Review: Grand Brulot
Grand Brulot is a VSOP Cognac blended with French Brandy and Ecuadorian coffee beans. It is handcrafted by the Tardy family on their estate in the Cognac region of France. Christoph Tardy, a fifth generation cognac producer starts with the finest eaux de vie, made with a blend of Ugni Blanc and Colombard grapes from their single estate. The Tardy family has been handcrafting grape spirits since 1880. The spirit is aged for 4-5 years in French oak barrels. 100% Robusta Ecuadorian coffee bean essence is extracted and blended with brandy to meld for a couple of months before it is blended with the VSOP cognac. The blend is comprised of 51% VSOP Cognac, and 49% liqueur de cafe. In the 18th century the French introduced the concept of spiking their coffee with brandy to create a digestif. Grand Brulot was created to bring that tradition back. Read more 
Review: Teeling Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Teeling Single Malt Irish Whiskey is made from 100% malted barley from a range of differently aged barrels including a malt whiskey distilled in 1991. The whiskey is sourced from the old Cooley Distillery founded by John Teeling in 1987. Beam acquired the distillery December 2011. The Teeling Distillery was founded in 2015 by John’s sons, Jack and Stephen Teeling. After aging in ex-bourbon barrels, the whiskey is finished in 5 different wine casks including barrels used to mature Sherry, Port, Madeira, White Burgundy, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Teeling Single Malt is non chill filtered and bottled at 92 proof. Today is the first day of March, 16 days away from St. Patrick’s Day. It’s a good bet this will not be our last Irish Whiskey review between now and then. Read more
Review: Ole Smoky Peanut Butter Whiskey
If you have been to a bar or liquor store lately you probably already know that outside of hard seltzers there is probably not a faster growing adult beverage than peanut butter flavored whiskey. By summer I expect there to be at least a dozen peanut butter whiskey varieties. The Ole Smoky Distillery has sold a peanut butter flavored whiskey at their distillery for over two years. This new and improved Ole Smoky Peanut Butter Whiskey was just released. It is now available for sale throughout the US. Ole Smoky is probably best known for their full line on flavored moonshine, where they are the number one selling brand. 2019 was a great year for Ole Smoky Moonshine as they grew their annual sales by a number greater than the total sales of the second best selling moonshine brand. Peanut Butter is one of 14 flavors currently produced at their Gatlinburg Tennessee distillery. This distillery was known as Davy Crockett’s Distillery before they acquired it in 2017. Each flavored whiskey is made from a 100% corn whiskey base that is barrel aged for 2 years. Natural flavors including real peanut oil are blended before bottling at 60 proof. Read more
Review: Captain Morgan Orange Vanilla Twist
Captain Morgan Orange Vanilla Twist was just released. It is a Limited Edison Summer variety. As I watch the snow gently fall outside my window nearly one month before the start of spring, I only wish we were closer to summer. A quick glance of the Captain’s website shows this is one of 12 varieties of Captain Morgan. The rum base is made from a blend of rums distilled in St Croix from Caribbean sugar cane molasses in a continuous still. The rum is oak barrel aged for 1 year. Spice and other natural flavors are blended before bottling at 60 proof. Read more
Review: Playa Real Silver Tequila
Playa Real Silver Tequila was released May 2018 along with Playa Real Pineapple, and Playa Real Mandarin. Playa Real doesn’t quite qualify as a celebrity owned tequila brand, it was launched by Matt Davis and Auturo Vargas. I say not quite because Matt is the husband of Fashion Designer, and Jewelry Store Owner Kendra Scott. Matt and Auturo worked together at Heineken for ten years before creating the brand. Playa Real is produced at La Cofradia. This is one of the most prolific distilleries. They currently produce nearly 70 tequila brands including Casa Noble, 512, Ja Ja, Tequila Mi Campo, and Astral Tequila. Playa Real is handcrafted using a precise triple distillation process. Read more
Review: Truly Hard Seltzer Berry Mix Pack
Truly Hard Seltzer Berry Mix Pack is sold in a four flavor variety, twelve can pack. Those flavors include Wild Berry, Raspberry Lime, Blueberry & Acai, and Black Cherry. Truly along with White Claw continue to dominate the hard seltzer market. At one time they owned a combined 85% market share. While competition has grown and intensified it’s safe to say Truly and White Claw continue to dominate the Hard Seltzer market. If there is a prize to be awarded for most flavor varieties, Truly wins hands down, they currently offer 13. Truly also has not been afraid to change their flavors, formulas, or name, they were originally branded as Truly Spiked and Sparkling. While some may subscribe to the, “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” strategy, Truly has decided to break it on their own, and build a better mouse trap. Read more
Review: Railean Coconut Rum
Railean Coconut Rum is one of seven rums crafted at the Railean Distillery. They also produce 3 agave, 2 whiskey, and 1 vodka spirit. Railean Coconut starts with a rum base made from Grade A molasses and unsulfered sugar, grown and refined in Texas. It is distilled twice in a hybrid pot/column re-flux still with 7 metal bubble cap trays. Kelly and Matthew Railean founded the distillery in 2006, becoming the first legal rum distilled in Texas. 100% natural coconut extract and 100% natural cane syrup is blended with the rum base before bottling at 80 proof. Read more
Review: Cinco Vodka
Cinco Vodka was launched in 2010 by Richard Trey Azar III. It is made from 100% Idaho sourced amber wheat and water drawn from the Edwards aquifer which is naturally filtered through Cordova Creme limestone found beneath San Antonio Texas. It is small batch distilled five times in a 530 gallon hand hammered copper kettle still nicknamed Betty, and non charcoal filtered. I first tasted Cinco’s pool side at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort several years ago, and kicked myself for not bringing home a bottle to review. If you have stayed and dined at this Marriott property you will probably understand why I had no time to shop for liquor offsite. When produced Cinco was only available in Texas. I say when produced, because Cinco is no longer produced, it is still available throughout Texas. I picked up my bottle at Specs today. Richard Trey Azar III has since moved on to gin as he felt the vodka market was over saturated. He is now producing the award winning Seersucker Gin. While I’m still in Texas maybe I should pick up a bottle of Seersucker, since I’ve been told for several years, gin is what the cool kids are drinking now. Read more
Review: Fords Gin
Fords Gin is a collaboration between 8th generation Master Distiller Charles Maxwell and gin expert Simon Ford. It is one of several spirits created by Simon Ford and his 86 Co. Brand. It is the only one that bears his name. 86 Co. was acquired by Brown-Foreman the owner of several brands including Jack Daniels, Woodford Reserve, and Herradura Tequila June 2019. Ford Gin was launched in 2012. Fords Gin starts with a neutral spirit base that is steeped for 15 hours with nine precisely measured botanicals. Those botanicals include 49.5% Italian Juniper, 30.5% Romanian Coriander, 3.2% Spanish Lemon, 3.2% Haitian/Moroccan Bitter Orange, 3.2% Chinese Jasmine, 3.2% Polish Angelica, 3.2% Turkish Grapefruit, 2% Italian/Moroccan Orris, 2% Indonesian Cassia. Once steeped the spirit is distilled for five hours in two 500 liter stills custom built by John Dore at Thames Distillery in London. Each produce a 200 liter batch. After distillation the gin is shipped to Mendocino County California where the gin is cut with local spring water and bottled at 90 proof. Read more
Review: Truly Hard Seltzer Tropical Mix Pack
Truly Hard Seltzer Tropical Mix Pack is one of three, four flavor twelve can variety packs currently produced by Truly. The other packs are a Berry mix, and a Citrus mix. Truly Tropical includes three cans each of Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Mango, and Watermelon & Kiwi. The previously released Truly Tropical featured Pomegranate which has been replaced with Watermelon & Kiwi. Truly also updated the flavor profile and finish of all of their hard seltzers. Those Truly flavors now number 13 with Truly Rose in individual packs. They also recently released Truly Hard Seltzer Lemonade Seltzer flavors. Each 12 ounce can of Truly weighs in at 5% alcohol with 100 calories and 1 G of sugar. Read more