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Posts Tagged ‘Cocktails’

Review: Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 23, 2015

bluechair_coconutFishbowl Spirits Llc. is a company wholly owned by Kenny Chesney, the well-known Country Music Singer from Knoxville, Tennessee. In May, 2013 Fishbowl Spirits launched Blue Chair Bay Rum, which features an assortment of rums which were apparently inspired by the relaxed island lifestyle of the country music star. The line-up includes an assortment of flavoured rums (a Coconut Rum, a Coconut Spiced Rum, a Banana Rum and a limited time only Coconut Spiced Rum Cream, as well as a standard White Rum. Although Blue Bay Chair Rum is based in Nashville, the assortment of rums they produce are distilled in Barbados and then bottled in Rochester NY by LiDestri Food & Beverage.

Three of these spirits, the Coconut and Coconut Spiced rums, as well as the White Rum have been brought into Alberta by Glazer’s Of Canada Llc, and they arranged for me to receive all three rums to review here on my website.

Nylon Pool

Nylon Pool

Here is a link to my full review for the Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum:

Review: Blue Chair Bay Coconut Rum

“… The initial aroma is very nice with firm coconut scents mingling with cane and vanilla accents. I like that the aroma appears laid back, clean and natural. I served the rum to my Rum Chums a few weeks ago, and they all seemed to quite like the natural aroma and felt the spirit was a step up from other coconut flavoured rums they had tried in the past …”

Please enjoy my review which includes a nice summertime cocktail, the Nylon Pool.

Chimo!

________________________________________________________

Note: Here are links to my other reviews of Kenny Chesney’s Rums:

Review: Blue Chair Bay White Rum
Review Blue Chair Bay Coconut Spiced Rum

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Review: 1921 Añejo Tequila

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 19, 2015

1921 Anejo1921 Tequila is made from 100% Agave cultivated in the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. The distinction between tequila made from highland agave versus tequila made from lowland agave is important because agave grown in the highlands tends to carry a different flavour profile into the final tequila than lowland tequila. Highland tequila tends to have more sweet fruity citrus flavours and perhaps a touch more hot pepper in the finish.

The website for 1921 Tequila states that their Añejo Tequila has spent  a year in white oak. The tequila is described on the website as:

“…It is definitely a Tequila made to be tasted calmly and enjoyed slowly in a cognac wine glass, allowing the description of the authentic taste of the white oak barrel aged for 12 months, where the wood has blended its most sophisticated characteristics with the agave from Jalisco´s soil…”

I decided to follow the advise of the website and began my tasting session with a cognac glass and the 1921 Añejo Tequila served neat without ice.

Maximiliano Tequila

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: 1921 Añejo Tequila

“…As I brought the brandy glass up to my nose, the fruity agave began to assert itself into the air around the glass. Nice soft pepper and ginger notes come forward out of the glass as well, followed by lime citrus and soft butterscotch. A hint of  vanilla wafts into the air with some scattered tea leaves.  The aroma is very nice…”

I have followed the review with a cocktail recommendation called, Maximiliano Tequila.

Please enjoy my review!

Note: I have been on a bit of a tequila kick lately re-visiting the many of the brands which I first reviewed several years ago. This has all been in preparation for the Rum Howler 2015 Margarita Challenge which my Rum Chums and I have been working on in secret the last several weeks. The purpose of the Challenge is to determine what we feel is the best Blanco Tequila for this Summer’s Margarita Season. The results of our determinations will be published in May, when I will revisit many Blanco spirits here on my website and introduce a few more. Until then I hope you have been enjoying my re-visitations of the previously reviewed Reposado and Anejo tequila spirits on my website. (The astute observer will have noticed a few new reviews were scattered in as well.)

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Review Crown Royal XO

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 17, 2015

Crown Royal XO bottle 2Last year, (January 16, 2014) Crown Royal® made an addition to its portfolio of Canadian Whiskies (in the USA) with the introduction of Crown Royal XO, which they have promoted as an “ultra-premium blended Canadian whisky”.  The whisky was crafted by Crown Royal Master Blender, Andrew MacKay and according to the fact sheet I was sent, it is a blend of more than 50 of Crown Royal’s finest whiskies which are finished in cognac casks from the French Limousin Forest.

According to Mr. MacKay:

“The ultra-premium nature of Crown Royal XO and the smoothness of the liquid can be attributed to the handcrafted approach we took while creating the unique blend. We’re looking forward to sharing this special blend with adults across the country and encourage them to incorporate it into their celebrations of extraordinary moments and events.”

For those of you familiar with the family of Crown Royal whiskies available in Canada, Crown Royal XO, sounds remarkably similar to the Crown Royal Cask No. 16 (click on the link for my previous review) which according to the Crown Royal (Canadian) website, is also a blend of more than 50 different aged Canadian whiskies which are finished in Cognac casks from the Limousin forest in France.

Here is a link to my full review which includes information regarding how these two blends differ as well as how they compare:

Review: Crown Royal XO

“… The initial aroma from the glass revealed sweet butterscotch and maple rising into the air with a combination of light but firm rye accents and fine wood spices. As the glass sat I began to sense some of that typically punky Crown Royal sweet corn aroma along with a few slightly musty ripe corn cobs alongside some spicy grain. I searched for an indication of the Cognac Cask enhancement and found a few apple scents wandering in the air and some very light indications of dry raisins …”

Please enjoy my review which includes a new cocktail suggestion, Crowning Glory.

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

Review: Captain Morgan Silver Spiced Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 26, 2015

Spiced Darwin

Spiced Darwin

Captain Morgan Rum traces its history back to 1945 when Seagram’s CEO, Samuel Bronfman, negotiated the purchase of the Long Pond Distillery from the Jamaican Government and formed the Captain Morgan Rum Company. The company’s iconic rum brand, Captain Morgan’s Original Spiced Rum was based upon a recipe purchased from two local Jamaican pharmacists, the Levy Brothers, who had developed the recipe using rum from the Long Pond Distillery. The brand is now owned by the Diageo Conglomerate, and their Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum is the best-selling spiced rum in the world. The subject of this review revisitation, is the lessor known Captain Morgan Silver Spiced Rum, which, is a blend of clear, rich Puerto Rican white rum and tropical spice with sweet vanilla character. It is bottled at 35% alcohol by volume. Here is a link to the full review which includes a great cocktail of mine, the Spiced Darwin:

Review: Captain Morgan Silver Spiced Rum

“… The initial aroma is pleasant with a pleasing (but very mild) mixture of butterscotch and vanilla rising into the breezes. I sense some tropical fruit (mango, banana and orange peel) and light accents of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Also rising into the breezes is a very light oakiness…. “

Please enjoy the review, Chimo!

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Review: POLIAKOV Lemon Flavoured Vodka

Posted by Arctic Wolf on March 26, 2015

Easy Lemon MartiniIn late November, I received an email from the Export Marketing Assistant for the independent French spirits group, La Martiniquaise. He was writing to me from Farnace to see if I would be interested in sampling some of the revamped new flavoured range of POLIAKOV Vodka. As it was explained to me in his email, the company is attempting to bypass the prevailing “flavour fatigue”  which they feel reigns within the flavoured vodka category, and rather than conjuring up new exotic flavours which are probably unfamiliar to their customers, the revamped Poliakov range focuses on ‘within-reach flavours’ which are familiar to their customers.

I agreed to taste some of the POLIAKOV flavoured range, and William arranged for me to receive three flavours, POLIAKOV Vanilla, Peach and Lemon Flavoured Vodkas.

This is the last of the three postings, my review for POLIAKOV Lemon Flavoured Vodka:

Review: POLIAKOV Lemon Flavoured Vodka

“… As with the other POLIAKOV flavours I have reviewed, (the Vanilla and Peach Flavoured Vodkas), the initial aroma from the glass seems to represent a relatively clean aroma of the highlighted flavour rising into the breezes with a light hint of sugar cane and perhaps a few hints of grain spice. The aroma is akin to the smell of lemon drop candies, but less intense and certainly less sweet …”

I have included two nice recipes with the review one from POLIAKOV, which is called Yellow Delight, and one of my construction which I call, the Easy lemon Martini.

Please enjoy this review and of course the included recipes!

 

Posted in Flavoured Vodka, Vodka, Vodka Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: POLIAKOV Lemon Flavoured Vodka