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Archive for February, 2018

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Review: Pendleton (Let’er Buck) Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 28, 2018

Pendleton (Let ‘er Buck) Canadian Whisky is distilled and aged in Canada. The spirit is then transported to Oregon where it is brought to bottling proof by Hood River Distillers using the glacial fed waters from Mt. Hood. The whisky is named to honour The Pendleton Round-up, a well-respected rodeo in Pendleton, Oregon, and in fact, Pendleton Whisky sponsors numerous rodeos, including the aforementioned  the Pendleton Round-Up, the Cheyenne Frontier Days, and the Walla Walla Frontier Days.

This is a non age stated whisky bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to my review:

Review: Pendleton (Let’er Buck) Canadian Whisky

“… The aroma is clean and spicy with ginger and oak accenting a honeyed toffee. As the glass breathes, the oak spice gains steam, hints of cardamom and cinnamon appear, and a light caramel toffee builds. I would not consider this to be an extremely complex whisky, rather it is crisp and clean …”

Please enjoy the review which includes a nice cocktail suggestion, the tall and cold Canadian Mammy.

Chimo!

 

 

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Review: St-Remy XO Authentic French Brandy

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 27, 2018

St-Remy Heretic No. 2

In 1886 Paul-Emile Rémy Martin II established the original St-Rémy Distillery in the tiny village of Machecoul. After 30 years of experimentation (in 1917), St. Remy launched Fine St-Rémy, the French Brandy which came to define the St-Rémy style and character for decades to come. The distillery began to exported their French Brandy to the rest of Europe in the 1920s and then jumped the Atlantic to Canada in 1967. Within another decade, the St-Remy spirit was sold on all five major continents, and today St-Rémy proudly proclaims itself the World’s No. 1 French Brandy.

The production of St-Remy XO Authentic French Brandy begins with the selection of grapes, harvested in France’s most prestigious wine-growing regions, such as Burgundy, Champagne, Rhône Valley, Languedoc-Roussillon, Loire Valley, Bordeaux and Beaujolais. Distillation takes place in both column and pot stills where the fermented wine is heated until the contained alcohol evaporates and becomes eaux-de-vie. The heart of the second distillation is carefully selected by the distiller to have the proper characteristics such that the eaux-de-vie will develop into brandy as they are matured in small French oak barrels.

I was enjoying this Brandy again today and thought I would re-post my review from last September :

Review: St-Remy XO Authentic French Brandy

“… When I bring my nose to the glass the breezes bring me aromas rich with oak and caramel toffee. There are firm oaky vanillans imprinted into the oak and toffee as well as hints of maple. The spirit is fruity with scents of orange marmalade, plump raisins, and impressions of Turkish Delight (red licorice) dancing in the background …”

Please enjoy my review which includes my cocktail recommendation, Heretic No. 2.

Chimo!

 

Posted in Brandy and Cognac Reviews, Brandy Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: St-Remy XO Authentic French Brandy

Review: Corralejo Triple Distilado Reposado Tequila

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 26, 2018

Hacienda Corralejo was established in 1775 by Don Pedro Sanchez de Tagle in the Mexican State of Guanajuato. The distillery (Nom 1368 CRT) uses traditional methods of fermentation and distillation with clay ovens used to cook the agave and copper pot stills used for the distillation.

Corralejo Triple Distilado Reposado Tequila is a 100 % Blue Weber agave reposado tequila which undergoes an unusual distillation process. The fermented agave juice is first distilled through a copper pot still, then through a column still, and once more through the copper pot still. This makes the spirit lighter than a typical Reposado Tequila which would normally be distilled twice through a copper pot still.

As a reposado spirit, the Corralejo Triple Distilado must be aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year in oak barrels of any size. In the case of the Corralejo brand the company typically uses charred American oak barrels. The Corralejo website indicates the spirit is bottled at 38 % alcohol by volume which is probably true for the domestic market; however, my sample bottle (available in Canada) is labelled, 40 % alcohol by volume which is also the bottling proof of the spirit in the USA.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Corralejo Triple Distilado Reposado Tequila

“… I suspect the triple distillation has muted the normally aggressive agave and white pepper allowing me to notice nuances which lie underneath. There is a light honey-like sweetness which builds slightly, and I like how all of the scents and smells are in unison. Hints of oak and light impressions of tea have joined the breezes as well …”

Please enjoy my review, and do try my cocktail suggestion, the Tangelo Margarita.

Chimo!

 

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Review: Crystal Head Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 25, 2018

Crystal Head Vodka is a Vodka Brand created by Dan Aykroyd (Canadian Actor and Comedian) and John Alexander (Artist) in 2007. This is a corn spirit made from a brand of corn called Peaches and Cream. I have actually grown this corn varietal in my garden. It is very good, sweet with both light and dark corn kernels (hence the name, Peaches and Cream.)

The spirit is quadruple-distilled in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada by Globefill Inc. at the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation distillery. After distillation the spirit is filtered seven times, the final 3 of which are through a filter which are layered with Herkimer Diamond crystals.

Rather than sampling the spirit in isolation as I did seven years ago, I tasted the spirit, side by side with two others, the new Crystal Head Aurora (reviewed here), and a Vodka which I am very familiar with Sobieski (review pending). All three Vodkas were chilled on my back deck for several hours (it was a very cold minus 18 degrees Celsius outside), and when I brought them in my thermometer indicated they had chilled to just above the freezing point of water (1 degree Celsius).

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Crystal Head Vodka

“… The aroma was clean with a little grain spice and light scents of lemon balsam and cornstarch. When I took my first sip I noticed the vodka carried more sweetness than the Aurora and the Sobieski. This is no doubt the influence of the Peaches and Cream corn. (Corn spirits typically carry more sweetness than wheat or rye spirits.) There is also a light mint-like flavour which accompanies the sweetness …”

Please enjoy my review which contains two cocktail recommendations, Comopolitan and the Moscow Mule.

Chimo!

Posted in Vodka, Vodka Reviews | Tagged: , , | Comments Off on Review: Crystal Head Vodka

El Ron Prohibido 15 Gran Reserva

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 23, 2018

El Ron Prohibido is an interesting rum produced in Mexico by the same company which produces Tequila Corralejo. There are three rums in the El Ron Prohibito line-up, a Silver Rum, El Ron Prohibito 12, and El Ron Prohibito 15 Gran Reserva.

Although one might assume that the number 15 represents the age of the El Ron Prohibido Rum, this is not the case. The number 15 represents the number of American Oak barrels in the solera aging system used to mature the rum. Giving this rum a different twist is the fact that these 15 American oak barrels were previously used for maturing Raisin Wine. The Raisin Wine Cask leaves its imprint firmly upon the rum giving us a new flavour profile quite different from a typical Caribbean Rum.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: El Ron Prohibido 15 Gran Reserva

“… As I let the spirit breathe I notice the oak spices evolving with dark tobacco and even more raisins in the air. There is a rich decadence implied. This is not your typical rum, the raisin wine cask has left a firm imprint of it sweet flavour and aroma upon the spirit …”

Please enjoy my review of this unique Mexican Rum.

Chimo!

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