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Review: Panamonte Reserva XXV

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 1, 2012

The Panamonte Reserva XXV is a new well aged Panamanian rum from PANAMONTE BRANDS. This is a molasses based rum produced from sugar cane grown and distilled in Las Cabras de Pese. The rum is very special, as every drop of the Panamonte Reserva XXV rum has been aged for a minimum of 25 years in used bourbon casks. It was handcrafted by Master Blender, Francisco “Don Pancho” Fernandez Perez. In case you are not familiar with Don Pancho, I should mention that he has built up quite an impressive track record of late, helping to bring to the market two of my more favoured rums, Panama Red 108  and Zafra Master Reserve.

I received my sample bottle of the Panamonte Reserva directly from Panamonte Brands shortly after the New Year. I immediately placed the bottle on my review shelf, and now I have completed the review.

Here is an excerpt:

“… As the glass sits, the impact of the oak gains momentum and stains all of the scents with its presence. The orange peel moves to marmalade; the brown sugars move to dark rich toffee; and the pungent spices move to smells of deep dark tobacco… “

You may read the full review here:

Review: Panamonte Reserva XXV

Please enjoy this review!

Cheers!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Panamonte Reserva XXV

Review: Schenley OFC Canadian Whisky

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 28, 2012

Schenley OFC is currently produced at the Lethbridge, Alberta Distillery by Schenley Distilleries (and possibly some is produced at the Valleyfield, Quebec Distillery as well). The Lethbridge Distillery is also referred to as the Black Velvet Distillery, as this is where Black Velvet Canadian Whisky is produced, and, as well, it is referred to as the Palliser Distillery, as it is also where brands such as Danfield’s Canadian Whisky (a Palliser Brand) is produced. To add to this confusing mix of brand owners which produce their spirits at this facility, the back of my last Smirnoff Vodka bottle (owned by Diageo) also indicated that this vodka was distilled at the Lethbridge Distillery. The distillery itself, seems to be owned by Buffalo Trace, who in turn are owned by Sazerac (or perhaps it is the other way around).

My research and digging around with respect to the Schenley OFC seems to indicate that Barton Brands currently own the Brand, although in this confusing maze of product brands and brand owners I certainly would not stake my life on it.

The OFC brand seems to have disappeared from the shelves of many liquor stores stateside, and I suspect that this related to Industry consolidation where for reasons beyond my understanding, solid money earning brands are dumped in favour of the economy of scales achieved by promoting fewer brands names across a portfolio. What I do know is that thankfully, the Schenley OFC is still found on the shelves of many liquor stores here in Alberta. It is a whisky which I hold in high esteem, and one which I felt I ought to revisit here on my website. Here is an excerpt from my original review:

“…I would call this zesty as the OFC has a real bite in the mouth.  A light butter coats the tongue with hot rye spice and light corn syrup. I should note that this is not a true rye whisky but rather a corn whisky, and although I can taste the rye spices, the taste of sweet corn and vanilla is predominant…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Schenley OFC Canadian Whisky

Cheers Everyone!

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Review: Plantation Jamaica 2000 Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 26, 2012

The Plantation Jamaica 2000 Rum is a  pot distilled rum which is produced from molasses using a long fermentation period prior to distillation. The rum is first aged in Jamaica in used whisky and bourbon barrels after which it is transported from Jamaica to France by Cognac Ferrandto be finished in their own warehouses and of course their own Cognac Casks.

I had the opportunity to meet Guillaume Lamy, the Vice President – North America, for Cognac Ferrand in Miami last year where I was treated to a tasting of the Plantation line-up at a breakfast sponsored by Plantation Rum. I am not sure, but at that breakfast, I received the impression that the Plantation Jamaica Rum was one of Guillaume’s most favourite rums in the Plantation family. He spoke with particular passion about this rum and how, in his mind, it carried a certain extra appeal or ‘funkiness’ in the glass.

I have worked my way through seven of the eight Plantation Rum sample bottles which were given to me after that breakfast (each 200 ml in size), and I have finally arrived at the Plantation Jamaica. I hope to find the ‘funk’ that Mr. Lamy spoke so passionately of.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“… As I let the glass breathe the smells are pleasant with spicy toffee mingling with pungent baking spices. The impressions of tobacco grow in the breezes above the glass and a nice marmalade sweetness seems to have developed as well. Under everything else I seem to catch glimpses of a certain ‘mustiness’ which strangely enough compliments the overall aroma of the glass… “

You may read the full review here:

Review: Plantation Jamaica 2000 Rum

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Plantation Jamaica 2000 Rum

Review: Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 23, 2012

According to their website, Tito’s Handmade Vodka is produced at the oldest legal distillery in Texas in the City of Austin. It is a small batch Vodka produced in a pot still by Bert Butler ‘Tito’ Beveridge (yes, that is apparently his real name). According to the information on the back label of the bottle the spirit is distilled six times from grain, where only the heart of the distillation run is captured to be bottled. The product has enjoyed a remarkable growth in popularity after winning the Double Gold Medal for Vodka at the San Fransisco World Spirits Competition in 2001.

I was given a bottle of Tito’s Handmade vodka by the local distributor, Diamond Estate Wines & Spirits for the purpose of a review here on my website.

Here is an excerpt:

“… When I swallowed my first shot of the Tito’s Vodka, I was impressed that the spirit was extremely smooth and imparted no burn to my throat. There is a certain amount of spicy warmth which is imparted to the palate and to the back of the throat. A sort of lemon aftertaste persists, but it is pleasant and you could almost say that it was refreshing…”

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Tito’s Handmade Vodka

I have included some nice cocktails with this review, The Vodka Daiquiri, The Vodka Tonic, and The Rustic Breeze.

Please enjoy the review and the accompanying cocktails!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Vodka, Vodka Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Revisiting: Bushmills 16yr Old Single Malt

Posted by Arctic Wolf on February 21, 2012

The practice of making whisky at the Old Bushmills Distillery can be traced back to 1608 when King James I granted Sir Thomas Phillips a royal licence to distill ‘uisce beatha’, the gaelic for ‘water of life’. This grant serves as the first documented evidence of the distillation of whiskey at the site although at that time it was not yet called Bushmills. The first known reference to the Old Bushmills Distillery was in 1743 when, according to Victorian whiskey journalist Alfred Barnard, the site was “in the hands of smugglers”‘. Now over 400 years later, the Bushmills brand is owned by Diageo, however all of the whiskey produced under the Bushmills name is still produced at the Old Bushmills Distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

The Bushmills 16 Yr Old Single Malt is composed of whiskey distilled three times. A portion of the whiskey is aged in American oak (bourbon) casks and a portion is aged in Spanish oak (Oloroso sherry) casks. All of this whiskey is aged for 16 or more years. The final whiskey is blended prior to finishing in old oak Port wine pipes. With such a variety of oak used in the aging and finishing in there is the potential for great complexity.

I revisited the Bushmills 16 year Old Single Malt recently, and when I looked over my original review, I was quite pleased that my impressions were very consistent over two years later. I decided to take a little time to fix some typos and to clarify some points in the review. As well I added a new introduction. Here is a link to my revised review of this Bushmills whiskey which was originally published in November of 2009:

Review: Bushmills 16yr Old Single Malt

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Irish Whskey, Single Malt Whisky, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Revisiting: Bushmills 16yr Old Single Malt