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Posts Tagged ‘Review’

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Review: Don Julio Blanco Tequila

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 21, 2020

Don Julio is a 100% Blue Weber Agave Tequila made from agave grown in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. As a highland tequila,we can expect the Don Julio to exhibit strong fruity citrus notes and to have a little hot pepper in the finish. The company was established by Don Julio González, who apparently began to examine the prospect of making his own Tequila in 1942.

The identified NOM on the back label of the bottle is 1449 CRT. This NOM identifier is required by the Mexican Government to be placed on the label of each bottle of tequila to verify that it is produced legally from agave sourced in the Tequila region of Mexico. Each distillery has its own NOM, and by researching this we can discover exactly which distillery produces each brand of tequila. It came as no surprise to me to discover that the Don Julio Brand is produced at the Don Julio Tequila Distillery located in Atotonilco, Jalisco. This distillery also produces the 3 Magueyes tequila brand.

Here is a link to the review:

Review: Don Julio Blanco Tequila

“… Soft peppery notes come forward out of the glass, followed by lemon and lime citrus juices. Muted fruity agave and a hint of vanilla waft into the air as well providing just a little more softness. I allowed the glass to breathe, and the aroma did not change significantly. I was hoping the agave notes would grow in the glass, but the scent remained quite mellow …”

I hope you enjoy the review which concludes with two cocktail suggestions, the Paloma and the Don Julio Margarita.

Chimo!

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Review: Compass Distillers Spiced Rumb

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 17, 2020

is located in Halifax Nova Scotia, where Graham, Josh, and David began their distilling journey with a belief that they could create world-class spirits locally. Their artisan Craft Spirits are not imported, they are not blended with generic ingredients, nor are they pumped out of a factory; Rather, they are made from scratch, with locally sourced ingredients.

Compass Distilled Spiced Rumb is crafted with Crosby’s Molasses and Brown Sugar that is fermented and distilled in small batches. In Canada, Rum must be aged for one year in oak barrels. The Rumb which is produced by Compass Distillers is bottled without aging and so to differentiate the spirit from legal rumin Canada which must be aged for at least one full year, the product is called rumb.

Here is a link to my full review with tasting notes:

Review: Compass Distillers Spiced Rumb

“… the initial nose brings light butterscotch and vanilla aromas combined with scents and smells which seem to have an association with gin-like spices. I checked with the producer and learned that the rum is constructed from unaged rum distillate and spices which any gin enthusiast would recognize: cinnamon, clove, cardamom, nutmeg, vanilla bean, orange, licorice root …”

Please enjoy my review which includes my suggested serving, The Flying Machine.

Chimo!

(Note: in the USA and many parts of the Caribbean there is no aging requirement for rum, and thus this product could be labeled as rum south of the border.)

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Review: Agavero (Licor de Tequila)

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 14, 2020

Agavero is a tequila based liqueur based upon a blend of 100% blue agave Tequila (Reposado and Anejo), with the essence of the Damiana Flower.  Lazaro Gallardo, the founder of Los Camichines Distillery, in Jalisco, Mexico, is credited with creating Agavero in 1857. It is produced as a sipping liqueur meant for those who want a lighter, sweeter and more refined Tequila experience.

Agavero is distributed in North America by Proximo Spirits who have been increasing their presence on the world stage by acquiring key brands of distilled spirits such as Matusalem Rum, and Jose Cuervo Tequila.

Agavero (Licor de Tequila) is bottled at 32 per cent alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Agavero (Licor de Tequila)

“… The aroma is very sweet and sugary with a muted somewhat punky agave scent. There are the vaguest hints of orange citrus, passion-fruit, peppery spices, and lime. The different scents are somewhat melted together and this is not aggressive at all. The normal spicy aroma I usually encounter in Tequila has been tamed …”

Please enjoy this review and the cocktail suggestion which follows, the Agavero Margarita.

Chimo!

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Review: William Hinton 3 Year Old Rum

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 10, 2020

Madeira (an autonomous region of Portugal) is an archipelago comprising 4 islands approximately 520 kilometers off the northwest coast of Africa. Early in the colonization of these Islands it was noticed that these islands in the middle of the Atlantic had exceptional conditions for the planting of sugarcane. According to historical reports, the king, Infante D. Henrique, introduced sugar cane on Madeira Island in 1425 only 6 years after the Island was discovered.

William Hinton founded his Distillery in 1845 producing the rum from local sugar cane juice. The distillery had great success and by 1920 was processing 600 tons of sugar cane daily. Unfortunately, this was the peak of the rum production and a decline eventually saw the distillery cease production in 1986.

In 2006, William Hinton’s heirs relaunched the distillery using an alembic still. Their William Hinton 3 Year Old Rum is produced from sugar cane syrup which has undergone a special prolonged fermentation process and aged in French oak barrels. The spirit is bottled at 40 % alcohol by volume.

Here is a link to my review with complete tasting notes and my serving suggestion:

Review: William Hinton 3 Year Old Rum

“… The breezes bring my dusty sandalwood spices, light butterscotch, vanilla, almond, and a bit of green grape.The spirit is light and floral (almost delicate) with a mild herbal quality. I notice hints of camphor, ginger and cinnamon as well as a light light fruitiness of banana and green grape, perhaps a touch of red licorice. Although the spirit is light, it is nevertheless engaging …”

Please enjoy the review and my suggested serving, the Madeiran Presbyterian.

Chimo!

“…

Posted in Agricole, Rum, Rum Reviews | Tagged: , , , , , | Comments Off on Review: William Hinton 3 Year Old Rum

Review: Martin Miller’s Gin

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 8, 2020

Martin Miller’s Gin is produced at the Langley Distillery upon some of the oldest working copper pot stills in the United Kingdom. The Langley Distillery produces a variety of gins on a contract basis for many different UK producers. (Spanish wines and spirits producer Zamora Company currently own a majority stake in Martin Miller’s Gin.)

According to the Martin Miller’s website the gin produced for them is double distilled (using neutral spirit) on these pot stills with Angelica, Cassia, Coriander, Nutmeg, bitter Orange Peel, dried Lemon Peel, dried Lime Peel, Licorice Root, Florentine Iris, and of course Juniper. (Note: According to an article published in Spirits Business (30th March, 2016), a little bit of cucumber essence is added to the botanical mixture as well.)

Apparently the citrus elements are distilled separately from the other botanicals and the two separate distillates are then blended to the proper flavour profile. Water from Iceland is used to bring the final spirit to bottling strength.

Here is a link to the full review:

Review: Martin Miller’s Gin 

“… I sense a traditional gin spirit with juniper and citrus leading the botanical parade. The citrus in fact dominates at first but after a few moments the juniper finds its legs. Licorice and hints of cinnamon are apparent as is a firm orange liqueur-like aroma similar to Orange Curacao. And then there is something else, perhaps a melding of the cucumber essence with the botanical construct giving the spirit a new twist which I haven’t encountered in gin before …”

Please enjoy the review which concludes with my suggested serving, the Gin and Tonic.

Chimo!

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