Walker Triple Sec Review"
May 13, 2009
Absinthe Mata Hari Review
Before we received our bottle of Absinthe Mata Hari, we had never heard of bohemian absinthe. We figured it was some kind of crazy libation people drank at poetry readings, sipping on it in between snapping their fingers in applause for the latest spoken word stylings. Hell, maybe that's exactly what it is.
All we know is we tried it, and yeah...maybe we did feel a bit more like Maynard G Krebs afterward.
Continue reading: "Absinthe Mata Hari Review"
April 14, 2009
Guest Review: Michter's US 1 Whiskey
We haven't done a guest review in a while, so we're excited to drop this great review of Michter's. As usual, the only problem we have with this review is that we didn't get to drink it, but we've had the stuff before and thought it kicked some serious arse.
Thanks for the reivew, Carlos.
Continue reading: "Guest Review: Michter's US 1 Whiskey"
March 24, 2009
Double Cross Vodka Review
We got our bottle of Double Cross Vodka a little bit ago, and we've sort of been reluctant to open it. No ulterior motive other than that rectangular bottle looks pretty darned cool front and center in the Liquor (Snob) Cabinet, and we didn't want to sully it by draining it. But, of course, our curiosity to try out the nectar inside overtook our aesthetic sense, and we had to pop it open for some sniffing, sipping, and cocktails.
OK, maybe it wasn't as existential as all that. But you're curious about how it all turned out, aren't you?
Continue reading: "Double Cross Vodka Review"
March 5, 2009
(ri)1 Rye Whiskey Review
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