Review: Bacardi Banana Rum
Bacardi Banana Rum was just released. This is one of ten flavored rums in their current product line. If you thought they had more, they did at one time, but several flavors have been dropped. Bacardi Banana starts with a rum base made from molasses, and a single strain of yeast, Le Levadura Bacardi. After fermenting for 30 hours in closed fermentation tanks, the fermented molasses is split. Some is column distilled, and some beer distilled. Each is aged separately in charred American white oak barrels previously used to age bourbon. Once mature the rums are blended and filtered through a mix of charcoal made from tropical woods and coconut shells. Natural flavors are infused before bottling at 70 proof. While this is Bacardi’s first banana flavored rum I have already reviewed 7 other banana flavored rums. I can’t wait to see how Bacardi Banana Rum compares with the others. Read more 
Review: Svedka Blue Raspberry Vodka
Svedka Blue Raspberry Vodka was just released. It is one of 14 Svedka flavors currently available. They also produce an 80 and 100 proof unflavored vodka. Svedka is the number one imported vodka in the US, and while flavored vodka sales have fallen recently, Svedka’s flavored vodka sales have continued to grow. Svedka Blue Raspberry vodka starts with a vodka base made from Swedish winter wheat. Four pounds are required to produce one 750 ml bottle. The vodka is distilled 5 times in a continuous distillation process. Ice cold water from Swedish springs is blended to reduce to proof. The vodka is then run through high performance purification columns five separate times to remove impurities. Natural flavors are infused before bottling at 70 proof. Svedka is the fifth vodka brand I am aware of to produce a blue raspberry vodka flavor. The others include UV, Wave, Burnetts, and Ursus. Read more
Review: Stolichnaya Elit Vodka
Stolichnaya Elit Vodka was the worlds first ultra premium vodka when it was released in 2003. Elit is crafted from winter wheat, summer wheat, and rye all grown on the Rapuga Farm in Tambov Russia which is owned by Stoli. The breakdown is about 97% wheat, 3% rye. Elit is distilled three times and blended with pure Balzams Artesian water. The vodka is then freeze filtered at 0 degrees in a silver filter where all the impurities freeze against the filters wall, leaving a very cold and pure 80 proof vodka to be bottled in their distinctive bottle. Read more
Review: Tromba Blanco Tequila
Tromba Blanco Tequila was created by Marco Cedano, the original Master Distiller for Don Julio. Tromba is named for the big spring rains that soak the soil and nourish the agave. Tromba was launched in 2010 and it is small batch distilled at Casa Tequilera de Arandas. While this is a contract production distillery, Marco and his son Rodrigo have complete control over the entire production process. Tromba is made from 100% blue agave grown on estates owned by Don Ruben Gonzalez at an altitude of 5090 feet for 7-12 years. The pinas weighing between 40-70 kilograms are quartered and then steam baked in autoclave ovens and fermented in open air tanks. Tromba Blanco is double distilled and bottled unaged. Their Reposado and Anejo expressions are aged in previously used Jack Daniels barrels. Read more
Review: Toppers Spiced Rhum
Toppers Spiced Rhum is one of six rhums crafted in St Maarten at the Toppers Distillery. For years Melanie Daboul created several flavored rhums out of her home kitchen. These rhums were given as complimentary after dinner drinks at the two restaurants she and husband Topper Daboul own on the Dutch side of St Maarten. Toppers Spiced is a premium rhum infused with vanilla bean, cinnamon, cloves. allspice, cardamom, nutmeg, orange peel, aniseed, and black peppercorn. Read more
Review: Tequila Ocho Single Estate Plata 2009
Tequila Ocho Single Estate Plata 2009 was produced as a collaboration between Thomas Estes and Carlos Camarena. To understand the significance of this tequila one must first understand the concept of terroir. Terroir is a French term that is defined as the set of all environmental factors that affect a particular crop. Those factors include soil, climate, sunlight, and topography. Terroir is the basis of the French wine appellation d’origine controlee system. Terroir has been used to differentiate coffee, tobacco, and yes even marajuana. By crafting tequila with agave grown from a different Highland Estate each year, and employing the same production methods, Tequila Ocho hopes to prove tequila terroir is more than the black and white Highland and Lowland designation currently used. The 2009 bottling comes from the Las Pomez Estate located 2055 meters above sea level. Once harvested the pina’s are cooked in brick ovens around 80-85 degrees celcius for 48 hours. The juice that results from the first 8 hours of cooking is discarded because of its bitter taste. The cooked Pina’s sit in the oven for another 24 hours before they are transferred to the mill where the agave is squeezed to separate the juices from fibers. The juice is fermented in small 3000 liter open wooden vats made of pine for 4-5 days. The first distillation is in a 3500 liter stainless steel pot still. The second occurs in a 300 liter copper pot still. This is done slowly at low temperatures. The copper material of the second still imparts a special mouth feel and flavor. Read more
Review: Over the Barrel Apple Ale
Over the Barrel Apple Ale was released September 2016. It joins five Over the Barrel Hard Soda flavors created by the Rhinelander Brewing Company. The Rhinelander Brewery opened in Rhinelander Wisconsin in 1845 and closed in 1967. Their beer continues to be contract brewed in Monroe Wisconsin. Very little information is available about this ale even four months after its release. The Rhinelander Brewing Company website has no information at all. The 11.16 Oz. bottle describes this as a malt beverage specialty ale with natural flavors including cane sugar and caramel color added. I stumbled across this ale, probably a bad description coming from someone reviewing alcohol, in Dubuque Iowa. Read more
Review: Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Orange Mango Seltzer
Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Orange Mango Seltzer is one of three hard seltzer flavors they launched the line with November 2016. The other flavors include Watermelon, and Cranberry Lime. With at least 6 other companies already brewing spiked seltzer, Smirnoff may be a little late to the party, but with a very popular line of malt beverages already on the market, finding shelf space in liquors store won’t be an issue. The three flavors they have created also aren’t repeating the same hard seltzer flavors already on the market. Smirnoff Spiked Sparkling Orange Mango Seltzer is brewed as a premium malt beverage. Natural fruit flavors are infused with no sugar or artificial sweeteners added. Read more
Review: Whiskey Acres Farm Crafted Vodka
Whiskey Acres Farm Crafted Vodka was released March 2016. The vodka was previously only sold onsite at their DeKalb Illinois Distillery. They also produce a corn whiskey, bourbon, and rye whiskey. This is a true seed to spirit distillery with all of the grain needed to craft their spirits coming from the 2000 acres they farm. The distillery is run by father and son farmers Jim and Jamie Walter, and their partner Nick Nagle. Imagine if Pablo Picasso had been limited to painting with only a two color palette. The results would have been very different. That is the same logic used in crafting this vodka. With dozens of corn varieties to experiment with, all grown according to their own strict standards, they were able to select the best corn variety to craft their vodka with. They looked for disease resistance, natural in-field dry-down, test weight, starch content, and flavor of the final product, as only some of the criteria in selecting this variety. If you thought I was going to mention the corn variety used to craft this vodka you would be wrong. This is one of the magic pixie dust secrets that makes Whiskey Acres Vodka taste truly unique and special. Most consumers think of corn as corn, and most corn vodka producers are at the mercy of using what ever corn their suppliers deliver. Whiskey Acres Vodka is distilled in a custom made 500 gallon Vendome still. After an initial stripping run on about 10 batches where the spirit is distilled to around 150-160 proof, enough spirit is available to put back in the still for a finishing run. The vodka is very slowly distilled again for 40-60 consecutive hours. The vodka is blended to proof with water from a naturally filtered limestone aquifer that sits below the distillery. After being continuously carbon filtered for 24-48 hours the vodka is hand bottled onsite by the ownership team and volunteers. Read more
Review: Siesta Key Gold Rum
Siesta Key Gold rum was introduced in 2011. It is one of six rums crafted at the Drum Circle Distillery in Sarasota Florida. The others include the previously reviewed Toasted Coconut, and Spiced, along with Silver, Distiller’s Reserve Spiced, and Beer Barrel Finished Spiced. Siesta Key Gold is made from Florida grown sugar cane and triple filtered water. It is distilled in a Christian Carl custom made small batch copper still that was build in Stuttgart Germany. The rum is aged in small oak barrels and then mellowed in used barrels first used to age Makers Mark Bourbon. Read more