Review: Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey (2009)
St. Patrick’s Day approaches… here’s more Irish whiskey reviews. Kilbeggan is an awfully simple blended Irish whiskey, its claim to fame being that it comes from the “oldest licensed distillery in the world.” It isn’t hard to drink, offering light sweetness and moderate wood character locked into a pale yellow spirit. There’s a touch of…
Review: Ron Abuelo Anejo and Anejo 7 Anos
I’ll be blunt: Ron Abuelo’s rums are as good as rums that cost twice as much and possibly more. Right now the company (producer Varela Hermanos, a 100-year-old firm) offers two rums, distilled in Panama from sugar cane the company grows itself. (Abuelo claims to be one of few distilleries in the world to grow…
Review: Gordon & MacPhail Caol Ila 8 Years Old
Mega-independent bottlers-slash-retailers Gordon & MacPhail are releasing a few new private bottlings this season, notably featuring this new 8-year expression of Caol Ila, served up for your approval. The initial nose is a hefty dose of peat and smoke, and though the color is just the palest gold, it hints at a mightily big, smoky,…
Review: Drinkin’ Mate Hangover Defense
There’s good news and bad news about Drinkin’ Mate, another entry into the growing category of hangover prevention remedies. First the good: Compared to the field, Drinkin’ Mate is the best-tasting hangover preventer around. It’s an effervescent pill (like an Alka-Seltzer). Just drop it in a few ounces of water, and you get a fizzy,…
Review: Reed’s Raspberry Ginger Brew
Take a standard Reed’s Ginger Brew and add 20 percent raspberry juice and what do you get? A nicely refreshing drink that offers the best of both the ginger and fruit juice worlds. To be honest, that 20 percent raspberry goes a long way, overpowering the ginger component more than you’d expect — although it…
Thailand’s New “National Cocktail”
How do you get people to come and visit your faraway land? Lure them with booze: Intended as an answer to Singapore’s slings, Cuba’s mojitos and the many manhattans downed in New York, the Siam sunray is intended to give tourists an instant taste of Thailand’s charms. At the very least the drink’s ingredients are…
Review: Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey (2009)
No one reaches first for Tullamore Dew when they think of Irish whiskey, but looking at the spirit was fresh eyes, nostrils, and taste buds, it’s really not half bad. That said, the “Standard Blend” is nothing special. The flavor profile of the Dew is mildly sweet and malt-like, touched with lemon and with a…
Recipe: Shamrocked
St. Patrick’s Day is just a week and change away. That means spirits merchants inundate us with holiday-appropriate recipes — I’ve been surprised by the number of tequila-based cocktail ideas this year — but this was the one I was most anxious to try, courtesy of the folks at Tullamore Dew. (Irish whiskey, of course,…
