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Posts Tagged ‘Cocktails and Recipes’

Review: Black Velvet Toasted Caramel

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 27, 2013

BVToastedCaramelThe Black Velvet brand has a long history in North America, originally produced at the Schenley Distillery in Valleyfield, Quebec in the late 1940s. The whisky was originally called Black Label; but because of the perceived smoothness of the whisky, the producers soon changed the name to Black Velvet. It has been a staple of the Canadian whisky scene ever since. It is now produced at the Black Velvet Distillery (also called the Palliser Distillery) in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Black Velvet Toasted Caramel is a new flavoured whisky produced introduced last year by the company. It is apparently constructed from natural toasted caramel flavour and Black Velvet Whisky.  The product is bottled at 35 % alcohol by volume.

You may read the full review by clicking the following excerpt:

Review: Black Velvet Toasted Caramel

“… Black Velvet Toasted Caramel runs towards the sweet side of the palate with caramel and maple flavour leading the way. The strong undercurrent of maple confuses me at first; but upon reflection I suspect this must be the wood and whisky spices showing through and moving some of that caramel flavour to maple …”

Please enjoy the review which includes a nice new recipe, the Canadian Caribou High Ball.

Cheers!

 

 

Posted in Canadian Whisky, Cocktails & Recipes, Flavoured Whisky, Whisk(e)y | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Black Velvet Toasted Caramel

Review: Souvenir Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 23, 2013

SAM_0686 Souvenir VodkaSouvenir Vodka (according to their website) is a quadruple distilled Ukrainian Vodka. It arrives in a frosted bottle with a clear window shape in the front which is designed to allow the consumer to have their own image placed at the back of the bottle to be seen through this window.  The idea is to allow clients to use the bottle for a variety of purposes such as to commemorate special events like weddings or anniversaries, or to advertise company logos, or whatever other purpose can be imagined. I was told that the Vodka within is a very high quality product from a major Ukrainian distillery, and therefore the company or individual who has purchased the Vodka for their event will not only gain the branding impact of the bottle presentation, but will also be seen as having discriminating taste.

The concept sounds interesting, and I decided to put the Souvenir Vodka through the rituals of my tasting methodology to see how it stacks up.

You may click on the following excerpt to read the full review:

Review: Souvenir Vodka

“… As I took my first full swallow of the Souvenir Vodka ‘shot style’, I noticed a spicy warmth upon my palate and in the back of my throat. To my way of thinking this spiciness is almost rye-like  and it tickles the tonsils giving the spirit a ‘bracing’ quality …”

The review includes a new recipe I call the Viridian Viper.

Please enjoy the review and the recipe, Budmo!

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

Review: Whaler’s Killer Coconut Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 19, 2013

Whalers Coconut bottle shotA few weeks back, I received a few bottles of the different flavours of Whaler’s Rum from the local importer here in Alberta, Diamond Estates. They were hoping I would taste them, share some with my friends, and perhaps write a review or two. I didn’t really know a lot about Whaler’s Rum so I agreed to accept the samples of these “Hawaiian” style rums.

According to the Whaler’s Rum website, the rum is made from an old Hawaiian recipe. The story goes that early seafarers used to rattle vanilla beans in empty rum bottles at sunset to attract migrating whales to their ships. The whales (who apparently were friendly in those earlier days) then guided the sailors to the tropical haven known as Hawaii. There, the seafarers discovered the old rum makers of Maui, and they were so impressed with that rum that they called it Whaler’s in homage to friendly whales who led them to the rum.

You may click on the excerpt to read the full review:

Review: Whaler’s Killer Coconut Rum

“… The aroma is very nice with coconut scents mingling with light caramel and vanilla. I was expecting more intensity in the breezes above the glass from a flavoured rum labeled “Killer Coconut, but the scents in the air above the glass are rather laid back. I guess Killer Whales are more laid back and relaxed than I thought …”

I have included two recipes for the Killer Coconut Rum, the Chocolate Covered Banana and A Day At The Beach.

Please enjoy the review!

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Flavouerd Rums, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Whaler’s Killer Coconut Rum

Review: Bushmills Black Bush Irish Whiskey

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 17, 2013

SAM_0669 Black Bush Irish CoffeeA second review for the Day of St. Pat:

The practice of making whisky at the Old Bushmills Distillery can be traced back to 1608 when King James I granted Sir Thomas Phillips (landowner and Governor of County of Antrim, Ireland) a royal license to distill ‘uisce beatha’, the gaelic for ‘water of life’. Although this grant serves as the first documented evidence of whisky being distilled at the site which would become Old Bushmills, it was not as yet called Bushmills. By 1743 however, a distillery by this name was (according to Victorian whiskey journalist Alfred Barnard) was “in the hands of smugglers”‘.  (However, it was not until 1784 that Hugh Anderson officially registered the Old Bushmills Distillery with the Pot Still as its trade mark.) Today, the Bushmills brand is owned by the Diageo conglomerate with all of the whiskey produced under the Bushmills name produced at the Old Bushmills Distillery in Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

The Bushmills Black Bush is composed of whiskey aged in Oloroso Sherry and American oak (bourbon) cask. All of this whiskey is aged for up to 7  years with 80 per cent of the blend being Premium Malt Whisky.

Please click on the following excerpt to read the review which contains two great St. Patrick’s Day cocktails, Fool’s Gold on the Rocks, and of course, Irish Coffee:

Review: Bushmills Black Bush Irish Whiskey

“… The initial breezes above the glass are warm and inviting. I sense some soft caramel toffee rising into the air with some sweet malty aromas, hints of dry fruit (raisins and apricots), a nice lightly spicy oak presence, and some light impressions of cocoa … “

Please enjoy my second St. Patrick’s Day Review!

(Note: Sample for this review provided by the Diageo Marketing  team in Alberta.)

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Irish Whskey, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Bushmills Black Bush Irish Whiskey

Review: Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 17, 2013

SAM_0654 KilbegganSt. Patrick’s Day has rolled around one more time. (Although with a temperature outside at minus seventeen degrees Centigrade and still 40 centimeters of snow still residing on my back lawn it seems more like January than March.) In many places throughout the world, this is a day to revel in the Irish heritage which we either share by birth, or we share by spirit (on St. Patrick’s Day at least). We wear green; we attend parades; and some of us even drink green beer in what has become more of a secular holiday which celebrates Irish culture, than a religious holiday which celebrates the Patron Saint after which the day was first named.

And celebrating Irish culture is not a bad thing; it was after all the Irish who first distilled “uisce beatha“, which translates from Irish into English as “the water of life“. I could go into a long and detailed etymology,  but suffice it to say that “uisce beatha” is probably very close to the original form of the word which would later become “whiskey”.  My blog is full of reviews of this wonderful spirit, but I must admit it is sorely lacking in content dedicated to the Irish variety.

Today, I will go a small way towards correcting this imbalance by reviewing a whiskey from the Emerald Isle which embodies the character and the class of spirits we call Irish Whiskey; a spirit which can trace its heritage back to 1757, and makes the claim that it is linked to the oldest distillery in Ireland, the Kilbeggan Distillery.

Please click on the following excerpt to read the full review:

Review: Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey

“… The Kilbeggan is very pleasant in the glass with a nice warm mahogany colour and initial scents of vanilla, punky toffee, and light sandalwood. As I let the glass breathe, I notice some nice fruity notes (banana and orange peel in particular), a bit of pickle juice, some green grape, and a nice little dollop of almond …”

Of course I have include a nice cocktail for the Day of St. Pat, The Irish Mojito Swizzle.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

(Note: Sample for this review provided by the Alberta Beam Global team)

Posted in Cocktails & Recipes, Irish Whskey, Whisk(e)y, Whisk(e)y Review | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey