Monthly Archives: October 2011

Tasting Report: Loire Valley White Wines

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

This recent, Loire Valley-focused event marks (I believe) the first time I’ve experienced a wine tasting without touching a red wine — rose sparkling wine doesn’t count, right? The Loire Valley is home to dozens of very affordable wines, heavy on Sauvignon Blanc (Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume, Reuilly), Chenin Blanc (Vouvray), and Melon de Bourgogne (Muscadet) — with a splash of red thrown in here and there. Nothing tasted at this event knocked me off my blog, but many of these wines are well worth their sub-20 dollar price tags. Thoughts follow.

Tasting Report: Loire Valley White Wines 2011

2010 Jean Vincent Sancerre $12 / B+ / big mineral notes

2009 Vincent Vatan Pouilly-Fume $12 / B / big and chewy

2008 Domaine des Baumard Savennieres $15 / C / thin

2008 Domaine des Baumard Savennieres Clos du Papillon $19 / B / bigger, more alive

2004 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume $35 / A / extremely sweet white, lush fig and mango character

2010 Les Hopsices Sancerre $15 / B+ / nice tropical notes

2009 Clos de Nouys Vouvray Demi-Sec $13 / B / solid, finish is off

2009 Clos de Nouys Vouvray $20 / B / something of a cheese character

2008 Gratien & Meyer Saumur Brut Millesime $16 / A- / easy sparkler

2009 Gratien & Meyer Saumur Brut Rose Millesime $16 / A- / bigger and bolder, with longer finish

2010 Alphonse Lellot Sancerre la Moussiere $18 / A- / big bodded Sancerre, lovely

2010 Chateau la Tarciere Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine $9 / B- / uninspired

2010 Domaine Andre Vatan Sancerre les Charmes $14 / A- / big minerals

2007 Domaine Georges Brunet Vouvray $13 / A- / works, good balance

2008 Vignobles Laffourcade Savennieres $15 / B / big herbal notes, unusual

2009 Ludovic Chanson Montlouis-sur-Loire les Cabotines $18 / B+ / touch of honey, floral

2009 Vignobles Laffourcade Chateau Perray Jouannet Bonnezeaux les Menus Clos $25 / A- / lots of herbs to go with the sweetness

2010 Cave de Vins de Sanerre Sancerre les Chataigniers $11 / B / plain

2010 Domaine de Bois Saint Denis Sancerre $13 / B / lots of acid, citrus notes

2010 Domaine de Bois Saint Denis Reuilly $11 / A- / much more fruit, tropical

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Posted in Reviews, Wine

Review: Don Julio 70 Tequila Anejo Claro

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Take an anejo tequila and filter out the color, and what do you have? Don Julio 70, a new — clear — tequila with the character of an anejo.

Don Julio claims that 70 is the world’s first anejo claro, and depending on how you look at it, that’s true: Maestro Dobel does the exact same thing, but it is a blend of reposado, anejo, and extra anejo tequilas, filtered back to white. Technically it would only be considered a reposado if bottled unfiltered. But really this is an old trick that the rum industry mastered long ago. That it is now coming to the tequila world is only a mild surprise.

And so back to Don Julio 70. Composed of 18-month-old anejo tequila, filtered back to silver, I tried it side by side with both Don Julio Blanco (tasting tough and a bit green) and Don Julio Anejo (rich, caramel, cocoa-finished, quite lovely). Don Julio 70 is, surprisingly, a whole different beast. I was expecting something close to the Anejo, but that’s not the case. The nose is distinctly redolent of bananas and light wood, a weird combination of flavors that are not harmonious in the nostrils. The palate is another thing altogether. Here a butterscotch sweetness takes hold, attempted to wrestle with the wood. It fails, and the wood overwhelms everything. It’s quite jarring compared to the smooth richness of the (unaltered) Anejo, yet none of the brash agave notes that the Blanco provides.

I tried it against Dobel just for kicks, and the spirits could not be more different. Dobel adhere’s closely to its agave roots, while punching things up with a bit of sweetness yet keeping it all in balance. DJ70 is like walking into a Pier One store, full of potpourri and more wicker baskets than you can count.

80 proof.

C / $70 / donjulio.com

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Posted in Rated C, Reviews, Tequila

Review: Guinness Black Lager

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Christopher Null| 4 Comments

Heresy? Guinness is launching a brand new brew that is a massive departure from its typical fare: a black lager with a far lighter style than its usual offerings.

What’s a black lager? First off it is indeed just about black: a coffee-dark shade of deepest brown that blocks out all light. But it is also a lager, made with roasted and malted barley, Saaz and Cascade hops, and lager yeast. The alcohol level is a mere 4.5%, and Guinness suggests it is best served “ice cold straight from the bottle.”

Sure enough, this is a lively lager-style brew, full of flavor but also quite clean and refreshing. On the palate it offers light bittersweet chocolate character, graham crackers, and just a touch of hops on the finish. A roasted, molasses-style aftertaste lingers, not unpleasantly. It’s so incongruous: The dark color and light body are striking, yet the results are quite delicious. It’s a beer style that agrees with me especially. Those who love Guinness in its natural state, however, may find it to be a bit of a culture shock.

A- / $8.50 per six-pack / guinness.com

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Posted in Beer, Rated A-, Reviews

Tasting Report: WhiskyFest San Francisco 2011

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

WhiskyFest remains the whiskey enthusiast’s festival to beat. With hundreds of whiskeys, it is a mad dash for all sorts of great stuff — if only you can find it in the scattered auditorium and muscle your way to the front of the line. Don’t worry, you can do it, and even though the 2011 installment of this awesome event had more than its share of no-shows from the advance whisky list — Isle of Jura Shackleton, Tomatin 30 Year Old, Pierre Ferrand Ancestrale Cognac, the entire Usqueabach table — there were so many amazing whiskeys here it is hard to complain.

Favorites were unilaterally from the private bottling companies, including Duncan Taylor’s killer 36 Year Old Lonach Blend, Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant 21 Years Old — all that time in ex-sherry butts — and maybe by new favorite whisky ever, Samaroli Evolution 2011. Notes on all of these follow, plus comments (however brief) on everything else I sampled during the evening.

Thanks again to Whisky Advocate (nee Malt Advocate) for putting on such a terrific show (and inviting me).

Scotland

Samaroli Evolution 2011 / A+ / this Rome-based private whisky bottler was a fave at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, and this bottling was a revelation; a vatting of whisky stocks dating back to 1957, it is incredibly supple, complex, and impossible to put down

Samaroli Glenlivet Top Class 1977 / A- / amazing elegance

Samaroli Linkwood Top Class 1983 / B+ / bit tougher

Samaroli Glenburgie 1989 / B+ / rich and chewy

Samaroli Highland Park 1989 / B+ / has an edge to it

Samaroli Bunnahabhain 1990 / B+ / surprising sweetness

Auchentoshan Valinch / B / hard finish

Auchentoshan Bordeaux 1999 / B+ / sweetness up front leads to a rough finish

Auchentoshan 21 Year Old / B+ / my fave of the Auch line, better balance

Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve / B

Glen Garioch 1994 Vintage / B / big nougat notes lead to a strange, funky finish

Tomatin Highland Single Malt 25 Year Old / B+ / almost American in styling, sweet finish

Tomatin Highland Single Malt Decades / A- / a vatting of 5 decades’ worth of whisky; complex and lots of fun

Isle of Jura Superstition / A- / nice balance with the peat here

Isle of Jura 16 Year Old / B / big grain notes, exotic

Laphroaig Triple Wood / B+ / finished in sherry, which adds just a touch of citrus to standard Laphroaig’s peat and iodine; interesting but could go farther

Gordon & MacPhail Benromach 10 Year Old / B / young but charming

Gordon & MacPhail Caol Ila Port Finish 10 Year Old / B+ / nice mix of smoke and sweet, needs more aging

Gordon & MacPhail Linkwood 15 Year Old / A-

Gordon & MacPhail Glen Grant 21 Years Old / A / spends all 21 years in sherry casks, an amazing whisky, deep and rich (by far the darkest Scotch I saw all night)

Gordon & MacPhail Tamdhu 30 Years Old / B+ / a bit over the hill, wood-wise

Compass Box Great King Street / A- / a masterful blended whisky

Springbank 14 Year Old Manzanilla Cask / B+ / big olive notes

Springbank 18 Year Old / B+ / not feeling it tonight; too much of a coal character

Kilkerran WIP 3rd Release / B+ / like Kilbeggan, Kilkerran is doing releases as its whisky ages; at 3 years old it is young but exciting, lots of promise ahead

Duncan Taylor Banff 35 Year Rich and Rare / A / amazing fruit and wood here, lovely finish

Duncan Taylor Lonach Blend 36 Year / A / cinnamon and apple pie, all sorts of fun

GlenDronach 21 Year Old Parliament / B+ / curious wood and spice notes

GlenDronach 15 Year Old 1995 Pedro Ximenez Cask #2045 / B

Tequila Corrido Extra Anejo Barrel #2 / A / a smooth operator, lovely chocolate finish

Macallan 18 Year Old / A-

Highland Park 25 Year Old / A- / musky finish

Bruichladdich Black Art 2 / B+ / finish delves deep into grain character

Bruichladdich Octomore 3/152 / A- / the new “most peated” whisky in the world, actually quite pleasant and not the bowl-you-over dram I was expecting; more like a barbecue than a smoke bomb

Ardbeg Corryvreckan / A

Ardbeg Alligator / A- / Ardbeg’s latest, aged in ultra-charred oak barrels; the wood really does battle with the peat here, giving it a curious but less enthralling character, I think

Ireland

Redbreast 12 Years Old / B+ / really woody kick; the reputation exceeds the whisky

Redbreast 15 Years Old / B+ / not terribly different

United States

Bardstown Riverboat Rye Whiskey / B / a younger version of Redemption Rye

Bardstown Temptation Bourbon / A- / good sweetness, balance

Bardstown Barrel Proof High Rye Bourbon / A / intensely rye-focused, and intensely alcoholic; not released (the company is hoping for 2012)

Koval Lion’s Pride Spelt Whiskey / B+ / aged 2 years; not bad, lots of grain character

Wild Turkey Russell’s Reserve 10 Years Old / A- / love the rye kick; probably better since it was poured by Jimmy Russell himself (picture below!)

George Dickel Barrel Select / A- / nice rye going on here

Not Whiskey

Frapin Cognac VS / A- / 4 years old; surprisingly clean for a $49 Cognac

Frapin Cognaac Chateau de Fontpinot XO / A- / big nose on it, great citrus and sherry finish

Frapin Cognac VIP XO / A- / quite similar to the Fontpinot

Frapin Cognac Extra / A / 75 years old, extremely complex, mellow, and lingering

Pierre Ferrand Cognac Selection des Anges / A- / beautiful, smooth

Pierre Ferrand Cognac Cigare / A / not smoky, and in fact not as big a body as you’d expect with a name like that; very well crafted and lush; drink with or without a cigar

Tequila Corrido Extra Anejo Barrel #2 / A / a killer, and the only tequila here; lovely chocolate finish

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Posted in Bourbon, Brandy, Cognac, Irish Whiskey, Reviews, Scotch, Tennessee Whiskey, Tequila, Whiskey

Review: High Liquors High Whiskey

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

High Liquors — not to be confused with High West — is as enigmatic as its imposing, monolith-shaped bottle. Pick it up and you’ll find few clues about its provenance… and fortunately we were lucky enough to talk to the company’s founders, Brad Wright and Chris Lawson, to figure out exactly where this whiskey came from.

Interesting story: High Whiskey is actually a blended whiskey, composed of a 3 1/2 year old Indiana Bourbon and two rye whiskeys. It’s mixed together and bottled at 80 proof, the goal (per our discussion with Wright and Lawson) being to temper the fire of a young Bourbon.

They succeed there admirably: This is one of the sweetest, least “burning” whiskeys I’ve ever encountered. While the body offers cinnamon, apple pie, and big caramel notes, it’s that overwhelming sweetness that you won’t be able to get around. The mild, citrus-infused, Irish whiskey-like body gives way to a finish that’s more reflective of a Canadian whisky style — if it can be compared to anything at all. This is a whiskey that is nothing if not unique, and nothing if not a spirit for the true sweet tooth. I have one, in fact, and even I have to say: It’s a little cloying for my palate.

Incidentally, high is not a whiskey-focused company, however. Its goal is stated in its motto: “One Brand. Full Bar.” And to that end it produces four spirits: Whiskey, rum, tequila, and vodka, all premium spirits packaged in the cylindrical bottle. (We didn’t taste the other 3 offerings.)

B+ / $27 / highliquors.com

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Posted in Rated B+, Reviews, Whiskey

Review: Firefly Sweet Tea Bourbon

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Firefly’s Sweet Tea Vodka was a pioneer in the tea-flavored vodka space. The South Carolina-based company has since expanded with multiple varieties (peach, mint, lemon, low-cal)… and now there’s this: Firefly Sweet Tea Bourbon.

This category already exists (Jeremiah Weed has a stellar one), so the company has competition. Firefly’s version blend’s Buffalo Trace whiskey with real sweet tea (no vodka in this one, apparently), but bottles it at a mere 60 proof instead of 70, like regular Firefly. The result is, frankly, on the weak side, and a bit out of balance. The tea could be stronger, the Bourbon could be punchier, the combo a little more interesting. Instead, I get a kind of sugary wood character that doesn’t really taste like either of these great flavors. But I think the very heavy sugar finish is what undoes it the most.

Still, not an unpalatable quaff, and the nose is actually pretty spot-on, heavy with tea notes and a touch of Bourbon’s vanilla and wood character. It’s just too bad it doesn’t follow-through perhaps the way it could when it actually comes time to drink it.

B+ / $18 / fireflyvodka.com

Cocktail ideas from Firefly…

The Sweet Shot

1 part Firefly Sweet Tea Flavored Bourbon
½ part Firefly Raspberry Sweet Tea Flavored Vodka

Shake with ice and strain into a shot glass

Igniter Martini

In a shaker with ice mix:

2 parts Firefly Sweet Tea Flavored Bourbon
1/2 part cinnamon schnapps
Splash of cherry juice

Pour into chilled martini glass, sprinkle with cinnamon, add cherry garnish

Firefly Sunrise

Fill a tall rocks glass with ice. Add:

1 part Firefly Sweet Tea Flavored Bourbon
½ part triple sec
Splash or orange juice
Splash of cranberry juice

Add orange wedge and a cherry garnish

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Posted in Bourbon, Rated B+, Recipes, Reviews, Whiskey

Halloween Cocktail Recipes

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Christopher Null| 1 Comment

The time of year is upon us for cauldron’s full of bubbly and foul-looking stuff… designed to woo the grown-ups at the Halloween party instead of the kiddoes.

These cocktail (the term is used loosely here) recipes come variously to us courtesy of Kanon Vodka and Shindigz.

Kanon Vodka Witches Brew

2 parts Kanon Vodka
1 part blood orange juice
½ part aperol
½ part lime juice
½ part simple syrup

Combine ingredients and shake vigorously. Strain into a Martini or Antoinette champagne glass. Created by Demetrios Saites at The Fat Radish.

The (Other) Witch’s Brew – wow, this sounds incredibly bad

2 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 1/2 oz Blue Curacao
1/2 oz Brandy
1/4 tsp cloves
1 dash nutmeg
1 dash allspice

Mix Yellow Chartreuse, Blue Curacao, brandy and the rest in a shaker. Shake well and serve in a chilled glass. Serve in a Highball glass.

Vampire Juice

1 oz Coconut Rum
1 oz Blue Curacao
1 oz Bacardi Rum
8 oz orange juice

Mix rums and Blue Curacao in shaker over ice. Fill up with orange juice, shake well and strain into a glass. Serve in an Old-fashioned glass.

Pumpkin Pie Cocktail

1 oz Malibu Rum
1/2 oz Kahlua
3/4 oz canned pumpkin pie filling
2 oz cold milk
cinnamon

Mix rum, Kahlua, milk and pumpkin pie filling in a blender with ice and blend well. Pour into graham cracker-rimmed highball glass and garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Gates of Hell

1 1/2 oz Cuervo Tequila
2 tsp lime juice
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Cherry Brandy

Mix tequila, lemon and lime juice in a shaker over ice. Shake well. Strain into a cocktail glass with crushed ice. Pour cherry brandy over top. Serve in a Cocktail glass.

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Posted in Recipes

Review: PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Christopher Null| 3 Comments

PAMA’s a brand that’s been around for years, but to my knowledge it is the only pomegranate liqueur on the market.

Why no competition? Because the popular way to get pomegranate into a drink — overwhelmingly — is via that classic bar standby: Grenadine.

Now the catch is this: Rose’s Grenadine, by far the most common brand of the stuff, is little more than red corn syrup. So purists started looking for something legitimate, with real pomegranate flavor, and “authentic” grenadines were born. (Stirrings is just fine.)

PAMA ups the ante with real pomegranate juice, and mixes in vodka and a touch of tequila to come up with a largely winning liqueur recipe. While it is perhaps the stickiest substance in my liquor cabinet, I have to say I’m a fan. The pomegranate taste is deep, and while PAMA is very sweet, it’s certainly not intended for consumption straight. Rather, use it to make an amped-up Cosmopolitan, pink-ify a Margarita, or add fruit notes to just about anything… without weakening your alcohol level (for better or for worse).

Heck, sip enough of it straight and maybe you can drink it this way….

34 proof.

A- / $25 / pamaliqueur.com

And here’s a PAMA cocktail to try…

Fruit Cobbler

1 oz. PAMA liqueur
1 oz. blueberry vodka
1 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
club soda

Combine all ingredients except club soda in a shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into emptyhighball glass, fill glass with ice and top with soda. Garnish with kiwi, strawberry, and blueberry on a spear.

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Posted in Liqueurs, Rated A-, Recipes, Reviews

Strawberries Save Stomach from Booze

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Christopher Null| 2 Comments

Who knew the humble strawberry could be so impressive?

In an experiment on rats, European researchers have proved that eating strawberries reduces the harm that alcohol can cause to the stomach mucous membrane. Published in the open access journal Plos One, the study may contribute to improving the treatment of stomach ulcers.

What then does this mean for strawberry wine?

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Posted in Drinking Science

Review: Qream Peach Creme Liqueur

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Christopher Null| Leave a comment

Here is proof that not all musicians are required to lend their name to a cheap Cognac. Pharrell Williams’ creation is Qream, a pair of cream liqueurs flavored with either peaches or strawberries.

I don’t know who out there is clamoring for fruit-flavored cream liqueurs, but here we have it. We tasted only the peach version, and it is exactly what you would expect. The milky-pink-orange color is instantly off-putting, and the nose is surprisingly mute, hinting at almost nothing in the glass below. Take a sip and you get a heavy canned peach character, followed by something akin to rose-petal-heavy perfume in the finish. Cloying and saccharine, it’s a rocky road from there, with a long, lingering, and coating aftertaste that is hard to shake.

Qream is, in comparison to other “artist”-driven drinks, surprisingly understated, but unless you’ve really got Georgia on your mind, the difficult construction of this one makes it a pass. That’s a peaches reference. Sorry.

25 proof. Refrigerate after opening. Keep out of direct sunlight.

C- / $25 / qreamwithaq.com