Review: 21 Seeds Cucumber Jalapeno Tequila
21 Seeds Cucumber Jalapeno Tequila was launched in 2019 along with 21 Seeds Valencia Orange, and 21 Seeds Grapefruit Hibiscus Tequila. 21 Seeds was created by 2 sisters, Kat Hantas and Nicole Emanuel, and their friend Sarika Singh. The 100% agave base is distilled at the female owned and operated Casa Maestri. The tequila base is infused with the juice of real fruits. A custom built refrigeration system was built at the distillery to ensure all ingredients maintain their optimal freshness prior to infusion. The 21 Seeds brand was acquired by Diageo March 2022. Read more 
Review: Xplorer Potato Vodka
Xplorer Potato Vodka is made at the Kilimanjaro Distillery in Allentown Pennsylvania. Father and daughter Kishor and Niky Chokshi were both born in Tanzania. They came to the US and opened their distillery September 2016. Xplorer Potato Vodka was launched October 2016. They currently produce several spirits including Peanut Butter Whiskey, Peach Bourbon, Chocolate Bourbon, Honey Bourbon, Gin, Penna Dutch Apple Pie, and their first spirit, Xplorer Wheat Vodka. Xplorer Potato Vodka is made with Pennsylvania grown potato’s. It is distilled 12 times and processed with 24-karat gold. A percent of profits go to provide clean drinking water to communities in need through the Tanzania water project. Read more
Review: Cazcanes No. 7 Blanco Tequila
Cazcanes No. 7 Blanco Tequila was recently added to the Cazcanes portfolio of tequila expressions joining Cazcanes No. 9 Blanco, No. 7 Reposado, and No. 7 Anejo. Cazcanes is named for the last indigenous people of Mexico to be conquered by the Spaniards. Cazcanes is crafted by Master Distiller Collin Edwards, a winemaker with a love for tequila. The recipe is based on a 300 year old indigenous recipe found in a moonshine jungle still. Cazcanes is made from hand selected Weber blue Lowland agave grown in volcanic tufa soil at 4000-6000 feet, and underground volcanic mountain spring water sourced from Navichi Springs. The spirit is fermented with natural wild yeast in stainless steel vats and distilled in alembic stills. Read more
Review: Truly Holiday Party Pack 2022
Truly has released a new Holiday Party Pack for 2022 and while they are the first hard seltzer brand to release their Holiday Pack, for me the flavors don’t scream “Holiday Pack”. This may be a good thing since others have already released Egg Nog and Gingerbread flavored hard seltzers and I’m not ready for a Turkey, or Mashed Potato and Gravy hard seltzer. Truly has brought back two of last years flavors, Holiday Sangria, and Cran Orange Sparkler but even they have been tweaked to now include real fruit juice. Blackberry Bramble and Pear Martini are new this year. Each 12 ounce slim can is made with filtered water, alcohol, natural flavors, real fruit juice from concentrate, and stevia. Read more
Review: Sinpatch Vodka
Sinpatch Vodka is a true farm to glass spirit crafted in a former dairy barn in Wassaic New York. John Dyson owner of Williams Selyem Winery and his Son in Law Joel Levangia founded the Tenmile Distillery. Sinpatch is named for the road the distillery was build on. Legend has it 300 years ago a local minister once described the area as nothing but a patch of sin due to the gambling houses, brothels, and saloons that populated the area. Tenmile Distillery currently only sells Sinpatch Vodka, and Listening Rock Gin while their first batches of Little Rest American Single Malt Whisky, barrel age. All of the spirits are crafted by Master Distiller Shane Fraser who joined Tenmile after serving as Master Distiller for Wolfburn Distillery, the most northerly malt Whisky Distillery in Scotland. Tenmile is made from locally grown wheat. The spirit is distilled through a pot still and a Coffey still with a special reflux condenser at the top. It is then filtered through activated charcoal made from their own recycled oak whisky barrels. Read more
Review: Tequila Gran Diamante Plata
Tequila Gran Diamante Plata was launched in 2016 by three business partners Charles Harris, Rafi Hannouche, and David Ayala. The brand received a boast in April 2022 when NBA Allstar James Harden invested in the brand. Tequila Gran Diamante is made from 100% estate grown agave grown in the red rich volcanic soil of Los Altos de Jalisco and artesian well water. The trimmed agave is baked in vertical autoclave ovens at medium high pressure for 14 hours. Once cooled the juice is extracted via a 4-mil press and fermented in a 23,000 liter open stainless steel vat screened to keep debris from blowing in for 4 days. The spirit is double distilled. After resting for 23-25 days in stainless steel vats, Tequila Gran Diamante Plata is bottled. Read more
Review: Big Country Organic Hard Seltzer
Big Country Organic Hard Seltzer was introduced in 2020 with four flavors including Strawberry & Tangerine, Honeydew & Yuzu, Coconut & Papaya, and Blackberry & Grapefruit. They recently relaunched the brand with three new flavors including Passion Fruit & Kiwi, Prickly Pear & Peach, and Watermelon & Pineapple. They kept Blackberry & Grapefruit. Big Country Foods started as an organic cane sugar supplier by Bill Gillies in 2013. In 2020 Bill opened Willards Brewery, the only certified organic brewery in the state of Texas. Ricky Cobia a nationally acclaimed mixologist helped in crafting the organic flavors found in Big Country Organic Hard Seltzer. Each 12 ounce can is made with purified water, organic alcohol fermented with Big Country organic cane sugar, organic flavors, and citric acid. Read more
Review: Blaum Bros Vodka
Blaum Bros Vodka is made at Blaum Bros. Distillery in the historic town of Galena Illinois, once the home of our 18th President of the US, Ulysses S Grant. The distillery was founded by brothers Matt & Mike Blaum who found the only way they could get along together was to drink whiskey with each other. So they decided craft spirits together. They currently produce bourbon, rye, gin, absinthe, vodka, and Hellfyre Vodka, a vodka made with Jalapenos, Habaneros, and black pepper. All of the spirits are milled, mashed, fermented and distilled on site. Blaum Bros. Vodka has been on our radar for sometime due to their unique blend of local wheat and rye. While their website still talks up this unique blend they have moved on from that blend, and now make their vodka from locally grown corn. Read more
Review: Javi’s Ranch Water Grapefruit
Javi’s Ranch Water was recently launched in Texas, Southern California, and the Chicago Market by E&J Gallo, the makers of High Noon Hard Seltzer. If all goes well National distribution will follow in 2023. It is sold it individual flavor four packs in Lime, Grapefruit, and Watermelon flavors. Javi’s is named for the French Bulldog mascot found on each 12 ounce can. Javi’s is what I would refer to as a “real ranch water” as it is made from a 100% Weber Blue agave blanco tequila base. Some canned ranch waters are made with a malt, or fermented cane sugar base. E&J Gallo has jumped into the hard seltzer and tequila markets with both feet as they not only produce the High Noon brand but they own several tequila brands including Camarena, Komos, and Don Fulano. The tequila base for Javi’s comes from Envasadora de Productos Lideres. Sparkling water and natural flavors are blended before canning at 4.5% alcohol. Read more
Review: Tequila Herradura Reposado
Since 1870 Casa Herradura has been hand harvesting and estate bottling the finest tequila. The agave is estate grown and their estate is currently growing over 25 million agave at every stage of maturity. Tequila Herradura introduced the world to reposado in 1974. Before that your options were Mixto or 100% blue agave blanco tequila. Each estate grown agave is hand harvested and sliced in half before they are slow baked up to 26 hours in brick and stone ovens. Once the juice is extracted it undergoes a 100% natural open air fermentation. The spirit is double distilled, than aged 11 months in medium char American oak barrels. A tequila must be aged at least 60 days to be designated Reposado. As you can see Herradura goes far and away above that. Read more