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Posts Tagged ‘Campari’

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Review: Russell’s Reserve (10 Years Old) Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 4, 2018

Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon is distilled and bottled at the Wild Turkey Distillery near Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. The company is a division of the Campari Group. Wild Turkey produces their bourbon from a mash bill which includes three grains: corn, barley, and rye. This mash bill is said to have a relatively high proportion of rye which gives the whiskey brand its signature spicy kick. Russell’s Reserve is an age stated bourbon brand produced by Wild Turkey. Like all Wild Turkey Bourbons the whiskey is aged in what the company refers to as their ‘famous #4 alligator char‘ American Oak barrels.

The Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old is bottled at 45 % alcohol by volume or 90 proof.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Russell’s Reserve (10 Years Old)

“… The delivery brings a peppery bite of oak spice and alcohol along with it. As stated earlier, this is bottled at 45 % alcohol by volume, so a bit of alcohol punch is not out of place. I taste bits of wood sap and oak spice. The initial sharpness is tempered by a light butterscotch as well as a firm flavour of vanilla and almond. Fruit flavours are present in the form of orange peel and canned apricots …”

I hope you enjoy my latest review.

Chimo!

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Review: Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 12, 2018

Caba Wabo Reposado was the very first tequila brand I reviewed on this website. At the time of that original review, I was told that it was produced from agave grown in the lowlands of Mexico’s Tequila producing region. This was important to know, because lowland agave will usually bring more earthy/punky flavours through the distillation than highland agave which tends to bring spicier pepper and citrus flavours through the distillation. This year when I researched Cabo Wabo, I could no longer verify any information regarding the growing region of the agave used to produce the spirit.

To be clear, I am not sure whether anything within the spirit changed, however it is true that the ownership of the brand has been evolving. Cabo Wabo Tequila was created in 1996 by Rock & Roll legend, Sammy Hagar and named after the nightclub he owned in Cabo San Lucas. In 2007, Gruppo Campari purchased 80 % of the brand from the musician, and then purchased the remaining 20 % in 2011.

As my original review for the spirit may no longer reflect the current contents, I thought it would be fun to revisit the Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila with an updated review.

Review: Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila

“… The breezes above the glass bring hot spices and citrus zest forward with the typical punky agave aroma (this aroma always reminds me of baked squash) peculiar to Tequila is muted somewhat. This seems to indicate the spirit has more highland character than lowland …”

Please enjoy my new review which concludes with my cocktail suggestion, a traditional Margarita Cocktail.

Chimo!

Posted in Reposado Tequila, Tequila, Tequila Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila

Review: Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 5, 2018

When I first reviewed Caba Blanco Tequila six years ago, it was listed on most websites as a spirit produced from agave grown in the lowlands of Mexico’s Tequila producing region.This was important to know, because lowland agave will usually bring more earthy/punky flavours through the distillation than highland agave which tends to bring fruitier/spicier flavours through the distillation. This year when I researched the spirit, I could no longer verify any information regarding the terroir of the agave used to produce the brand. I am not sure whether anything has changed, and in fact my previous tasting notes  seemed to indicate a spirit which relied more upon highland grown agave  rather than lowland.

To be clear, I am not sure whether anything within the spirit changed, however it is true that the ownership of the brand has been evolving. Cabo Wabo Tequila was created in 1996 by Rock & Roll legend, Sammy Hagar and named after the nightclub he owned in Cabo San Lucas. In 2007, Gruppo Campari purchased 80 % of the brand from the musician, and then purchased the remaining 20 % in 2011. Thus the brand is no longer produced under the direction of Sammy Hagar.

As my original review for the spirit may no longer reflect the current contents, I thought it would be fun to revisit the Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila with an updated review.

Here is a link to that review:

Review: Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila

“… The breezes brought a mild, but firm agave scent which gave me impressions of grilled zucchini. The fruity agave was joined by the spiciness of citrus zest and spicy white pepper. There also seemed to be light impressions of mint and green bell peppers. I like the overall aroma which although mild, is also inviting …”

Please enjoy this review which concludes with my cocktail suggestion, the Deep Blue Good-bye.

Chimo!

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Review: Skyy Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 9, 2017

Skyy Vodka was created by Maurice Kanbar who formed Skyy Spirits LLC. in 1992 to market the spirit. The Vodka is quadruple distilled from American grain, and is also apparently filtered three times though California limestone prior to bottling. In 1999, the Compari Group (headquartered in Milan, Italy) purchased the brand, and Skyy is now a product of the Campari America Division.

I sampled Skyy Vodka for the first time two years ago and decided to revisit the brand this year when I chose to compare four Vodkas in a small tasting competition(Smirnoff No. 21 Red, Reyka, Skyy and Last Mountain Distillery Hand Crafted Vodkas). I tasted the spirits in pairs, and when I determined which vodka from each pair was my preferred spirit, then I tasted the winners of each of the previous tasting sessions went head to head in a final taste-off.

Here is a link to my revised review of Skyy Vodka:

Review: Skyy Vodka

“… the spirit was very lightly sweet with a nice clean spiciness and a hint of menthol that seemed refreshing. There was also a hint of a very lightly bitter pithy (that white stuff on the back side of a citrus peel) flavour which carried into the aftertaste. Fortunately as the spirit warmed, that lightly bitter flavour did not increase …”

Please enjoy this revised review which indicates substantial improvement in the brand over the past two years. Chimo!

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Cocktail Hour: The Railcar

Posted by Arctic Wolf on July 14, 2016

I was given a bottle of Bacardi Anejo Rum to review, and after I had finished my sampling sessions I began to search for a suitable cocktail to recommend for the spirit. I began by doing a web search for ‘Bacardi Anejo Cocktails‘, and I came upon a recipe called the Third Rail on the Drinks Mixer website (here).

Three Degrees SAM_2685The libation is quite simple as it mixes Bacardi Anejo Rum with Orange Curacao and Lime Juice. I tried one, and my thoughts turned to a brandy cocktail I have been working with recently, the Sidecar. I realized the two recipes were very similar. Each is basically a sour cocktail which uses orange Curacao as its sweetener. The Sidecar uses lemon juice as the sour ingredient whereas the Third Rail uses Lime Juice.

So I starting with the Third Rail; however, I added a very light dollop of sugar syrup to give the serving a touch more sweetness. Then, to give my mixed drink an added touch of flavour and complexity, I also added a dash of Campari. When I mixed the serving, I knew I had found a winning combination of flavours.

Paying homage to the mixed drinks which inspired me, I called this new cocktail, the Railcar.

I hope you enjoy it.

The Railcar

2 oz Anejo Rum
3/4 oz Bols Triple Sec
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/8 oz Sugar Syrup
1/8 oz Campari
Ice
Orange Peel (optional)

Add the first five ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice
Shake until the outsides of the shaker begins to frost
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with a coil of Orange Peel (optional)

Please Enjoy Responsibly!

If  you are interested in more of my original cocktail recipes, please click this link (Cocktails and Recipes) for more of my mixed drink recipes!

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Note: My review of Bacardi Anejo Rum will publish tomorrow, Chimo!

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