Review: Evan Williams Original Southern Egg Nog
Evan Williams Original Southern Egg Nog is made with Evan Williams Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Blended Whiskey, Rum, Brandy. The back label also indicates milk and eggs are part of the ingredient list. Evan Williams Straight Bourbon is made from a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley. The whiskey is barrel aged for a minimum of 4 years. There is no mention of the specific spirits used in producing Evan Williams Egg Nog but parent Heaven Hill produces several blended whiskey’s, rum’s, and brandy’s. Heaven Hill produces several flavored whiskey’s with the Evan Williams whiskey base including Honey, Apple, Peach, Cherry, Fire their Cinnamon flavored whiskey and Spice Apple. Evan Williams is named after Evan Williams the man who opened the first Kentucky distillery in 1783. Read more
Review: Winterhaven Farms Egg Nog
Winterhaven Farms Egg Nog is made from 100% natural double cream, fresh eggs, fine rum, brandy, and whiskey. Adult Egg Nog along with Irish Cream liqueurs are typically viewed as a seasonal beverage and we are in that season now, but unlike Irish Cream liqueurs which you can easily find year round, adult egg nog will start to disappear from most store shelves once the new year arrives. Winterhaven Farms is one of several egg nogs currently available at Total Wine and More. What stood out for me compared to the other egg nogs on their shelf was Winterhaven Farms is made with double cream. Double cream has a butterfat level of 48%. By comparison Heavy cream weighs in at 36%. Read more
Review: Dough Ball Cookie Dough Whiskey
Dough Ball Cookie Dough Whiskey was launched by a family owned beverage company August 2021. It was inspired by their favorite things cookies, whiskey, and a chubby Bulldog, named Doughball. While I prefer my chocolate chip cookies warm out of the oven, edible cookie dough has become an actual food category. It has been several years since some of the biggest names in flavored whiskey including Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, and Crown Royal have released a new flavored whiskey, smaller and independent brands continue to develop new flavors. There are several flavored whiskey’s I will never sample including Pickled Herring Whisky, Snake Whisky, and Reindeer Horn Whiskey. Yes those are real whiskey flavors. Cookie Dough flavored whiskey I’ll try. Read more
Review: Flecha Azul Tequila Reposado
Flecha Azul Tequila was founded by longtime friends Aron Marquez, CEO of Wildcat Oil Tools, and Abraham Ancer, the #1 ranked golfer in Mexico. Mark Wahlberg became the principal investor in 2021. Flecha Azul Reposado is made from 100% Blue Weber Agave grown for 8 years and hand selected . Once trimmed the pinas are slow cooked in traditional masonry ovens. Once cooled the juice is extracted and fermented for 72 hours in an open air steel tank and then double distilled. The tequila rests in steel tanks for 60 days prior to aging in ex-bourbon American oak barrels for 6 months prior to bottling. Read more
Review: Revel Stoke S’Moregasm Whisky
Revel Stoke S’Moregasm is one of 12 flavored Canadian Whisky’s currently produced by Philips Distillers. All are made with a triple distilled Canadian Whisky base made from a blend of rye, corn, and barley at a distillery in Alberta Canada. The whisky is aged for 3 years in charred white oak barrels. The barrels are shipped to Princeton Minnesota where natural flavors are blended before bottling at 70 proof. Revel Stoke rebranded their product line last fall to shift the focus from flavor to bold energy. Each flavor is identified by a personality driven name. Revel Stoke Peach became Son of a Peach. Peanut Butter became Nutcrusher, Cinnamon became Hot Box. Revel Stoke S’Moregasm was released July 2022 along with Revel Stoke Big Richard Dill Pickle flavored whisky. it is crafted to bring back memories of roasting marshmallows on an open fire and sandwiching the finished product with milk chocolate and a graham cracker. Read more
Review: Valentine White Blossom Vodka
Valentine White Blossom Vodka is not your typical flavored vodka. The Valentine Distillery starts with the well crafted Valentine Vodka base that is made from a blend of 25% barley 25% red Michigan wheat, and 50% corn. It is small batch distilled in a 225 gallon Christian Carl still with two 35 foot columns housing 42 trays. The spirit is slow filtered for 24 hours in a double false bottom 50 gallon drum through a proprietary activated carbon system made from coconut shells and reduced to proof with water filtered through reverse osmosis. Finally the spirit is aerated to oxidate the vodka. This is where the award winning Valentine vodka is hand bottled. Valentine White Blossom takes this vodka base and infuse elderflower, and grapefruit, and sweetens with natural beet sugar from Michigan grown sugar beets. Read more
Review: Javi’s Ranch Water Watermelon
Javi’s Ranch Water Watermelon is one of 3 flavored ranch waters produced by the makers of High Noon Hard Seltzer. The other flavors include the previously reviewed Lime and Grapefruit. By my count this is the third watermelon flavored Ranch Water we have reviewed, trailing only Lime and Grapefruit. Javi’s is made with 100% agave tequila sparkling water and natural flavors. Javi’s Ranch Water is currently only available in Southern California, Texas, and the Chicago area markets. I’m expecting Javi’s to be available nationwide in 2023 perhaps with a fourth flavor and sold in a mix pack. I’m guessing Mango will be their next flavor. Read more
Review: Eggo Nog Sippin Cream
Eggo Nog Sippin Cream was just released by Sugarlands Distilling Company. Sugarlands opened their distillery in Gatlinburg Tennessee March 2014. They currently produce 20 Moonshines, Roaming Man Whiskey, 7 canned cocktails, High Rock Vodka, Mark & Diggers Hazelnut Rum, and 7 Appalachian Sippin Creams. Sugarlands partnered with Kellogg in crafting Eggo Nog Sippin Cream. If you have ever had a frozen waffle it probably was made by Kellogg. Lead by their Eggo brand they dominate the 1+ billion $ US frozen waffle market with over a 70% market share. Jarred instead of bottled Eggo Nog Sippin Cream is a tip of the hat to their Moonshine origins, but make no mistake Eggo Nog is made with a rum base, dairy cream, and natural flavors. Read more
Review: Volans Blanco Tequila
Volans Tequila is truly a family brand of tequila. It was founded by Lonnie Allen her son Chad and his wife Cristina. The rest of the family business includes Three Rivers Ranch, a fly fishing ranch, and Three Rivers Ranch Outfitters, both based in Idaho. Cristina grew up in Mexico and her father Miguel is an agronomist who raised agaves, avocadoes, and blueberries in Jalisco and Michoacan. Once the family decided to craft a tequila Miguel found a field in the Los Altos Region and planted agave. After visiting 90 distilleries they partnered with El Pandillo and Master Distiller Felipe Camarena to craft their brand. The Volans name comes from a constellation in the southern sky. Volans represents a tropical fish that can jump out of the water and glide through the air on wings. Volans is crafted from 100% Blue Weber agave grown on the Camarena estate, and a blend of spring, rain, and deep well water. Once trimmed the agave is steam cleaned for 3 hours and then cooked in a dual steam powered stone oven designed with steam jets on the bottom and top to roast the agaves evenly. The pinas then rest for 24-36 hours before they are shredded and crushed with a 19,000 mechanical tahona. The extracted juice is fermented with natural yeast and double distilled in copper pot stills. The spirit is oxygenated prior to bottling. Volans is certified additive free. Read more
Review: Canteen Ruby Red Vodka Soda
Canteen Ruby Red Vodka Soda is one of 7 vodka soda’s made in Austin Texas at Canteen Spirits. Industry veterans Brandon Cason, Daniel Barnes, and Caroline Fabacher launched the brand in 2019. They have since released Cantina Tequila Soda, and Canteen Gin Spritz. Canteen Vodka Soda is sold in 2 different 3 flavor 6 can variety packs and in 4 can single flavor packs. Their Classic Variety pack includes Watermelon, Black Cherry, and Lime. The Canteen Tropical Variety Pack has 2 cans each of Strawberry, Pineapple, and Lime. Canteen Cucumber Mint and Ruby Red are only available in single flavor 4 packs. Each 12 ounce can is made from real vodka, sparkling water, and natural flavors weighing in with 99 calories, 5% alcohol, 0 sugar, and 0 carbs. Read more