I’ve waxed poetic on O’Shaughnessy’s cabernet, but its merlot (100%, nothing blended) is, to be frank, not to be missed either. This wine is huge with chocolate notes, backed with raspberry character that immediately recalls a classic dessert. Perfect texture, this is a wine that proves that not only should merlot not be shunned, in the right hands, it’s something to be treasured.
A+ / $60 / oshaughnessywinery.com
Each year our friends at Cuervo release a special edition tequila called Reserva de la Familia. We missed out on a review in 2009 but still have a bit of 2008 left for sharing with special guests which we guard like Gollum watches over his Precious.
Well, 2010′s Reserva just arrived and it’s a real winner. Clearly a few shades darker in color than the 2008, it’s a surprisingly different beast: Milder in agave on the nose, and with an intense caramel-sweet burst on the tongue. The silky texture is perfect, and the wood isn’t overdone. Compared to the 2008 edition, it is veritably mild, with almost no herbal burn and an almost undetectable agave finish.
Bottom line: This is the least tequila-like anejo I’ve had from Cuervo in any form. That’s not a slam, but it might be an indication of things to come. Will a milder, less agave-forward character be the future of this special edition bottling? Ask me again in 2011.
This year’s special box in which the Reserva is packaged features the artwork of Pablo Vargas Lugo. (Photo below.)
A / $100 / cuervo.com
Had the pleasure of attending a “virtual tasting” of Dundee Brewing Company’s beer lineup today: The drinking was real but the walkthrough was online, with a group of beer and spirits writers being introduced to these beers via webcam session with Dundee’s brewmaster Jim McDermott.
Comments on the three beers tasted follow.
Dundee Irish Red Lager is the company’s newest addition, a seasonal beer with a malty style. Not as sweet as many red ales, which leaves it kind of plain, like a regular American lager, not so much in the world of “red.” B
Dundee Pale Bock Lager is crisp, with a woody character and a big and somewhat heavier body. I like this better than the Red, though the finish tastes a little muddy. B+
Dundee India Pale Ale is a somewhat strange style of IPA, not nearly as bitter as most IPAs, again with a touch of muddiness, bringing it into a distinct kinship with the Pale Bock. Drinkable, but something which qualifies less as an IPA and more as a standard Pale. B
$12 per 12-bottle mixed “craft pack” / dundeebeer.com
It’s flavored vodka night here at Drinkhacker, as we continue with a lesser-known brand: 360, an eco-obsessed brand that donates money from each bottle sold to enviro causes and includes an envelope to let drinkers recycle the bottle closures.
Two years after our original review, 360 is launching two flavored vodkas (which is what vodka companies do, y’all): double chocolate and an unusual oddity: cola.
Both are 70 proof and naturally flavored.
360 Cola Flavored Vodka is brown like Coke (caramel color is added), with a distinct cola smell. The taste is oddly more in the vein of the sweet tea vodkas — distinctly sugary, and with some peach and apple character. In the end it has a cola kick, with cinnamon taking you to a slightly bitter finish. Try it on the rocks with water or with lemonade. Or, yeah, with Coke. B+
360 Double Chocolate Flavored Vodka – I’m not sure what makes it “double” chocolate, except that 360 claims it is infused with a “double dose of rich and creamy chocolate flavor.” How many doses can a vodka take, I mean? Not sure if this is “more” chocolaty than other chocolate vodkas I’ve tried, but it’s very sweet, has a pleasant vanilla character to it, and — unlike many chocolate vodkas — is clear, which gives it added versatility to cocktail recipes which you don’t want to turn brown. Hate to sound like a broken record tonight, but: B+
$20 each / vodka360.com
Posted in Flavored Vodka, Rated B+, Reviews, Vodka
Rest assured, açai mania is not yet over. Swedish vodka giant Absolut is just now getting into the game with this antioxidant-loaded flavored vodka, just in time, probably, for açai fever to finally run its course. (The future is yumberry, people!)
Açai is not exactly known for being a delicious berry on its own, and fortunately Absolut aims more for the “Berri” in its name than the “Açai.” With (natural) blueberry and pomegranate the added flavoring agents here, which helpfully balances out the bittersweetness of the açai.
In truth, Absolut Berri Açai has a more vague fruit punch character, which makes it a fine choice for sweet, Cosmo-like cocktails, and even the sweet-toothed on-the-rocks drinker. As a flavored vodka, it doesn’t do much more than your typical citrus infusion, but on the whole it’s pretty harmless. On its own it tastes better, if less complicated, than VeeV. Cheaper, too.
80 proof.
B+ / $20 / absolut.com
Posted in Flavored Vodka, Rated B+, Reviews, Vodka
A classically styled pinot, John Tyler comes not from the tenth president of our country but rather from a partnership between John Bacigalupi and Tyler Heck. Here they use Bacigalupi fruit to produce a wine with a big strawberry attack, which quickly gives way to earth, meat, and smoke flavors. A leathery finish belies the initial fruitiness of the wine, adding complexity but indicating, perhaps, its vibrancy may fade too quickly. Interesting wine, but best with food. I’m on the fence with an A- rating.
B+ / about $40 / johntylerwines.com
Spiegelau enhances is line of beer glassware with a fourth progeny: A tall pilsner intended for, you guessed it, light pilsner beers.
This 12-ounce container is surprisingly thin — almost champagne-flute-like in design, with an indentation near the base and a slowly widening upper section. The look is quite striking, and it’s definitely a conversation piece. Ultimately I prefer a tulip glass or even Spiegelau’s wider lager glass for everyday beer styles, since the pilsner hits you square in the bridge of the nose as you drink from it, but for enhancing the appearance of a bottle of ale, well, the Tall Pilsner knows no equal.
A- / $10 each / spiegelau.com
This seasonal IPA from Colorado-based Oskar Blues Brewery comes only in cans, the product of three malts and one type of hops.
The boldly golden beer is full of citrus aroma and bitter hops are instantly hefty on the tongue. But there’s a curious Eastern spice character to the finish — bitter anise, cumin, and dried orange peel, all giving this beer a bit of a “Midnight at the Oasis” feeling.
Refreshing but challenging. Be warned: It’s a hefty 10% alcohol by volume. Check the bottom of your can for a fun little something.
B+ / $4.50 per 12-oz. can / oskarblues.com
Credited as one of the first beers to use honey in its recipe, The Original Honey Brown launched in 1994 by Dundee Brewing Co. but, after the novelty faded, abruptly vanished from the market (the brewer blames an overly high price and packaging changes). Over a decade later, it’s back, with a big sales push, a lower price, and the original yellow, orange, and brown label intact.
I don’t remember the original Original Honey Brown, but this one sure is a keeper. Clearly infused with honey (Manitoba White Clover), it’s sweet but not cloying, smooth and velvety in texture but still distinctly a beer. Those seeking complexity should give it a pass. Original Honey Brown only pays lip service to bitterness, and hops are a vague impression, not a core part of the beer. In other words: Expect sweetness.
Pretty good on its own or, dare I say it, with dessert.
B+ / $7.50 per six-pack / dundeebeer.com
Sweet tooths, rejoice. Someone has indeed taken a pie, liquefied it, added a little alcohol, and bottled it for sale. Behold Travis Hasse’s Apple Pie Liqueur and Cherry Pie Liqueur, both of which are absolutely crazy.
Travis Hasse’s Apple Pie Liqueur is a hazy gold color. Flavored with apple and cinnamon and a few other spices, what you mainly get from a sip of this spirit is a rush of sugary sweetness. It’s possibly sweeter than any other spirit I’ve ever tasted, although the aroma and flavor are, once you push past the sugar, relatively authentic apple pie representations. But the sweetness is such a killer that it’s hard to palate on its own — in a small dose with a cocktail or, as the label suggests, atop ice cream, you might be better off. 40 proof. C+
Travis Hasse’s Cherry Pie Liqueur is a somewhat different animal. Less alcoholic (30 proof) and less sweet, it’s a cherry liqueur with a touch of vanilla added. A little less “pie” like on the nose, it still smells pretty good. On the tongue, though, it comes across as medicinal. It’s not syrupy in texture, thank God, but one gets the feeling that if you melted down some Sucrets you would get a similar liqueur… complete with the same amount of alcohol. C
$17 each / drinkpie.com
