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Posts Tagged ‘Tequila’

Review: Don Julio Reposado Tequila

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 28, 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.

I noticed that 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 the NOM 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.

Review: Don Julio Reposado Tequila

“… The initial aroma rising into the breezes is that typical herbaceous agave aroma which is lightly peppery or spicy, somewhat earthy and somewhat fruity. I am reminded of baked squash, white pepper, and spicy citrus zest (reminiscent of grapefruit). A very faint echo of sandal wood is in the air with some equally light scents of, honey, vanilla, butterscotch, cinnamon and ginger …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with my serving suggestion, Metro Mexico.

Chimo!

Posted in Reposado Tequila, Tequila, Tequila Review | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: Don Julio Reposado Tequila

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!

Posted in Blanco Tequila, Tequila, Tequila Review | Tagged: , , , | Comments Off on Review: Don Julio Blanco Tequila

Review: Black Fly Tequila Shaker Shots

Posted by Arctic Wolf on September 22, 2019

Black Fly Beverage Company promotes itself as Ontario’s first micro-distillery and was was founded in 2005 by husband & wife Rob Kelly and Cathy Siskind-Kelly. Named after the iconic insect immortalized by Canadian Folk Singer, Wade Hemsworth, their company was given the first Distillery License granted in Ontario in over 100 years. The vision of Rob and Kathy is to create premium spirits with more natural flavours and less sweetness with quality ingredients and unique innovative packaging.

I was sent a variety of samples from Black Fly Beverages and I have decided to begin this review series with their Black Fly Tequila Shaker Shots which I am told are produced in-house with real Mexican Tequila, real lemon and Lime Juice, refreshing soda and a hint of salt. They are sold in small shaker tubes mixed at 17 % alcohol by volume. The ingredients list suggests a premixed Margarita ready for your enjoyment.

Here is a link to my full review of this unique new tequila experience:

Review: Black Fly Tequila Shaker Shots

“… I must say I found the experience quite enjoyable. This is because the Margarita flavour was very natual indicating the presence of a pleasant highland tequila used to manufacture the shot accompanied by real lemon and lime juice. The tequila flavour was neither too bold, not too soft, and I think the shots will appeal to a wide variety of persons …”

I hope everyone enjoys my review which includes a few of my own serving suggestions. (BTW: I intend to enjoy one or two more of those Black Fly Tequila Shaker Shot Cocktails as I watch the Sunday afternoon football game today. )

Chimo!

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Review: Herradura Ultra Anejo Tequila

Posted by Arctic Wolf on April 25, 2019

The Herradura Tequila brand is owned by Brown-Froman. It is produced thirty miles from Guadalajara, in the state of Jalisco, in the town of Amatitan, at Brown – Forman Tequila Distillery Mexico, S. de R.L. de C.V. which is also referred to as Hacienda Herradura. The Herradura spirit produced here uses agave cooked in traditional old stone ovens, and distilled on old copper pot stills.

The subject of this review, the Herradura Ultra Anejo is a true 100% Weber Blue agave tequila. According to the Brown-Foreman website:

With the perfect blend of our premium Añejo and Extra Añejo barrels, ULTRA is a crystal-clear tequila. A subtle hint of agave nectar offers a superior taste that will transport tequila connoisseurs beyond smoothness.

Although the spirit is produced from aged tequila, a clear colour is achieved via a filtering process through activated charcoal that softens and crystallizes the blend of Añejo and extra Añejo tequila. Prior to filtering, a dab of pure agave nectar is added giving Ultra a light sweetness with hints of caramel and cooked agave.

Here is a link to my full review:

Review: Herradura Ultra Anejo Tequila

“… The breezes above the glass seemed muted as the filtering has muted much of the oak and wood spice to the point that all I can decipher (of the woody notes) is the light scent of sandalwood. The typically strong earthy note of agave is severely tempered as well. Within these muted scents of oak and agave are additional mild notes of vanilla and hints of caramel …”

Please enjoy my review which concludes with a couple of nice cocktail suggestions.

Chimo!

 

Posted in Anejo Tequila, Tequila, Tequila Review | Tagged: , , , , | Comments Off on Review: Herradura Ultra Anejo Tequila

2018 Ends on a Bitter(s) Note

Posted by Arctic Wolf on January 3, 2019

The calendar has turned and more than a few people have been wondering what happened to the Rum Howler at the end of the year that was 2018. He was nearing the end of his Fall and Christmas Cocktail Bazaar and was about to publish his annual lists of top Rums and Canadian Whiskies, when suddenly The Rum Howler Blog went silent on December 12, 2018.

What happened?

The best explanation I can give you is that a perfect storm of circumstance caused the year to end on a Bitter note. (And strangely enough, that is not all bad.)

The beginnings of the 2018 disaster had its roots in a decision made 18 months previous when my Wife and I, decided it was time to build a new house which featured wheelchair accessibility for my youngest son as we were finding it increasingly difficult to meet his needs in what was then our current home (a two-story with no bath or bedrooms on the main level).  So we hired a builder, I helped to design the house, and we built it over the 18 months with a move in date scheduled for December 1 (ish) 2018.

Six weeks prior to the scheduled move, we contacted our telephone/television/internet provider (Telus) asking them to have the services moved over by December 11th.  At the end of November, I was nervous as Telus hadn’t contacted us or given any indication as to when the services were to be moved. So I called them, several times, and each time was given a promise that an Escalation Manager would contact me promptly to let me know the status of the install.

Making a long story somewhat shorter, I was finally contacted in mid December and told that services could not be moved until Springtime when the ground was thawed. It had something to do with the new area I had moved to being a fibre optic only neighbourhood. You would have thought Telus could have told me that in October, not after our move-in date.

The Rum Howler during happier times in Guyana

I think you figured it out. On December 11th, which was when my wife and I moved to our new house we were without that vital link to the blogosphere, the internet. I was able to post one more recipe in my Cocktail Bazaar which had been previous uploaded, but all of my remaining work was on my home computer, and with the Christmas Season in full swing at my retail store, I was not able to post from work either. The Rum Howler Blog unfortunately was silenced.

Enjoying Rum at my previous digs

However, all was not lost. I contacted Shaw Cable on December 12th, and they were able to schedule a hook-up for December 24th. Issues with the cable line caused the install to be delayed until December 31st and even today (January 3rd), our phones are still not working right. But I do finally have internet. So the reviews and cocktail recipes can finally be reignited.

There was a silver lining to all of this. My wonderful wife, Maureen, made a troubling Christmas Season better by presenting me with a Bitter Advent Calendar on December 1st. Each day from the 1st to the 24th I was given a small gift to unwrap and inside was a small bottle of bitters.

So during the coming year, I plan to review each of those small bottles giving you my thoughts and recommendations for each of the bitter flavours. With bitters becoming increasingly popular, the bitter reviews should be a welcome addition to my website.

So Happy New Year Everyone!

Sorry for the rather bitter ending to 2018, hopefully those bitter feelings will converted into something more positive this year.

 

 

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