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Posts Tagged ‘Cocktails and Recipes’

Review: Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 29, 2011

The Buffalo Trace Distillery is located in Frankfort, Kentucky and is the oldest (although unfortunately, not continuously running) distillery in the Unites States. The Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon was introduced by the distillery in 1999. The Bourbon is made from a mash-bill of Indian Corn, selected rye grains, and malted barley. The resulting spirit is placed in selected white oak “center ring” barrels from selected trees which are aged from 70 to 80 years old. Finally, according to the Buffalo Trace website, meticulous inspection of the various locations in the Buffalo Trace warehouses had concluded that the very best whiskey was being produced on the fourth floor of warehouse C and the fourth through sixth floors of Warehouses I and K on the distillery site. For this reason all of the Buffalo Trace Bourbon is aged only in these locations.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…The initial aroma from the glass is layer upon layer of fresh cedar and oak planks with the sap still dripping from the fresh wood. The scent has a touch of astringency, and it is hard to get at the sweeter underlying aroma of honeycomb, vanilla and corn. But, as I let the glass decant, I began to notice them, first the honeycomb came wafting up mixed with sweet toffee, and then the vanillans and corn pushed through the breezes….”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

As well I have designed two great cocktails which suit this particular bourbon perfectly, the Kentucky Crocodile, and The Crocogator.  Please enjoy the review and the cocktails provided!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Review: Siku Glacial Ice Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 26, 2011

Siku (in Greenland) means ice, and the Siku Glacial Ice Vodka is literally made from ice. The process begins with ice which has calved from Greenland’s  Qalerallit Glacier. This ice is harvested at sea, and then it blended with a five time distilled American (96 % alcohol) grain spirit transforming into Vodka via a proprietor stirring process at minus 25 degrees Celsius in small handcrafted batches. This blending process takes place in the Netherlands where the final spirit is bottled.

I was fortunate enough to be given a bottle of Siku Glacier Ice Vodka by Grant Schneider of Aligra Wine and Spirits. He wanted my opinion, and I thought I should share it here on my blog.

Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…When I took a shot of the Vodka, I was again impressed by the initial flavour impressions of lemon and lime citrus which were quickly devoured by a growing graininess. The vodka really has some ‘pop’ in the mouth…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Siku Glacial Ice Vodka

I also included a great new cocktail I call the Blue Glacier.

Please enjoy my review and my new cocktail!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Vodka, Vodka Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Siku Glacial Ice Vodka

The Juan Santos Rum Reviews

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 24, 2011

When I opened my website in October of 2009, my early reviews were accepted by the rum community as something worthwhile almost immediately.  In fact, various rum companies and importers began to offer me samples of their products to review pretty much from the get-go. The first such company (The Libor Group) was the Alberta importer for a Colombian Rum called Juan Santos.  They had four well aged dark rums in their portfolio, and I was given a bottle of each to review on my website.  Not once was there any suggestion that I should do anything but just give my honest about each rum.

Because I have so many readers now that I did not have before, I am re-posting these original reviews to allow my new readers a fresh chance to enjoy them as well.

Here are my original Jan Santos Rum Reviews:

Review: Juan Santos 5 Yr Old Rum

Review: Juan Santos 9 Yr Old Rum

Review: Juan Santos 12 Yr Old Rum

Review: Juan Santos 21 Yr Old Rum

It was when I wrote the Juan Santos reviews that I began to add cocktail at the end of each review. It is my firm believe that even the best rums can be enjoyed in a cocktail as well as sipped neat. Since a  few of these cocktails never made it into my recipe section, I thought would be a good time to add them. So if you like cocktails please enjoy the following suggestions:

For the Juan Santos 5 Yr Old Rum, my cocktail suggestion was a Rum and Ginger.
For the Juan Santos 9 Yr Old Rum, my cocktail suggestion was a Rum Manhattan.
For the Juan Santos 5 Yr Old Rum, my cocktail suggestion was a Rum Sloe and Sour.
For the Juan Santos 5 Yr Old Rum, my cocktail suggestion was a Sloe Rum Cocktail.

Please enjoy these original reviews and recipes from my early postings. Cheers!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Dark Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on The Juan Santos Rum Reviews

Review: Gordon’s London Dry Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 19, 2011

Alexander Gordon founded the Gin Distillery in London in 1769, and although the company is now part of the Diageo conglomerate, they have apparently remained true to their original Gin recipe which includes handpicked juniper berries and other secret botanicals. (According the company website, only 12 persons in the world know the secret recipe.)

I picked up a 375 ml bottle of Gordon’s London Dry Gin a few months ago, and I decided that it was finally time to publish a review here on my website. Here is an excerpt from my review:

“…As I nosed the glass a nice piny juniper aroma climbed out of the glass into the breezes. This scent was quickly surrounded by sweeter lemon and lime citrus aromas. As well a light, almost birch-like aroma was hinted at, and the overall effect is quite nice…”

You may read the full review here:

Review: Gordon’s London Dry Gin

As well I have included a nice “Fizz” style recipe which tastes great with the Gordon’s Gin called The Lime Fizz.  Please enjoy my review of Gordon’s Gin and the Cocktail recipe which accompanies it.

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Gin, Gin Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Gordon’s London Dry Gin

Review: Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila

Posted by Arctic Wolf on May 12, 2011

Last week I received an invitation from Aligra Wine and Spirits to attend their May 5 (Cinco de Mayo) Tequila Tasting which featured 12 Tequila spirits, beginning with 3 unaged Blanco Spirits, and carrying through all the way to 2 ultra high-end extra anejo spirits. The tasting was hosted by the Owners of Aligra, Grant and Allison Schneider, and was so thoroughly enjoyable that I decided that it was time to begin to publish a few more Tequila reviews here on my website.

Cabo Wabo Tequila is made from 100 percent Blue Weber Agave grown in the lowlands of the Mexican State of Jalisco. The distinction between agave grown in the lowlands is important because lowland agave tends to carry more earthy and vegetal flavours into the final distilled Tequila than Agave grown in the highlands. Interestingly, the founder of Cabo Wabo Tequila is rock musician Sammy Hagar, and his Tequila was apparently named after the nightclub he owns in Cabo San Lucas.

When I began to publish spirit reviews, my examination of Cabo Wabo Reposado was the very first Tequila review I published (in November 2009, shortly after I opened my website). So when I  was able to sample the Cabo Wabo Blanco at the recent Cinco de Mayo Tasting event, I decided that it was time to provide another review of one of Sammy Hagar’s lowland tequilas.

Here is an excerpt from the review:

“…In my tasting notes I wrote down words like ‘earthy garden squash’, ‘sweet bell peppers’, and ‘light peppery lime’.  But these tasting notes do not do justice to how wonderfully complex the flavours are, or how nicely they mingle together…”

You may read my full review here:

Review: Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila

As well I have provided a new cocktail called “The Deep Blue Good-bye“. Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Blanco Tequila, Cocktails & Recipes, Tequila, Tequila Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila