Review: RumChata Peppermint Bark
RumChata Peppermint Bark was just released. It joins RumChata and RumChata Limon in RumChata’s rapidly growing line of rum cream liqueurs. RumChata Peppermint is available in a750 ml bottle or if you’d like to hedge your bet, a 100ml bottle of RumChata Limon and a 100ml bottle of RumChata Peppermint Bark can be found inside RumChata’s Holiday Gift Pack. RumChata Peppermint Bark is made with Caribbean rum, real dairy cream, natural and artificial flavors and caramel color. Original RumChata was introduced in 2009 and today it is the second best selling cream liqueur in the US. Peppermint has long been a seasonal Christmas season flavor celebrated with everything from candy canes to peppermint mocha lattes. Through the years there have been several chocolate peppermint cream liqueurs including Baileys With a Touch of Chocolate Mint and Saint Brendans Peppermint Bark Irish Cream. Both are no longer produced. Read more 
Review: Sheelin Peanut Butter Country Cream
Sheelin Peanut Butter Country Cream was recently released. It is made from grape wine, neutral spirits, natural flavors and caramel color in Co. Tipperary Ireland by R.A Merry & Co. Missing from the ingredient list is cream although the bottles label does list milk as an ingredient further down the bottles label. Sheelin is one of several Irish creams and country cream brands sold at Total Wine & More stores. R.A. Merry also makes Original Sheelin and Sheelin White Chocolate. Country Cream is a designation given cream liqueurs produced in Ireland with wine instead of Irish Whiskey. With over 20 Peanut Butter Whiskies already on the market today it was only a matter of time before someone produced a peanut butter flavored Irish cream liqueur. Read more
Review: Mollys Pumpkin Spice Irish Cream
Mollys Pumpkin Spice Irish Cream is one of three varieties of Irish cream Terra produces under the Molly’s label. We reviewed Mollys Pumpkin Spice back in 2013 but Terra has since tweaked the recipe. With Baileys opting for an Apple flavored Irish cream instead of Pumpkin Spice this year, Mollys Pumpkin Spice is looking to fill the gap. Terra LTD is owned by the McKevitt family and it is the largest family owned cream liqueur producer in Ireland. Terra produces several brands of Irish Cream but they may have saved the best for themselves as Molly’s is their own produced flagship Irish Cream Brand. Read more
I’m Back
25 Years ago Michael Jordan announced his return to the Chicago Bulls with a 2 word fax. I’m Back. By no means am I comparing myself to the GOAT of basketball, but it does feel great to return. After battling Covid-19 and waiting for my sense of smell and taste to return I completed my first tasting in 36 days today. I try to stay a week ahead in my reviews to compensate for unplanned events. This allowed me to post reviews while fighting the virus, but the virus just dragged on too long. After a 29 day absence I posted my first review yesterday. Kavanaugh Pumpkin Spice Irish Cream was actually the last spirit I sampled and reviewed prior to falling ill. I used the flavor profile of Kavanaugh Pumpkin Spice as my measuring stick to determine when my sense of smell and taste had returned. That said I have some catching up to do as the bottles to review are pilling up. Expect to see daily reviews for the foreseeable future.
Review: Kavanagh Pumpkin Spice Irish Cream
Kavanaugh Pumpkin Spice Irish Cream is a Limited Edition Irish Cream Liqueur sold exclusively at Total Wine & More Stores. Total Wine currently has 213 stores located in 26 states. It is crafted in Ballieboro, Co. Cavan Ireland by Terra. It is made from fresh dairy cream, smooth Irish whey spirit, and Irish Whiskey, uniquely infused with natural autumnal flavors. Kavanaugh Pumpkin Spice was released in 2020 joining a Kavanagh Irish Cream lineup that includes Kavanaugh Original, whish was included in Best Tasting Spirits 2019 Top Ten Irish Cream Liqueur list. Read more
Review: Ole Smoky Tennessee Blackberry Whiskey
Ole Smoky Tennessee Blackberry Whiskey is one of 15 flavored varieties Ole Smoky crafts in Gatlinburg at the former Davy Crockett’s Distillery. Ole Smoky acquired the distillery in 2017. The other flavors include Salty Caramel, Mango Habanero, Salty Watermelon, Cinnamon, Root Beer, Peach, Cookie Dough, Peanut Butter, Sour Raspberry, Red Velvet, Amaretto, Cookies and Cream, Tennessee Mud, and Bourbon Ball. Read more
Review: Plantation Isle of Fiji Rum
Plantation Isle of Fiji Rum is made from local Fijian sugar cane molasses and pure Fiji water at Rum Co. of Fiji Distillery. This distillery has been crafting rum since 1980. Two of the rum brands they produce are Rutu and Bati. Plantation Isle of Fiji is fermented for 4 to 5 days and pot and column still distilled . The rum is tropical aged in Fiji for 2-3 years in previously used bourbon barrels. After aging, the rum sails to the Southwest of France for a second maturation in French Ferrand Cognac casks for one year. Isle of Fiji is one of six rums in the Plantation Rum Signature Blends Series. The others include Xaymaca Special Dry, Barbados 5 Years, Grande Reserve, Plantation XO 20th Anniversary, and Plantation Black Cask. . Read more
Review: Svedka Pure Infusions Ginger Lime Vodka
Svedka Ginger Lime is one of three, zero sugar natural fruit infused vodka flavors in their Pure Infusions line of vodka. Dragonfruit Melon, and Strawberry Guava are the other two. Each starts with a vodka base made from Swedish Winter Wheat and pure ice cold Swedish spring water. It is distilled five times in a continuous distillation process. The spirit is run through high performance purification columns five times to remove impurities. Natural flavors are infused before bottling at 60 proof. Read more
Review: Vive Hard Seltzer
Vive Hard Seltzer is made at Braxton Brewing Company in Covington Kentucky. Covington is just across the river from Cincinnati Ohio. In 2015 Evan Rouse, Jack Rouse, and Greg Rouse teamed with Richard Dube a former Brewmaster at Moerlein Lager House to found Braxton Brewing Co. For Evan it was a dream come true as he started brewing beer in his family garage when he was 16. Braxton opened a second brewery in the Pendleton neighborhood of Cincinnati in the former 3 Points Urban Brewery September 12, 2020. Vive Hard Seltzer was launched January 2019 with a four flavor 12 can variety pack. These are the four flavors we are reviewing today and include Mango, Lime. Dragon Fruit, and Grapefruit. They have since added a Tailgate Variety pack that includes 3 cans each of Cherry, Blood Orange, Black Raspberry, and Peach flavor. Vive is made with pure Kentucky artisan water, alcohol from fermented dextrose, natural cane sugar, natural fruit flavor, and natural juice concentrate. Each 12 ounce can weighs in with 100 Calories, 5% alcohol, 2 Carbs. and 2 Sugar grams. Read more
Review: Big Machine Vodka
Big Machine Vodka is crafted at Tenn South Distillery in Lynnville Tennesse and Big Machine Distillery in Nashville Tennessee. Music Mogul Scott Borchetta acquired Tenn South Distillery in 2015. He later built Big Machine Distillery in Nashville. Scott got his start in the music industry in 1985 with MTM Record. He later worked for MCA Records, DreamWorks Nashville, and Universal Music before starting his own independent record label Big Machine Records in 2005. His first client was Taylor Swift. She was 15 at the time. Scott later signed dozens of superstar artists including Florida Georgia Line, Lady A, Rascal Flats, Sugarland, Tim McGraw, and Thomas Rhett. Upon acquiring Tenn South Distillery, Scotts first order of business was to create a world class vodka. Big Machine Vodka is a true grain to glass spirit as the process starts with Giles County white corn and pure Tennessee limestone water. The corn is ground, mashed, fermented, distilled, filtered, bottled and hand labeled at the distillery. Big Machine is small batch distilled 25 times and filtered 3 times through platinum beads. Read more