October 15, 2010
Last month, we reported on a super-interesting book called "101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die" and at the time, it was slated for release in early December. It looks like Christmas has come early, because faithful reader Chuck ordered his and got a notification that it's already shipped out.
We've confirmed on Amazon that it's in stock and ready to ship - it's even Prime eligible if you're one of those folks who likes free shipping. We're getting out the old credit card right now and we'll give the book a read and give you our thoughts once we do.
101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die
September 15, 2010
We're pretty sure the title says it all here. If you like to drink whisky, this should be your bucket list, and not in a pretentious way. Check this out:
Avoiding the deliberately obscure, the ridiculously limited, and the absurdly expensive, whiskey expert Ian Buxton has scoured the shelves of the world's whiskey warehouses to recommend an eclectic selection of old favorites, stellar newcomers, and mystifyingly unknown drams that simply have to be drunk.
This witty, focused, and practical guide is not an awards list or a list of the 101 "Best" whiskies in the world in the opinion of some self-appointed whiskey guru. It's simply a guide to 101 whiskies that enthusiasts really must seek out and try--love them or hate them--to complete their whiskey education.
How can you go wrong? In other news, this little baddie comes out just before Christmas (hint hint).
101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die at Amazon
September 2, 2010
Talk about a new spin on an old product - a gentleman in the UK has started making what is colloquially known as "pissky" - whisky distilled from the sugary urine of elderly diabetics. Let us say that again, slowly - whisky...made from the urine...of old people. And before you ask, no they're not selling it, but the linked story has details on how you can try it if you want to hop on a plane to London.
Here are some more details from the story over at WIRED.co.uk:
The source material is acquired from elderly volunteers, including Gilpin's own grandmother, Patricia. The urine is purified in the same way as mains water is purified, with the sugar molecules removed and added to the mash stock to accelerate the whisky's fermentation process. Traditionally, that sugar would be made from the starches in the mash.
Once fermented into a clear alcohol spirit, whisky blends are added to give colour, taste and viscosity, and the product is bottled with the name and age of the contributor.
Thanks for the link,
Tool Snob - and would you mind peeing in this cup for us before you start that table saw?
March 17, 2010
Well, you can say what you want about us, but you can never say we backed down from a challenge. For those of you who have no freakin' clue what we're talking about, we here in the Liquor Snob offices made a vow when we first heard about the Pickle Back that if our readers wanted us to try them, we'd do it on St. Patrick's Day. For the record, we found the entire idea to be obscene, but the emails and Facebook messages we received convinced us we should think otherwise. Then, when we read the pickle juice in a Pickle Back can help avoid a hangover, we were all in.
Those of you who think were were just going to toss back a single shot of whiskey with whatever dill juice was lying around our fridge, however, are sorely mistaken. When we say we're going to do something, we do it, so we made an event out of it. We decided to find a Pickle Back winner among four different contenders - pickled egg brine, half sour brine, kosher dill brine, and the crap floating around in a pickled beet jar. Our findings are below, and while we aren't going to put this into our everyday drinking regimen, we have to admit people are on to something...if you find the right pickle juice.
Oh, and you might notice something odd about our pictured shot glasses - we decided to break out our Quaffers to cut down on the possibility of carpal tunnel from doing so many shot/chaser combos in a 10 minute period. And now, on to the show:
Continue reading: "Liquor Snob Pickle Back Challenge"
February 4, 2010
Last week, we posted about Seagram's 7 Dark Honey, positing it was Seagram's' attempt to hit the same "I don't like whiskey" market that Beam seems to be targeting with Red Stag.The folks at Seagram's were kind enough to send us a bottle of the stuff for us to try it out ourselves, and based on our initial tasting, we have to say we weren't too far off the mark. We're trying to get better about turnaround time on reviewing the products we receive, so we'll post our initial thoughts here and hopefully be able to come back with some thoughts on how to mix it.
The bottle itself is interesting, a boxy affair with subtle honeycomb graphics climbing the outside. When we smelled it, we got a mixture of wheat and sweet, more on the sweet side, like the smell of the milk in your bowl after your morning Honeycombs cereal. There were other smells in there too - obviously the tang of alcohol, accompanied by molasses and a hint of cinnamon.
The cinnamon flavor carried into the taste as well, with a nice balance of cinnamon and the namesake honey, and a long sweet finish. We didn't taste much by way of whiskey flavor hidden in the honey, but the overall taste was pleasant enough that we kept sipping, which seems a good sign.
Overall, we think it would add a nice sweetness to drinks that would otherwise overpower whiskey novices (we're thinking the Liquor Wife would enjoy a Manhattan using half Dark Honey and half whiskey - sacrilege to cocktail nerds we're sure), and it confirms our original thought that this could be a "training wheels" whiskey for novices and the less adventurous. Plus, at $15-$20 per bottle, you don't have to break the bank to do it, which is also pretty sweet.
January 25, 2010
We just heard about a new product from Seagrams 7 that sounds right up our alley, and we're looking forward to getting our hands on a bottle. It's called Dark Honey, and like the Seagram's 7 product you're used to, it's a blend of a variety of whiskeys; the difference comes when they add (you guessed it) honey into the mix.
At 70 proof, or a little lower test than most whiskeys on the shelves, and with that touch of sweetness, we can only imagine they're going after that same demographic Beam's Red Stag started after last year. We're thinking the target market is folks who want something a bit more flavorful, a little less frightening, without turning to a liqueur. If things go well, it's quite possible this could be another "training wheels" whiskey - a gateway spirit that opens the doors to more traditional whiskeys.
We'll let you know when we get a bottle and get our review up ASAP; for more info head over to TheBar.com.
November 7, 2009
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.
July 16, 2009
Our more perceptive readers have probably gleaned by now that we're fans of Red Stag from Jim Beam. If you've been following the brand at all, you also probably know Red Stag is sponsoring Kid Rock for his latest tour. What you may not know is that there's currently a sweepstakes running where you can win a weekend in Vegas with the aforementioned Mr. Rock, or some other pretty sweet prizes.
We don't often cover sweepstakes (or "sweeps" as the kids may or may not call them) but this one tickled our fancy. A weekend in Vegas with Kid Rock? Sounds like the premise for The Hangover 2. Or maybe Joe Dirt 2. Either way...awesome. Here's the pitch:
Enter now for your chance to win a trip of a life time for you and three friends to Las Vegas to attend a private Kid Rock concert - plus other amazing prizes including signed display guitars, T-shirts and downloads.
Get the rest of the details below.
Continue reading: "Win a Weekend in Vegas with Kid Rock"
July 2, 2009
We got a package in the mail yesterday that should have had booze in it. It said Knob Creek on the side, and that usually means we're going to be able to whet our whistles. But no. It contained a T-shirt that said "I Survived the Drought of '09" and a letter that started with "Thanks for nothing."
Yeah, exactly. Thanks for nothing to whichever one of you bastards who drank more than your share, because there's apparently no Knob Creek left for the year. Well, they're not exactly out, but they're expecting to run low this year because they didn't put enough whiskey aside for this year and demand has been higher than expected.
Some may think it's more marketing nudge than dire shortage, but we say if you're a big Knob Creek lover you may want to go lay some aside while the getting's good, just to be on the safe side.
@KnobCreek.com
June 12, 2009
We spent some time down in New York this week, and the main attraction of our whirlwind trip was sitting down with Bobby "G" Gleason, Master Mixologist for Beam Global, so he could trot us through some of his favorite Red Stag cocktails. In a masterly fashion, he mixed us a batch of cocktails that surprised us on multiple fronts, and most importantly, gave us a minor buzz at 10 AM.
We were fascinated by Bobby's patter about flavor profiles and his enthusiasm for experimentation (he told us of a bacon-flavored tequila he created), and we dug the drinks too.
We're including the recipes for our favorites - the Manhattan is one we'd drink with enough regularity to be worrisome, the Mating Call moved Red Stag from sweet to tart, and the addition of Tabasco to the Red Hot Stag worried us a bit, but turned out to be one of our favorites of the bunch. See the recipes and our take after the jump.
Continue reading: "Red Stag Cocktail Recipes"
101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die Released Early
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