Review: Rayador Tequila Blanco
Rayador Tequila Blanco was recently released. Rayador is named for the Black Skimmer Sea Bird. A Reposado expression will soon follow. Rayador is produced by Cutwater Spirits at Tequila Orendain de Jalisco. Cutwater Spirits was acquired by Anheuser Busch earlier this year. The Orendain family has been making tequila at this distillery since 1926. They currently produce several brands of tequila including Excellia, and Gran Orendain. Rayador Tequila is currently available in California, Colorado, and Georgia. It is made from 100% estate grown weber blue agave, fermented in open vats, slow cooked in traditional brick ovens, and double distilled in traditional alambique stills made of stainless and copper. Read more 
Review: Members Mark Eggnog
Members Mark Eggnog as the name would suggest can be found at Sam’s Club’s. It is sold in a 1.75 liter plastic bottle, and priced at $9.98. At one time Sam’s Club’s also sold a private label Irish Cream liqueur under the O’Dowd’s label. O’Dowd’s Irish Cream and O’Dowd’s Pumpkin Irish Cream, which they also sold, were two of our highest scoring Irish Cream liqueurs. I was a little sad when Sam’s pull the plug on the brand. Members Mark Eggnog is made in Kentucky with Caribbean rum, real cream, cane sugar, and a medley of other classic ingredients. Some adult eggnog’s are made with brandy or bourbon and some have a blend of all three spirits. Read more
Review: Villa One Silver Tequila
Villa One Silver Tequila was recently released. Distribution is still limited. The brand was developed by Nick Jonas and John Varvatos who were inspired during a trip to Mexico in 2018 with family and friends. This is where Nick first coined the phrase “life as it should be.” Those words now appear on each bottle of Villa One Tequila. After collaborating on men’s fragrance and fashion lines, Nick and John partnered with Stoli, and Master Distiller Arturo Fuentes, “The Godfather of Tequila”, to create Villa One. It is crafted at Fabrica de Tequilas Finos, a distillery Stoli acquired in 2016. The spirit is made from 100% Weber Blue agave grown for 5-7 years in both the Highland and Lowland region, and fresh well water drawn from their own artesian wells. Read more
Review: Dorda Coconut Liqueur
Dorda Coconut Liqueur was recently released. It is named for the Dorda family who acquired the distillery in 2003. It is one of three flavors in Dorda’s family of cream liqueurs. Dorda Coconut is made with Chopin Rye vodka, natural coconut flakes, milk and sugar. The other varieties include Double Chocolate and Salted Caramel. Read more
Review: Tequila Chamucos Reposado
Tequila Chamucos Reposado was first launched in 1994. In 2009 they added a Blanco, and in 2010 an Anejo expression. They have continued to build the line with the launch of Chamucos Extra Anejo, and the 110 proof Diablo Blanco. Chamucos are dark shadowy creatures who appear in dreams and only visit at night. Chamucos Reposado is made from organic agave with a brix content from 27-30, grown in the Highland region of Los Altos. The agave is slow cooked for 30 hours in masonry brick ovens and then cooled for 24 hours before the juice is extracted. A natural fermentation follows with proprietary yeast in open vat tanks. The spirit is double distilled in a specially designed stainless steel alambique still. A micro filtration, polishing filtration, oxygenation, and cold filtration follows. The tequila rests in virgin American white oak medium toast barrels, and a small percentage of American Oak Char #2 for 6-7 months. They do not use previously used whiskey barrels. Read more
Review: Single Prop Rum
Single Prop Rum was launched in Pennsylvania April 2018. Certified organic coconut water from 10 month old coconuts grown on a Nicaraguan plantation is blended onsite with rum distilled in Nicaragua. The rum is shipped to Pennsylvania where it is blended with rum distilled in the Virgin Islands. Single Prop is bottled unaged at 80 proof. Single Prop rum is named for and inspired by trips to the Caribbean in a single prop plane taken by the founders of Single Prop Rum. Anthony Lorubbio and Casey Parzych fell in love with what the locals where drinking. Coconut water and rum. Read more
Review: Sonoma Coast Spirits Vodka
Sonoma Coast Spirits Vodka is one of six vodka varieties currently crafted in Petaluma California across the street from Lagunitas Brewery at Sonoma Coast Spirits. Jill Olson opened the distillery in 2011. Her husband Doug handled sales and marketing until he passed away in 2018. The distillery is now owned and run entirely by Jill Olson. The other vodka varieties include Citrus Basil, Jalapeno Lime, Sweet Ginger, Rose, and Espresso. Oprah Winfrey enjoyed the Citrus Basil, and Jalapeno Lime Vodka so much they made the O list in Oprah’s July 2018 magazine edition. The distillery also produces a line of all natural RTD cocktails. The flavor lineup currently includes Lemon Drop, Pomegranate Cosmo, Raspberry Lemonade, and Mango Tango. Sonoma Coast Vodka is made from 100% corn and is distilled 6 times in a pot still, filtered, and bottled on site. It is currently sold in California, or you can purchase a bottle directly from the distillery and have it shipped to you if your state allows. Read more
Review: Cathead Pecan Vodka
Cathead Pecan Vodka is produced and bottled by Bottletree Beverage Company in Jackson Mississippi. Mississippi repealed Prohibition in 1966, the last state to do so. Forty four years later longtime friends and blues fans Austin Evans, and Richard Patrick founded Cathead. The term Cathead is a compliment in Mississippi, first coined by blues musicians as a nod to artists they respect. Master Distiller Phillip Ladner also crafts Cathead Vodka, Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka, Bristow Gin, Bristow Reserve Gin, HooDoo Chicory Liqueur, and Old Soul Bourbon. Cathead Pecan starts with the Cathead vodka base that is made from sweet grain corn and is distilled in a 181 liter copper pot still. Macerated roasted pecans aged in stainless steel are infused with the vodka base, and pure Louisiana cane sugar is blended before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Pacifica Vodka
Pacifica Vodka was released in the summer of 2017. It is crafted by owner and Master Distiller Jason Tripp at the Tripp Distillery in Pacifica California. They also produce a gin and rum. More spirits will follow. Pacifica Vodka is made from 200 pounds of organic cane juice sourced from Paraguay and 200 gallons of water. It sits and ferments for 7 days before it is pumped into a hand made 220 gallon, hour glass shaped still for 16 hours. The spirits rests for 30 days in stainless steel and is then distilled another 16 hours. The spirit, now a rum is kept in oak barrels just long enough for the chemical reactions between oxygen, carbon, and alcohol to settle the bold flavors of the spirit. Once mellowed, the rum is filtered through coconut shells for 4 days and then redistilled by hand in a copper pot still, where it is reborn as Pacifica Vodka. It is hand bottled and labeled at 80 proof. The bottles neck is hand dipped in wax. Read more
Review: Gaspars Coconut Rum
Gaspars Coconut Rum was released in 2018 along with Gaspars Spiced Rum. Both are made at Tampa Bay Rum Company located in the historic Ybor City district of Tampa. The rum is named for the infamous Spanish pirate Jose Gaspar. Each year Tampa celebrates Jose with the Gasparilla Pirate Festival. Since opening the distillery in 2018, they have added Gaspars Silver rum, Scurvy Lime Rum, and Gasparilla Spiced Rum. The distillery was founded by former chiropractor Samuel Meyers. The rums are made from the highest grade sugar cane molasses and fermented in one of four 1000 gallon fermenters. The spirit is distilled in a 1000 gallon steel and copper pot still with 24 plate vodka columns. Natural flavors are added before bottling at 80 proof. Gaspars is currently only available for sale at the distillery, in the Tampa area, or from b21.com who will ship Gaspars anywhere in Florida. Read more