Review: Skatter Brain Vanilla Cake Whiskey
Skatter Brain Vanilla Cake Whiskey was just released. It is one of six Skatter Brain flavored whiskeys available at Total Wine & More stores throughout the US. The others include Dark Chocolate Banana, Dark Cherry Vanilla, Peanut Butter, PB&J, and Peanut Butter Cream Liqueur. With Peanut Butter Whiskey practically mainstream its about time someone pushed the outer limits of flavored whiskey. If you think Vanilla Cake Whiskey sounds crazy I’ve heard what flavors of Skatter Brain are coming next. All I can say is wow. Skatter Brain Vanilla Cake is made from a Canadian Whiskey base with natural flavors and caramel color. Read more 
Review: Country Luau Spirits
Country Luau Spirits is a canned cocktail that is part RTD cocktail and part premium spirit seltzer. It was founded by Adam Kost who worked in the beverage industry developing brands for 20 years including time at Heineken USA, Pernod Richard, and more recently with Waterloo Sparkling Water. Country Luau was launched in April and is currently available in Tennessee, South Carolina, and Arkansas. It is also available for online purchase with shipment to 38 states. The four flavor varieties include Strawberry Daq. Shack made with Florida rum, Mango Mosa, and Pineapple Jalapen-Y’all, made with 11 times distilled vodka, and Yuzu Ranch Water made with 100% agave distilled from Highland grown agave. Each spirits is blended with natural flavors, and sparkling water. They are sold in individual flavor four packs, with each flavor weighing in with 100 calories and 5% alcohol. 2% of sales are donated to support musicians and music organizations. Read more
Review: Reigncane Vodka
The Reigncane Vodka journey began when Brian and Michael Eckert found a source of water on a island in Alaska’s Alexander Archipelago fed by glacier melt and an average waterfall of 166 days per year. Their original plan to produce the purest bottled water transformed into producing the purest vodka. After three years of development Raincane Vodka was launched May 2019. The name was later changed to Reigncane because of a potential lawsuit. Reigncane is 6 times craft distilled in California with organic sugar cane sourced from Brazil, proofed with naturally pure Alaskan water, and filtered though organic coconut husk charcoal. Read more
Review: Casa Rica Tequila Blanco
Casa Rica Tequila Blanco was founded by former restauranteur Justin Urich and Gilberto Lunatajoya. They spent four years developing the Casa Rica brand which also includes Casa Rica Reposado, and Casa Rica Rosado. Rosado is the first rose colored tequila made from juicy agave that has been ripened pink. The other rose colored tequilas on the market today gain their pink color aging in former wine barrels. Each expression of Casa Rica is distilled by Zandra Gomez Santiago at Destiladora de Agave Azul. Zandra is one of only a few female tequila distillers. Casa Rica is made with estate grown 100% agave azul. It is double distilled and triple filtered. Read more
Review: Labatt Blue Light Seltzer Tart Variety Pack
Labatt Blue Light Seltzer Tart was introduced this spring. Labatt Blue Light Seltzer is produced in Rochester New York at the Genesee Brewery. Labatt also updated their Blue Light Seltzer Mixer pack this year with the addition of Black Cherry and Watermelon. Both are sold in a four flavor 12 can variety pack. Each 12 ounce slim can is made from a malt base with natural flavors and weigh in with 5% alcohol and 100 calories. Sour and in this case Tart seem to be another growing segment of the ever expanding world of hard seltzers. Read more
Review: Blackland Vodka
Blackland Vodka is a grain to glass vodka crafted with locally grown Texas wheat. It is distilled in Fort Worth Texas on a custom built still made in The Netherlands by iStill. The distillery opened its doors 2019 and they currently also produce gin, bourbon, rye whiskey, and Texas Pecan Brown Sugar Bourbon. Founder Markus Kypreos started his career as an attorney and later graduated from the Culinary School of Fort Worth. He is also a certified sommelier. The Blackland Distillery is named for the Blackland Prairie that runs from the Red River to the North and San Antonio to the south. Head Distiller Ezra Cox had brewed beer and distilled spirits for 25 years including crafting spirits at his own Ezra Cox Distillery in Washington prior to joining the Blackland team. Read more
Review: Buena Fe Organic Quencher
Patty Baer and Andrew Bushby were looking for a cleaner organic cocktail alternative, to what they refer to as the “hangover in a can” spiked seltzers on the market today. They spent 8 months searching, blending, and batching until they came up with Buena Fe Mango Pineapple and Buena Fe Watermelon Strawberry Organic Quencher. Buena Fe translates to “good faith”. Each 12 ounce slim can is made with a 100% organic blue weber agave blanco tequila base crafted at Tequila Galindo. This distillery also produces the El Luchador, and Galindo brands. The tequila base is blended with organic fruit juice, sparkling water, a touch of organic agave, and organic natural flavors. It is sold in individual flavor 4 packs and is currently available in Kansas, Michigan, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Next up is Washington, California, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York. Read more
Review: Yave Tequila Blanco
Yave Tequila Blanco is crafted from 100% agave grown in both the Highland and Lowland region, a proprietary yeast, and water naturally filtered through thousands of feet of porous lava rock. Joe Cruz Jr. a New York native with over 25 years in the beverage alcohol industry building spirit brands for others decided to create and build his own brand. He partnered with Destiladora del Valle de Tequila to craft Yave tequila. This distillery currently produces 163 brands of tequila including Cincoro, Hussongs, Nosotros, Los Azulejos, and Siempre. In addition to a blanco expression they produce Yave Reposado, and several flavored tequilas including Yave Mango, Yave Jalapeno, and Yave Coconut. Read more
Review: Upstate Vodka
Upstate Vodka was just released. This is not the same 90 proof version of Upstate Vodka previously released. Upstate is farm to bottle craft distilled at Sauvage Distillery in Charlotteville New York, from 100% New York State grown apples, by Head Distiller Ken Wortz. 70-80 apples are needed to produce 1 bottle of Upstate Vodka. Once the juice is extracted from the apples it is fermented with Kosher Champagne yeast and twice distilled in 16 and 18 plate two-column stills. Only one state produces more apples than the state of New York, and with over 700 orchards in New York it should come as no surprise Upstate Vodka is made from apples instead of grain. Upstate Vodka is currently available at select New York and Connecticut liquor stores and it is available to purchase online and ship to 30 states from Sauvage. Each bottle is numbered and dated. My bottle is from batch 1, bottle number 7768. Read more
Review: Zarpado Tequila Blanco
Zarpado Tequila Blanco is crafted from 100% blue agave grown in the mineral rich soils of Los Valles of Jalisco. Zarpado is one of several wine and spirit brands owned by Latitude Beverage. Steel Dust Vodka, Wheel Horse Whiskey, and Copper & Cask Whiskey are a few of the other brands. Zarpado is produced at Cavas de Don Max, a Becherano family owned distillery in Las Pintas Jalisco. Unlike some tequila distilleries that produce dozens of tequila brands Zarpado is one of three brands made there. The others include Cantera Negra, and Mano a Mano. The hand selected agave is slow cooked, fermented in a steel tank, and small batch double distilled in Alembic stills. Read more