Review: Big Sky Spiked Seltzer
Big Sky Spiked Seltzer was first introduced May 2019. It is produced by Big Sky Brewing Company in Missoula Montana. They developed 20-30 adult seltzers before selecting the four flavors found in their 12 can variety pack. Big Sky was founded by Neal Leathers, Bjorn Nabozney, and Brad Robinson. They brewed their first batch of beer, Whistle Pig Red Ale June 1995. Today they produce several beers including Octoberfest, Hazy IPA, Huck It, Summer Honey, Space Goat, Big Sky IPA, Powder Hound, and Moose Drool Brown Ale. Big Sky Spiked Seltzers are made with pure Montana water, a dextrose alcohol base and natural flavors. Read more 
Review: Texas Vodka
Texas Vodka is one of several vodka brands sold exclusively at Trader Joes stores. It is made in Texas from 100% corn, distilled 6 times, and comes with a plastic twist cap, leaving little doubt who they want to be compared with. When the vodka first appeared at Trader Joes it was labeled TX Vodka. The brand is owned by Dynasty Spirits. Dynasty Spirits was founded in 2010 by Devin Dell. Dynasty produces Painted Donkey Tequila, and several brands of vodka including Tower, Column 5, Green House, Stil, and Townes. Dynasty also created the Nue Vodka product line until they sold it to Southwestern Spirits. Read more
Review: Straight Shooter Juicy Dill Pickle Hard Seltzer
Shiner Beer has just released Straight Shooter Juicy Dill Pickle Hard Seltzer. Shiner first entered the hard seltzer market August 2020 with the release of their four flavor hard seltzer variety pack. Since then they have added a Lemonade Hard Seltzer variety pack and Tall Tails a cocktail inspired hard seltzer variety pack. While some may be surprised at the creation of a dill pickle flavored hard seltzer I stopped being surprised at any flavor when Jones Soda released a Turkey and Gravy flavored soda in 2003. It sold out in two hours and was followed up with the addition of Mashed Potatoes and Butter, Green Bean Casserole, Wild Herb Stuffing, Brussels Sprout, Salmon Pate, and Broccoli Casserole flavored sodas. Juicy Dill Pickle sounds tame compared to those flavors. All Shiner hard seltzer’s are made from a cane sugar alcohol base. Straight Shooter Juicy Dill Pickle is made with real dill pickles from Brew Master Jimmy Maurics family recipe with natural flavors including distilled white vinegar. Read more
Review: Brightonwoods Apple Brandy
Brightonwoods Apple Brandy was introduced May 2019. Unlike E&J and Christian Brothers who make their apple brandy from a grape base, Brightonwoods Apple Brandy is distilled entirely from Brightonwoods Orchard apples. With over 200 heirloom apple varieties Wisconsin’s Brightonwoods Orchard is the perfect source for their apples. Brightonwoods Apple Brandy is crafted at Great Lakes Distillery in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Great Lakes Distillery was Wisconsin’s first new distillery to open since Prohibition when Guy Rehorst opened the doors in 2004. Only one Wisconsin distillery returned after Prohibition, First National Distilling went back to distilling gin for a brief period until they realized producing yeast was more profitable. They changed their name to Red Star Yeast and they are still making yeast today. Great Lakes Distillery currently produces Vodka, Gin, Rum, Whiskey, Liqueurs, Absinthe, and Brandy. In crafting Brightonwoods Apple Brandy a few carefully selected apple varieties are distilled using a custom Arnold Holstein copper pot still. The brandy is then aged for over two years in new charred oak barrels, and used bourbon barrels. The brandy is not chill filtered prior to bottling at 90 proof. Read more
Review: Ciroc Pomegranate Vodka
Ciroc Pomegranate Vodka was just released. For now it is a Limited Edition release. Ciroc currently crafts seven year round flavored vodka’s, and four Limited Edition varieties. Ciroc Vodka was created in 2001 for the Diageo Group by Jean Sebastien Robicquet, founder of the Cognac based Maison Villevert. The vodka base is made from a blend of Ugni Blanc and Mauzac Blanc grapes. The juice is made into a wine. It takes 5 bottles of wine to create one bottle of Ciroc. The wine is distilled four times in copper column stills. A fifth distillation follows in a traditional custom copper pot still. Natural flavors are blended before bottling at 35 proof. Read more
Review: Pseudo Seltzer
Pseudo Seltzer was recently released by Toppling Goliath Brewing Company in Decorah Iowa. Toppling Goliath was founded in 2009 by Clark and Barbara Lewey. Toppling Goliath beer is distributed in 30 states and they create more than 40 beers that rotate throughout the year. Their year round beers include Pseudo Sue Pale Ale, Pompeii IPA, Dorothy’s New World Lager, and King Sue Double IPA. Toppling Goliath has been named the second best brewery in the world by Beer Advocates. Pseudo Seltzer is made from a malt beverage base with natural flavors. It is currently available in a 4 flavor 12 can variety pack with 3 cans each of Strawberry, Pineapple, Mango, and Watermelon. Read more
Review: Middle West Spirits Bourbon Cream
Middle West Spirits Bourbon Cream was released October 2020. It is crafted from a blend of OYO Michelone Reserve Bourbon and sweet cream. Michelone Reserve Bourbon is made from a blend of yellow corn, soft red winter wheat, dark pumpernickel rye, and two row barley. It is distilled in a 55 foot custom Vendome Copper & Brass Works Still and aged in new charred white oak barrels that are made in Speyside Scotland. Read more
Review: Truly Holiday Party Pack
The Truly Holiday Party Pack will be released November 1. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a 12 pack a little early. These are not the first seasonal seltzer flavors, but they are Truly’s first. With new seltzer brands still arriving on store shelves its imperative that market leaders White Claw, Truly, and Bud Light keep developing new flavor options. When you run out of flavor options, you create new categories like Lemonade Seltzer, Iced Tea Seltzer, and Punch Seltzer. After that you move on to seasonal seltzer flavors or cocktail inspired seltzers. In this case Truly combined the two. Read more
Review: 818 Tequila Reposado
818 Tequila Reposado is probably best known as Kendall Jenner’s tequila. Kendall is not the first celebrity to create a tequila brand but she is the first I’m aware of that has been publicly criticized for doing so. Kendall worked in tandem with La Cofradia distillery for four years developing the 818 brand. It starts with hand selected agave grown in both the Highland and Lowland Regions on family farms in Jalisco. The hand trimmed pinas are slow roasted for 40 hours in adobe brick ovens. Once cooled large stone Tahonas are used to crush and extract the juice which is fermented for 70 hours. The spirit is small batch double distilled in alembic pot stills and matured in French oak barrels. The aged tequila is then blended with extra anejo tequila before bottling. Read more
Review: Ballotin Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream
Ballotin Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream was released April 2021. It is one of eight chocolate flavored whiskies flying the Ballotin banner. The others include Bourbon Ball, Caramel Turtle, Chocolate Cherry Cream, Chocolate Mint, Chocolate Mocha Cream, and Original Chocolate. Paul Tuell a former brand manager for Brown-Forman founded Saloon Spirits April 2015 in Louisville Kentucky. Each bottle of Ballotin starts with a sourced whiskey made from a traditional Bourbon mash with at least 51% corn. Wheat and barley make up the balance. The whiskey is aged for three years in previously used oak barrels. Chocolate peanut butter cream liqueur made from real dairy cream is blended before bottling at 34 proof. Read more