Review: Paladar Tequila Blanco
Paladar Tequila Blanco is crafted by fifth generation Master Distiller Eduardo Orendain Jr. The Orendain Family is one of the last independent founding families of tequila. They have been producing tequila on their own family farm since 1900. In 1978 they rebuilt their distillery, El Llano. This is where Paladar is produced. In 1986 Eduardo’s father and uncle launched the Arette tequila brand. One of Eduardo’s earliest memories is walking the agave fields as an 8 year old with his father Eduardo Sr. Paladar is made from 100% estate grown agave, grown in the Lowland region. The hand selected and trimmed agave is slow cooked for 48 hours at 212 degrees in brick ovens. Once cooled the agave is shredded and pressed through a roller mill. The extracted juice is fermented for 120 hours in open air pine vats with wild and proprietary yeast. The spirit is double distilled in Alambique copper and stainless steel stills. Each bottle, made from 100% recycled material is hand dipped in the volcanic soil of their agave fields. The bottles neck is wrapped in locally sourced string. Once filled the bottle is topped with a real cork. Paladar is designed and crafted to stand out from the other tequilas on the market today. They scored on their bottle design. Let’s see if the same can be said about their flavor profile. Read more 
Review: Vinn Vodka
Vinn Vodka was the first vodka distilled from rice produced, distilled, and bottled in the US. The Vinn Distillery in Wilsonville Oregon is a family owned distillery that opened in 2009. The Vinn name comes from the middle name the five LY siblings share. The family also produces Baijiu, the National drink of China. Vinn is crafted from Non-GMO Calrose white rice grown in Northern California. They use a seventh generation family recipe coupled with modern technology. Vinn Vodka is made in small batches on a column still. Once distilled the spirit enters a circulation carbon filtration system for 10-12 hours prior to bottling. Read more
Review: Block Head Whiskey
The first bottle of Block Head Whiskey was born March 4, 2022. Block Head is described as a popcorn, peanut, and sweet caramel flavored whiskey. Sounds like a Cracker Jack flavored whiskey to me. The only other product detail I’ve been able to find is Block Head weighs in at 74 proof. Block Head appears to be produced at The Point Distillery in New Port Richey Florida. As someone who has reviewed 30 peanut butter flavored whiskeys, and just recently a peanut brittle bourbon cream, I’m anxious to see how a popcorn, peanut, and sweet caramel flavored whiskey compares. Read more
Review: El Tequileno Platinum
El Tequileno is one of 8 brands of tequila made at it’s own distillery. El Tequileno was founded in 1959 by Jorge Salles Cuervo and named to honor of the people of Tequila Mexico. Don Jorge Salles Cuervo pioneered the use of steam pressure autoclaves in 1959. El Tequileno is made with 100% estate grown agave from the Highland region, and pure volcanic spring water. The agave is steam cooked in an autoclave for 36-40 hours. Once cooled the agave is shredded and milled to extract the juice. The juice is open air fermented with yeast influenced by the 150 year old mango trees near the distillery. The spirit is double distilled in copper pot stills and mellowed for a minimum 14 days in American oak barrels for a minimum 14 days before bottling. Read more
Review: Hard Truth Maple Bourbon Cream
Hard Truth Maple Bourbon Cream was released the fall of 2021. It is one of 20 spirits crafted by Hard Truth Distilling. It all began when Ed Ryan, Jeff McCabe, and Tim O’Bryan opened an 800 square foot brewpub in 2009. They have since expanded to restaurants, breweries, and an 18,000 square foot state of the art distillery surrounded by 325 acres of native forest. The distillery started in the upstairs of their pizza restaurant in 2015. Hard Truth is now the biggest craft distillery in the state of Indiana. Master Distiller Bryan Smith spent months focused on finding the perfect balance of Indiana Straight Bourbon, real maple syrup, and Wisconsin dairy cream before landing on this recipe. Read more
Review: Bellewood Farms Honeycrisp Vodka
Bellewood Farms Honeycrisp Vodka is crafted at Bellewood Distilling the first farm to bottle distillery in the state of Washington. Bellewood Farms is the largest apple grower in Western Washington with over 62 acres and 25,000 trees. They harvest 1.7 million pounds of 100% chemical free apples each year. While the farm currently grows 22 varieties of apples, Bellewood Farms Honeycrisp Vodka is made from 100% Honeycrisp apples. Over 30 pounds of apples are needed to craft 1 bottle of Bellewood Farms Honeycrisp Vodka. The apples are pressed into a cider and fermented with a proprietary yeast. The leftover mash from the distillery is put back into the orchard as fertilizer. The spirit is triple distilled in a 24 foot tall 250 gallon column Vendome still custom built in Kentucky and bottled at 93 proof. Read more
Review: Naked Diablo Tequila Blanco
Naked Diablo Tequila Blanco joins a growing list of celebrity owned tequila brands as NFL future HOF quarterback Drew Brees headlines a group of investors who worked with Destiladora del Valle de Tequila to create the Naked Diablo brand. This distillery currently produces tequila for 167 different tequila brands including Cincoro, Hussongs, Siempre, Nosotros, and Los Azulejos. Naked Diablo is a tequila we have been chasing for months, and at last we caught a bottle. Naked Diablo is made from 100% Blue Weber agave grown in both the Highland and Lowland region and natural volcanic spring water. 50% of the agave is slow steam roasted in centuries old traditional thick stone walled ovens for 36-54 hours. The other 50% is cooked in autoclaves. Once cooled the agave is placed in shredding machines to release the juice. The extracted juice is fermented with natural occurring yeast in a 30,000 liter fermentation tank for 48-60 hours. The spirit is double distilled in pot stills and bottled on site. Read more
Review: Smugglers Notch Vodka
Smugglers Notch Vodka is crafted with winter wheat, corn and pure spring water from Mount Mansfield. Instead of a traditional carbon filtration, the spirit is run through a particulate filter to retain the flavor. It is produced at Smugglers Notch Distillery in Jefferson Vermont. Father and Son, Ron Elliott a retired business executive, and Jeremy Elliott a research chemist in the pharmaceutical industry founded the distillery in 2006 at the foot of the famed Smugglers Notch. They also produce an organic vodka made from organic corn, a Moroccan Rose & Grapefruit flavored vodka, 3 gins, 2 bourbons, rum, rye, 2 cream liqueurs and a few Limited Release spirits. Read more
Review: El Luchador Tequila Blanco
El Luchador Tequila was inspired by the masked wrestlers of Mexico. After Co-Founding Casa Noble, and Founding Tequila 123, David Ravandi launched El Luchador at the same 1480 distillery as Tequila 123. He also creates Mezcal Craneo. David relaunched El Luchador earlier this year with a Blanco, Reposado, and 110 Proof Blanco expression. He has since released El Luchador Anejo. The new El Luchador is made at NOM 1517 with 100% Weber Blue agave, estate grown at 6500 feet above sea level in the Highland Region. The previous El Luchador was actually a Lowland tequila grown at 4200 feet. In fact Casa Noble and Tequila 123, are also made with agave grown in the Lowland Region. El Luchador is slow fermented with native yeast and open air fermented. Once distilled it is bottled in hand blown glass bottles made from recycled glass. Read more
Review: Hard Truth Peanut Brittle Bourbon Cream
Hard Truth announced the release of Hard Truth Peanut Brittle Bourbon Cream October 21, 2022 on Facebook. Initially only sold at the Hard Truth Distillery in Brown County Indiana, it is now available in the 18 states Hard Truth is distributed. Hard Truth currently crafts 20 spirits including rye, vodka, gin, rum, bourbon, with three spirits made with fresh Wisconsin Dairy cream. The other two are Toasted Coconut Cream, and Maple Bourbon Cream. HT Peanut Brittle Bourbon Cream is made with Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Real Wisconsin Dairy Cream, and natural peanut flavor. It weighs in at 30 proof, slightly less than the 34 proof Baileys tips the scale at. Read more