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Archive for the ‘Cocktails & Recipes’ Category

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Review: Black Stallion Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on August 2, 2011

Black Stallion Vodka is a product of Black Stallion Spirits, a Calgary, Alberta based company which has been importing Russian Vodka since 2002.  This is an authentic Russian Vodka distilled at the Kratos Distillery, one of the oldest producers of liquor products in Russia. The distillery was fully reconstructed and modernized in 1997, and a new main building was constructed with modern equipment installed.

There is a lot of information on the back of the bottle; but, unfortunately for me it is all written in Russian.  I would have liked this information to be translated as I like to read about the heritage of the spirit I am sampling, but I can glean from the bottle that it is a 750 ml size, and the spirit is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

Here is an excerpt from the review:

“… As we all took our first full swallow of the Black Stallion, I noticed the spirit imparted some real warmth to my palate and the back of my throat. The vodka was carrying some hotter rye-like spices from the grain distillate forward….”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Black Stallion Vodka

As well I hope you enjoy the recipe at the end of the review, The Vodka Darby Cocktail.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Vodka, Vodka Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Black Stallion Vodka

Review: Canadian Mist Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 31, 2011

Canadian Mist has been on the landscape of Canadian Whisky since the 1960’s when Barton Brands, Inc. of Chicago, contracted with a Quebec distillery, (Melcher’s), to supply bulk whisky to the United States for bottling and marketing. Based upon the potential of the new brand, Barton established their own plant in Collingwood, Ontario. Sales caught on south of the border very quickly, and Canadian Mist was soon the second most popular Canadian Whisky brand bottled stateside. In 1971, Brown-Forman Corporation bought Canadian Mist, and with further investments in marketing and promotion, Canadian Mist’s sales quadrupled in the ’70s and ’80s, to more than four million cases.

The brand is still owned by Brown-Forman, and it is still produced in Collingwood, Ontario. The whisky has always been produced for the American market where sales have remained strong. It is a triple distilled blended grain whisky made from corn, malted barley and rye. The water source for the distillery is the waters of Georgian Bay, part of Lake Huron, one of the largest (and purest) fresh water lakes in the world. The whisky is aged in charred oak barrels and blended in Collingwood, Ontario under the supervision of the Canadian Government.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The initial entry in the mouth is mellow with a flavour of soft, lightly dank corn leading the way. There is a sweet tinge to the whisky with a honeyed spiciness quickly following making the whisky lively in the mouth but not sharp or uncomfortable…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Canadian Mist Whisky

As well I have included a nice cocktail suggestion, the Buckeroo.

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Canadian Mist Whisky

Review: Pendleton (Let ‘er Buck) Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 24, 2011

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.

A few websites mention that the spirit is aged for 10 years in American Oak barrels, but I could find no age statement on my whisky bottle or confirmation of a minimum age on the Hood River Distillers website. I think it is probably more correct to assume the brand is blended to a specific taste profile and the actual age of the blend may vary from batch to batch.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The whisky has a crisp and smooth delivery. Rye and light oak spices lead out in front. Sweeter flavours of honey and toffee follow which are rounded out by ginger and a light touch of vanilla. I also taste hints of grain and straw, and a light touch of corn…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Pendleton (Let ‘er Buck) Canadian Whisky

I have also included a nice cocktail suggestion at the end of the review called, The Canadian Mammy.

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Pendleton (Let ‘er Buck) Canadian Whisky

Review: Pristina Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 21, 2011

You might say that I am a bit of a Highwood Distillers enthusiast. I toured their distillery last year (See Highwood Distillery Tour), and I have unabashedly fallen in love with the quality of their whisky which seems to me to be one the best kept secrets of the whisky world. In spite of my fondness for this distillery, I find myself continually underestimating their abilities.

And so we come to Pristina Vodka…

I guess I should have known when I received my sample bottle that what was inside would be nothing short of marvelous. But maybe it was the uninspiring bottle and label, or maybe it is just a case of us Canadians being a little too self conscious to believe we can be as good as everyone else in the world. Whatever the reason, when I put the Pristina in a flight of Vodka samples at a recent tasting where it was up against an Authentic Russian Vodka called Black Stallion, a real Polish Vodka called Alchemia Czysta, and a Vodka made in France called Grey Goose, I was not expecting what happened.  What happened was that every person at my tasting session chose the same Vodka as their favourite, and every person said it wasn’t even close. That favourite, the clear head and shoulders winner without reservation in everybody’s opinion, was of course the Pristina Vodka from Highwood Distillers.

I guess I have already tipped my hand that the score will be high, but here is an excerpt from my review:

“…My good feelings towards the Vodka continued as I took my first large swallow (shot). I was happy to taste no vegetal tones and to feel no burn at all in my throat. The swallow was clean and completely smooth. The back of my mouth received a mildly spicy warmth; but my throat felt no heat, even with a substantial swallow of the Pristina Vodka…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Pristina Vodka

As well I have included a suggested recipe in the form of a Vodka Tonic.

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Vodka, Vodka Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Pristina Vodka

Review: Pristina Espresso Flavoured Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 19, 2011

Four of us were gathered around my kitchen table sampling four flavoured Vodkas and two new rums on a lazy Sunday afternoon a couple months ago. The line up of flavoured Vodkas included Alchemia’s Chocolate Infused Vodka and their Ginger Flavoured Vodka. We also had the Birch Special from Nemiroff.  And the two rums were great, Panamonte’s Panama Red 108, and Atlantico’s Private Cask Rum. If you follow the links you can read all the reviews; but, I did save the last review from that lazy Sunday afternoon flight of spirits for the one which surprised me (in a most delightful way) the most. The Pristina Espresso Flavoured Vodka towered over the rest in that informal tasting session, and it is time for me to provide a review.

As a bit of background information, the Pristina Espresso Flavoured Vodka was introduced to the Western Canadian market in 2009 by Highwood Distillers. The product is produced from Highwood’s own quadruple distilled, triple filtered, wheat vodka (called Pristina Vodka), and flavoured with the extracted oils from real espresso coffee beans (and inverted sugar from Taber, Alberta). A final filtration is completed after the flavoring process is complete to ensure spirit clarity and removal of any suspended particles. The result of Highwood’s care and attention to detail is evident in the final spirit.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…I wish that I would have had a video camera rolling when I poured those first shot glasses of Pristina Espresso on that lazy Sunday afternoon with three of my friends. The reactions each of them had as they raised the glass to their noses to take a sniff was absolutely priceless. It was a look of shock, mingled with joy and excitement, and that look was the same on all of the faces (probably my face as well)…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Pristina Espresso Flavoured Vodka

Please enjoy the review and the suggested recipe that follows!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Flavoured Vodka, Vodka, Vodka Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Pristina Espresso Flavoured Vodka

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