Review: Els Iced Coffee
Els Iced Coffee was recently released. It is one of three Els Iced spirits recently released. The other flavors include Els Iced Chocolate, and Els Iced Chocolate Mint. Els Iced Coffee is named for Golfer Ernie Els, who Founder Cayce Kerr first met on the golf range at Royal Birkdale in 1989. They have been friends every since. While Cayce is a caddie by trade, it was not until the Spring of 2016 that he became Ernie Els caddie. Els Iced Coffee is made with orange wine, fresh cream from a dairy in Wisconsin, a blend of natural coffee flavors, and caramel color. Read more 
Review: McCleary White Chocolate Irish Cream Liqueur
McCleary White Chocolate Irish Cream Liqueur was just released. It joins the previously reviewed McCleary Irish Cream Liqueur. McCleary is a private label brand made by Robert A. Merry and Co. in Tipperary Ireland. I picked up my bottle at Binny’s in Chicago. The Merrys Distillery produces several other Irish Cream brands including O’Reillys, O’Donnells, Sheelin, and Fennellys. They also create their own line of Merrys Irish Cream Liqueurs. McClearys White Chocolate Irish Cream is made with a blend of Irish cream, aged whiskey, grain neutral alcohol, and natural flavors. Read more
Review: St Patricks Irish Cream Liqueur
St Patricks Irish Cram Liqueur is produced by The Galloway Company of Neenah Wisconsin. Galloway has been supplying an American made cream liqueur base for over ten years. Their customer base includes companies blending this base with bourbon, rum, vodka, and wine. RumChata is one of their customers. St Patricks Irish Cream is contract produced at the Minhas Distillery in Monroe Wisconsin. It is made with Irish Whisky, real Wisconsin dairy cream, and natural flavors. Read more
Review: Adelaides Dreamsicle
Adelaides Dreamsicle is a cream liqueur made from Orange wine, natural flavors, and real dairy cream. This is one of three new liqueurs recently released by Carr Spirits. What is orange wine? There are actually two types of orange wine. One is made from white wine grapes that are left to macerate with their skins on. This wine originated in the Republic of Georgia and about five years ago some wineries in the US started making it here. The orange wine used in crafting Adelaides Dreamsicle is made from the other orange wine, which is made from fruit. These orange wines are commonly used in RTD brands including Tekeen and BeatBox. Like the previously reviewed, and home kitchen created Adelaides Coconut, and Adelaides Caramel Mocha Mojo, Adelaides Dreamsicle is made from genuine ingredients with no artificial flavors added. Read more
Review: Adelaides Caramel Mocha Mojo Liqueur
Adelaides Caramel Mocha Liqueur is one of three liqueurs recently released by Carr Spirits. A fourth, a Dragonfruit Cream liqueur is hinted at on their website. With 30 years of Senior Management experience with companies including The E&J Gallo Winery, The Paddington Corporation, IDV/Diageo, Luxco, Margaritaville, and Sazerac, Tom Carr is the CEO behind this brand. The entire Adelaides line is made with genuine ingredients with no artificial flavors added. Adelaides Caramel Mocha Mojo was crafted in Tom Carr’s family kitchen by blending different flavors provided by Friesland Campina Creamy Creations in Holland. Their Caramel Mocha Mojo is made with neutral grain spirits, real dairy cream and it is bottled by St. Petersburg Distillery. Read more
Review: Adelaides Coconut Liqueur
Adelaides Coconut Liqueur is one of three award winning liqueurs recently launched by CEO and Founder Tom Carr. The other flavors include Dreamsicle, and Caramel Mocha Mojo. The name Adelaides came from the name of Tom Carr’s Granddaughter. The flavors were born in the family’s kitchen by blending different flavors provided by Friesland Campina Creamy Creations in Holland. Adelaides is bottled by St Petersburg Disitllery. Adelaides Coconut Liqueur is made from neutral grain spirits, pure coconut meat, and natural flavors. No artificial flavors or colors are added. Read more
Review: Luxardo Limoncello
Luxardo Limoncello was first advertised in 1905. A new formula with 25% more fresh lemon juice and essential oils from the peel of Sicilian lemons was released May 2010. Luxardo currently produces several spirits including Maraschino Liqueur, Sambuca, Amaretto, and Grappa. Girolamo Luxardo built the first Luxardo distillery in 1821 to produce Maraschino Liqueur. Today the sixth generation of the family is still active in the company. Read more
Review: Marble Gingercello Reserve
Marble Gingercello Reserve is one of four spirits currently produced at the Marble Distilling Co. A whiskey and bourbon are currently aging and will be available soon. The distillery is a family and friends owned business that includes a tasting room that features a marble bar, cut from two 9000 lb. blocks mined from the Yule quarry in nearby Marble Colorado. The bar back is made from bricks, from the historic stable originally built on this land. The distillery also has the worlds only inn housed within a working distillery. With a background in the pharmaceutical business, co-founder and head distiller Connie Baker attending distillery school at The Dry Fly Institute in Spokane Washington. Yes she transitioned from drugs to liquor. What’s next firearms? After graduating January 2011, she worked with her husband Carey to build the worlds only zero waste artisan distillery, on land she and friend Michelle Marlow had purchased as a long term investment. The distillery opened June 2015. The equipment used to craft their spirits is 100% American made. Marble Gingercello Reserve is made from a 60% ABV corn distillate. This spirit is redistilling in a 250 gallon Vendome copper pot still with vapor transferring through a botanical basket filled with fresh cut Brazilian ginger. There is macerated ginger in the belly of the still as well. The now 80% ABV ginger infused vodka rests for several weeks with lemons zested by hand. A light simple syrup made from beet sugar grown in Wyoming is blended with the ginger lemon vodka. The spirit is then rested in bourbon barrels once used to age Colorado Straight Bourbon at the Peach Street Distillers in nearby Palisade Colorado. Read more
Review: Marble Moonlight Expresso
Marble Moonlight Expresso is crafted at the Marble Distillery in Carbondale Colorado. Did I mention this is also home to The Distillery Inn? The Distillery Inn is the worlds only inn housed within a working distillery. Opened in 2015 the distillery is the result of three couples shared interest of craft distilling, and sustainable business. This is the first distillery in the US to recycle 100% of process water, and capture and reuse the energy from the distilling process. Moonlight Expresso is made from a 60% ABV corn based distillate and is re-distilled in Hazel, their 250 gallon Vendome copper pot still. Vapor is transferred through a botanical basket filled with whole coffee beans and Ugandan vanilla beans. This results in a 82 ABV coffee infused vodka. Locally roasted coffee is cold brewed in a mash tun for a minimum of 18 hours, heated and mixed with pure cane sugar to create a coffee based simple syrup which is then combined with the coffee/vanilla infused vodka. The Marble Distillery works with Bonfire Coffee Company located just down the road from the distillery. They have a roasting division and roast the Guatemalan beans used to craft Marble Moonlight Expresso. Read more
Review: Ke Ke Key Lime Pie Cream Liqueur
Ke Ke Key Lime Pie Cream Liqueur was introduced several years ago and was called Ke Ke Beach Key Lime Liqueur at launch. At that time it was produced at 30 proof and came in a white bottle. The name has changed, and the packaging has changed. It is bottled in Weston Missouri at the McCormick Distillery. This is the sale distillery that produces 360 Vodka. No ingredient list or product information is available on their website or bottle. I’m a big fan of key lime pie and I would have liked to see an ingredient list that included fresh dairy cream, and key lime juice. If those were the actual ingredients in Ke Ke, I think they would have been listed. Read more