Appearance: clean, medium minus tawny golden color with thick legs

Nose:  clean with a medium intensity of corn, kernel, maple syrup, brown sugar, floral and muted oak 

Palate: dry, integrated but spicy alcohol, medium notes of corn, kernel, sourdough, maple syrup, cinnamon, pepper and soft oak.  Medium finish with notes of kernel and sourdough

Rating:  Average to good.  Basic bourbon that sees limited time in oak so the wood influence is muted.  This allows the … Read more

Rose Courvoisier recently celebrated its first year anniversary as a product. That’s not bad for a new product release in the ever competitive spirit space these days. It seems like new products are being released weekly, if not daily. It’s hard to keep up. Rose Courvoisier is a liqueur at 18% alcohol by volume (versus the Courvoisier cognac that clocks in at a much heavier 36%) that was created by blending Courvoisier cognac and red wine. …Read More

Summer is officially here, and one of the first things I reach for behind the bar is tequila. Whether you like to sip a nice aged anejo neat or prefer your tequila crystal clear and frozen in a margarita while at the beach, its definitely the spirit of summer. With so many brands to choose from, every little gimmick counts and so you may have noticed advertisements for 1800 Tequila in the past featuring Soprano’s star Michael Imperioli. One of the coolest features of 1800 Tequila that was highlighted in its ad campaign was the bottle’s ability to pour a shot when turned upside down. In this case the top doubled as a shot glass. …Read More

With so many brands focused on adding flavors to their collection we sometimes forget about “the original flavored spirit” but Southern Comfort is ready to reclaim its title. Keeping it fresh and innovative is key in the spirits industry and so Southern Comfort has stepped up to the plate after releasing SoCo Lime in 2010, SoCo Fiery Pepper in 2011 and now its latest offering, SoCo Cherry.

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The latest release from Highland Park is the first in a collection of four scotches with a release occurring every year, starting in 2012. It appears that each release will be named after a Norse god, and the first release is called Thor after the Norse god of thunder and war. Check out the Thor website. One may wonder why a Scotch house is paying homage to Norse gods. I know I asked myself that question. Well, it turns out that Orkney, the island where Highland Park is distilled, is actually as Norse as Scottish. The Vikings moved into Orkney in the 9th century and controlled it until the 15th century when the Scots gained control. In fact, the Vikings used Orkney as a base for raiding Britain, Scotland and other lands, including their brethren in Norway. …Read More

Plymouth Gin is the gin of the officers of the British Navy. While the enlisted men drank rum, the officers drank Plymouth Gin. Since 1793, Plymouth Gin has been produced in the town of Plymouth, England, a city located on the south-west coast of England. In fact, the pilgrims on the Mayflower took shelter from a storm there as they set sail for the new world. Maybe this is why they named their town Plymouth. Unfortunately form them, the Pilgrims didn’t shelter any Plymouth Gin on their voyage as the famous gin wasn’t distilled there until over 150 years later. …Read More

Italy has a long tradition of making spirits and liqueurs. However, you might not know it as Italy isn’t famed for their spirits or liqueurs. In fact, when you think of Italy and spirits, you probably think of Grappa. But, there is definitely more to Italian spirits than Grappa. One of them is called noisette, which are liqueurs that are made by soaking nuts in alcohol and then distilling part of the infusion again. Similar liqueurs are also made with rose, fruits and other florals. …Read More

I didn’t know much about Four Roses Bourbon other than that my friend Ingrid really, really likes it! We recently received a bottle of the Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon with the identification of Warehouse DS and Barrel 3-1I. Apparently, each of the Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon bottles come marked with their barrel identification and warehouse storage location. I thought that was pretty cool as bottles from different barrels can conceivably taste pretty different. It would be fascinating to track down a number of these bottles and do a taste test! …Read More

According to lore, Drambuie is fit for a King. In fact, it was allegedly invented by a Prince of Scotland who would have been King of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland if his insurrection has succeeded. We are speaking of Prince Charles Stuart, whose lineage included many of the Kings of Scotland and a few in England after the two countries united under James Stuart in 1603. In 1745, Charles sailed to Scotland and with the aid of the Scottish Highlanders, a fierce bunch of men, began their quest to retake Scotland for a “Scottish King”. During this period, there was much strife in England and Scotland. In Scotland, it was the Highlanders versus the Lowlanders, who had benefited the most from the merger of England and Scotland. The Highlanders wanted to be left alone with their Scotch and were no fans of the heavy taxes levied on their fine beverage. …Read More

Three Olives latest flavor should taste VERY familiar to most of us. If the name didn’t give it away, the bright and colorful “O’s” on the label should do the trick. It’s Froot Loop flavored vodka and although it sounds crazy, so did just about every other flavor of vodka that has become a staple behind the bar (think whipped cream, marshmallow, sweet tea). Three Olives themselves describe Loopy as “A dastardly delicious medley of tropical fruit and imported English vodka”. Dastardly delicious might just be the understatement of the year. From the tropical red berries to the strong scent of citrus, this one hits all the right notes to create a tasty vodka and completely emulate the taste/aroma of a fresh bowl of Froot Loops in the morning. Don’t worry, we wont think less of you if you break out the milk with this one but if your pour it in a bowl and try drinking it with a spoon, consider yourself judged. …Read More