Review: Gran Coramino Tequila Reposado Cristalino
Gran Coramino Tequila Reposado Cristalino was founded by entertainer Kevin Hart, and 11th generation tequila maker Juan Domingo Beckman. Kevin Hart has spent 3 years working on this tequila. It is crafted at Casa Cuervo, the number one tequila producing distillery in the world. This distillery is best know as the house of Jose Cuervo, and 1800 tequila, but they produce several other tequila brands including Maestro Dobel, JaJa, and Gran Centenario. The 100% blue weber agave is estate grown and hand planted in the valley. The trimmed pinas are slow cooked in traditional brick ovens and double distilled in copper pot stills. The tequila is aged in Eastern European oak barrels and then finished in California Cabernet wine casks. It is then double filtered to remove the color not the taste. $1 from every bottle sold will be donated to programs focused on empowering aspiring entrepreneurs from communities in Mexico and the US. Read more 
Review: Vido Vodka
Vido Vodka was launched June 2020. It is crafted in Benton City Washington from wine grapes, grown on the 2200 acre Goose Ridge Estate Vineyard and Winery. The vodka was named to honor the family patriarch Arvid Vido Monson who ended each day with a vodka cocktail and a dream to craft his own vodka. Once pressed the grapes are ferment until the wine is considered dry, about 12-15% alcohol. It is small batch distilled on a dual column 24 plate still. Before the final filtration the vodka rests for five days. It is then blended with pure water before being freeze filtered 50 times and then hand bottled and labeled. Read more
Review: Black Infusions Dark Cherry Vodka
Black Infusions Dark Cherry Vodka was released February 2022. This follows the launch of Black Infusions Fig and Black Infusions Apricot. It is made from a vodka base made from corn that is distilled 5 times in a copper column still and filtered 5 times through carbon and a final time through lava rock. Pure Cascade Mountain water is blended to reduce to proof. California grown Bing and Rainier dried cherries are infused for 4-6 weeks and the spirit is lightly filtered before hand bottling at 60 proof. It takes about 1 pound of dried cherries, the equivalent of 7 pounds of fresh cherries to produce 1 bottle of Black Infusions Dark Cherry Vodka. Read more
Review: 4 Hands Bomb Pop Hard Seltzer
4 Hands Bomb Pop Hard Seltzer was inspired by a summer favorite, the frozen ice, Bomb Pop made with Cherry, Lime, and Blue Raspberry flavor. It is made by 4 Hands Brewing Company in St. Louis Missouri from a sugar alcohol base and natural flavors. It is currently sold in 4 packs of 16 ounce cans. Kevin Lemp opened the brewery in in 2011 and followed that up with the 1220 Spirits Distillery in 2018. This was followed by a line of canned cocktails and hard seltzers. 4 Hands currently also sells a 12 can Seltzer Mix pack with 4 cans each of Pineapple Mango, Apricot Almond, and Blackberry Pomegranate hard seltzer. They also craft several seasonal individual snow cone influenced hard seltzer flavors including Tigers Blood and Thriller. Both are sold in 4 packs of 16 ounce cans. Read more
Review: Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer Essential Collection
Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer Essential Collection is the third variety pack Michelob has released in a little more than two years. They entered the hard seltzer arena January 2020 with the release of a three flavor variety pack made from organic cold fermented cane sugar with natural flavors and organic malted rice. It weighed in with 0 sugar, 0 carbs, 4% alcohol and 80 calories. This is now known as their Signature Collection. They followed that up with their Classic Collection. This collection weighed in with 90 calories and it included organic white grape juice concentrate and flavor specific organic fruit juice concentrates. With their new Essential Collection, they have added organic coconut water from concentrate, and organic stevia leaf extract. Read more
Review: New Amsterdam Passionfruit Vodka
New Amsterdam Passionfruit was just introduced. It is one of twelve flavored vodka’s produced by New Amsterdam Spirits Company in Modesto California. That number should actual read thirteen as they also produce the wildly popular Barstool Sports Branded New Amsterdam Pink Whitney Pink Lemonade Vodka. Each flavor starts with a vodka base made from corn and is distilled five times and filtered three times. New Amsterdam is now the third best selling vodka sold in the US, trailing only Tito’s and Smirnoff in 2021 vodka sales. Read more
Review: Sonic Hard Seltzer Tropical Variety Pack
Sonic in partnership with Coop Ale Works launched two 12 can four flavor variety packs May 2021 in Oklahoma. Since then distribution has expanded to several states. Today we are starting with their Tropical Variety Pack. It may be challenging matching the super sweet Sonic Slushes flavor with a 1 carb hard seltzer but if we like what we taste we will track down their Citrus Variety Pack. Coop Ale Works opened their door in 2009 and they currently craft six year round beers including Ice Chest IPA, DNR, Saturday Siren Dry Hopped Pils, Horny Toad Blonde, F5 IPA, and Native Amber. Sonic Hard Seltzer was inspired by the world famous Sonic Slushes sold in more than 3500 restaurants in 46 states. Each 12 ounce slim can weighs in with 100 calories and 5% alcohol. They are made from a sugar alcohol base with natural flavors 1 carb and 1 gram of sugar. Read more
Review: Karbach Brewing Ranch Water Hard Seltzer
Karbach Brewing Company launched their Ranch Water Hard Seltzer January 2021 in Texas. They have since expanded distribution. The Karbach Brewing Company was founded in 2011 by Eric Warner, the former Brewmaster and CEO of Flying Dog, and industry veterans Chuck Robertson, and Ken Goodman. The brewery was named for its location on Karbach Street in Houston’s Spring Branch neighborhood. They were acquired by Anheuser-Busch in 2016. The brewery crafts 11 year round beers including Hopadilla IPA, Rodeo Clown IPA, Clutch City Lager, Love Street Blonde, Crawford Bock, Love Street Light along with several seasonal beers. Karbach Ranch Water is available in a four flavor 12 can variety pack with 3 cans each of Meyer Lemon, Original Lime, Prickly Pear, and Watermelon. They also craft Grapefruit and Spicy Mango Ranch Water which is sold in individual six packs. All of the flavors weigh in with 90 calories, 4.5% alcohol, and 2 carbs. They all are made from a purified water and cold fermented cane sugar base. Natural flavors, lime juice from concentrate, monk fruit extract, agave nectar, citric acid, and malted rice. Monk fruit extract is 150-200 times sweeter than sugar. Malted rice is an ingredient used in all of the A-B owned hard seltzers, and I have not yet found malted rice in any non A-B hard seltzer brand. Read more
Review: Foggy Mountain Peanut Butter Whiskey
Foggy Mountain Peanut Butter Whiskey was launched August 2020. It is one of five flavored whiskeys produced by the Foggy Mountain Spirit Company in Boyne Falls Michigan. The others include Salted Caramel, Bonfire Cinnamon, Peach, and Coffee. They also produce Latitude 45 Vodka, Gin, and Rum. Foggy Mountain Peanut Butter is made with natural peanut extract. Read more
Review: Two Sisters Vodka
Two Sisters Vodka is crafted from organic wheat and pure unprocessed water drawn from a underground spring, 600 feet deep in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains at the Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery located five miles from Lake George New York. They grind the grain themselves and small batch triple distill on a custom German built Copper Kothe still. Prior to bottling the spirit passes through a charcoal filter bed. The Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery opened their doors December 2014 and they currently also craft bourbon, rye, gin, moonshine and several liqueurs. Read more