Review: Blue Lacy Peanut Butter Whiskey
Blue Lacy Peanut Butter Whiskey is described as a flavored Texas whiskey. While I have seen bottle images of a number of Blue Lacy flavored whiskeys, until now I have never seen an actual Blue Lacy whiskey for sale. The Blue Lacy is the state dog of Texas and was the inspiration for JEM Beverage Co’s line of flavored whiskeys. JEM Beverage is the parent company of Western Son Distillery in Pilot Point Texas. Very little information is printed on the bottles label except to say it is bottled at the Western Son Distillery in Pilot Point Texas. Western Son is best known for their line of nine vodka’s including eight flavored varieties. This distillery also makes a gin, four canned cocktails, and a Texas Bourbon Whiskey. The whiskey is made from a mash of 68% Texas corn, 22% Canadian Rye, and 10% two row barley. It is distilled in a 600 gallon copper pot still and aged in new American White Oak barrels that have been charred to a level 3. It is unclear if this is the whiskey base for Blue Lacy Peanut Butter Whiskey. Read more 
Review: Indigenous Empire State Wheat Vodka
Indigenous Empire State Wheat Vodka was released in 2010. It is crafted at Tuthilltown Spirits Distillery in Gardiner New York. For 220 years Tuthilltown Gristmill used water power to render local grains to flour. In 2001 Ralph Erenzo purchased the 36 acre parcel of land that was its home. He planed to open Bunks in the Gunks an affordable minimalistic housing opportunity for visiting climbers. After years of legal battles with neighbors who weren’t fond of the idea, Ralph and Brian Lee founded Tuthilltown Spirits LLC. in 2003. They converted one of the mill granaries to a micro-distillery. Their first product was a vodka make from scraps of apple they collected at a local apple slicing plant. Today the distillery produces 6 whiskies, 2 vodkas, 3 liqueurs, gin, and Basement Bitters. Indigenous Empire State Wheat Vodka is made from winter white wheat sourced from local farmers throughout the Hudson Valley. It is triple distilled in a 22 plate hybrid copper pot/column still and bottled unfiltered. Read more
Review: Ugly Dog Peanut Butter Bourbon Whiskey
Ugly Dog Peanut Butter Bourbon Whiskey was released February 2020. It joins a bourbon lineup that includes Ugly Dog Bourbon Whiskey, Ugly Dog Salted Caramel Bourbon Whiskey, and Ugly Dog Michigan Cherry Bourbon Whiskey. Ugly Dog Distillery is located in Chelsea Michigan and was founded by John Dyer and Dewey Winkle and named after John’s German wire haired pointer. Ugly Dog Distillery also produces a rum, gin, vodka, bacon vodka, and raspberry vodka. The vodka is small batch distilled in a copper still they hand hammered and welded themselves. Ugly Dog Peanut Butter Bourbon Whiskey is made from a Kentucky Bourbon base. It is not made with any real peanuts. Because this is described as Kentucky bourbon, I believe the whiskey is sourced, and not distilled in Chelsea Michigan but rather Kentucky. Natural flavors are added before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Three Birds Hard Seltzer
Three Birds Hard Seltzer was just released. It is produced by Levecke Corporation in Mira Loma California and is sold exclusively at the over 200 Total Wine and More stores scattered throughout the US. Three Birds is currently available in four flavor varieties including Raspberry, Lime, Mango, and Cucumber. Three cans of each are included in their 12 can variety pack. Priced at $12.99, Three Birds is priced as a value brand. It is unclear if this is an introductory price or a marketing decision. Each flavor variety starts with a wine alcohol base. The wine is removed of all impurities, color, and flavor. Filtered carbonated water, juice concentrate and natural flavors are added. All four flavors weigh in at 110 calories with 2 carbs. While there is no added sugar each can contains 2 sugar grams from the added juice concentrate. Levecke does not detail how much natural juice is added but it does include the type of juice that is added. Mango concentrate in Mango. Apple concentrate in Raspberry. Apple concentrate in Cucumber. Lime concentrate in Lime.
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Review: Vapid Vodka
Vapid Vodka is crafted at The Spirit Guild Distillery in Los Angeles California. Wife and Husband team Morgan McLachlan and Miller Duvall launched the distillery in 2012. They introduced Vapid Vodka and Astral Pacific Gin May 2016. Both are made from a 100% clementine base. Miller’s family has been in the Central California agricultural business for six generations. Initially the Miller’s Rio Bravo Ranch near Bakersfield California sent the clementines grown on their farm to the distillery where they were hand juiced using an old wine press. To keep up with demand The Spirit Guild now sources the clementine juice from the juicery used by the family farm. After a four day fermentation the spirit is small batch distilled in a 250 gallon custom Carl Copper Still. After proofing Vapid is bottled unfiltered. This is a true farm to glass distillery as everything from fermentation, distilling, proofing, and bottling is done under one roof. The Spirit Guild describes themselves as a collection of artists, weirdos, and dreamers dedicated to celebrating the fruits and flavors of California through the art of distillation. The distillery is located in the Los Angeles Art District on a site where the states first commercial vineyards and orange groves thrived. Read more
Review: Suavecito Blanco Tequila
Suavecito Blanco Tequila was launched in 2011 by Bill Foss. In 2002 after selling his business in Chicago Bill purchased an agave farm in the Highland Region of Jalisco with the intent to only farm the land. After the US recession of 2008 and 2009 when he struggled to sell his agave, Bill decided to create his own tequila. Bill worked with his son and Destiladora Los Magos to craft a tequila to Bills specifications and flavor profile. Suavecito is currently produced by Tequila Orendain de Jalisco. In the US tequila must be bottled at a minimum 80 proof. In Mexico tequila is primarily bottled between 35 and 38% alcohol. In order to create a tequila Mexican style Suavecito is bottled at 35%. Proof strength is not the only thing that sets Suavecito apart from other tequilas. Suavecito is made from estate grown agave grown in the red soil of the mountains of Jalisco Mexico at a 7000 foot altitude. Once distilled 2% blue agave nectar is blended with the tequila before bottling at 70 proof. Because Suavecito is sold as a 100% Blue Agave Tequila with agave nectar added they get around the 80 proof US minimum tequila proof restriction. Read more
Review: DV8 Vodka
DV8 Vodka is crafted by Deviant Spirits in Boulder Colorado. Jeremy Moyers, Johnathan Tilley, and Rawley Gunnels opened the distillery in 2015. They currently also produce DV8 Gin, DV8 Single Barrel Whisky, and DV8 5 Grain Bourbon. DV8 Vodka is made from 100% medium grain Calrose rice grown in California and pure Rocky Mountain spring water. The process begins in a custom designed Bain Marie style, double boiler mash tun. This style mash tun avoids scorching the rice and causing off-flavors. After fermentation the rice is distilled by hand in a reflux column still 13 times and bottled unfiltered to retain notes of the original mash. Read more
Review: Heart of Glass Strawberry Vodka
Heart of Glass Strawberry Vodka is crafted at Toledo Spirits Company in Toledo Ohio. At one time Toledo was the glass capital of the world earning the towns nickname Glass City. Toledo Spirits was founded by Andrew Newby, Lukas Kummer, and Dustin Wade. They released their first spirit, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot in 2015. November 2016 they introduced Heart of Glass Strawberry Vodka. They currently also produce Heart of Gold Vodka, Orange Tiger Liqueur, East Side Gin, and Maumee Moonshine. Heart of Glass Strawberry is made from a 100% corn base that is distilled six times. Fresh Ohio strawberries grown at Polters Berry Farm in Fremont Ohio are macerated with the spirit before distilling a seventh time. One pound of fresh strawberries is needed to produce one 750 ml bottle. The vodka passes through a cartridge filter before bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: SQRLL Peanut Butter Whiskey
SQRLL Peanut Butter Whiskey was just released by Beam Suntory. While Beam Suntory is quite proud of Jim Beam Peach, Jim Beam Vanilla, Jim Beam Honey, Jim Beam Apple, Jim Beam Maple, Jim Beam Kentucky Fire Cinnamon, and Jim Beam Red Stag Black Cherry Whiskey, figuring out Beam was responsible for SQRLL took a little detective work. The Pinnacle Vodka shaped bottle SQRLL comes packaged in was the first clue. The bottles label reading produced and bottled by Fielding and Jones, a named tied to Beams Pucker Brand was another. SQRRL weighs in at 70 proof and is made from whiskey, with natural flavors, and caramel color. Read more
Review: Vavoom Vodka
After years of development and product design Liquor Entrepreneur Luke Battiloro has released Vavoom Vodka to the US market. The signature bottle evokes the figure of a beautiful young woman stretching skyward. It is handcrafted by Bruni Glass in Milan Italy . Priced at $169.99 Vavoom Vodka is the most expensive vodka I’ve had the pleasure of sampling and reviewing. While the price tag may seem a little high, each of us spends more on a per ounce basis for much lower quality vodka each time we order a vodka cocktail at our favorite night club, restaurant, or bar. $169.99 is also a bargain when compared to several top of the line bottles of tequila, whiskey, and wine on the market today. Vavoom is made from 100% corn, distilled five times, and finished 3 times through a coconut activated carbon filtering process. The carbon activated from coconut shells boasts tiny pores which are perfectly sized to trap and filter out the contaminant molecules. While no specific source is given for where Vavoom is crafted, still images provide clues hinting at a distillery in Nova Scotia Canada. Read more