Nick, Author at First Pour Cocktails

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon

Posted on November 21, 2022November 20, 2022 by Nick

Our love of Wild Turkey 101 is something we have no shame about. At $20ish a bottle, it delivers enormously consistent and powerful flavors without breaking the bank. While there is the lower proof 86 offering, there up market bottle, Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon is far more interesting. Coming in at 116.8 proof, this barrel proof offering is reportedly made of 6, 8, and 12 year offerings but states no age. As Wild Turkey reportedly enters the barrel at a lower proof than the normal 125, some drinkers may find this easier to handle than higher proof barrel proof offerings (like Elijah Craig or Jack Daniels who both frequently exceed 120 proof).

Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon

Sight: Between Chestnut and Russet.

Smell: A healthy amount of spice and touches of bready notes leap out at first. Freshly baked rye and spices leap out, delivering massive hits of spice over the top of sweet caramel. Touches of cherry and plum come through, with a bit of jammy marmalade. There is some heat in the nose if you inhale deeply enough. The oak and vanilla is present, but more background.

Sip: The palate opens up with lots of spice and sweet jammy / dried fruits. The oak comes in here with plenty of caramel. The spices and fruit explode into plums, cherries, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and all sorts of various combinations. The mouthfeel is smooth despite the proof, and brings in some notes of baking pastries and toasted oak.

Savor: The ending carries over spice, caramel, light brown sugar, and touches of cherries.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed is complex and spicy. There’s a good balance between spice, oak, and fruity notes that keeps it sippable and engaging. The flavors are powerful, but the proof doesn’t overwhelm, allowing the spice and caramel to show off. The subtly also helps with some of the yeastier notes. Overall, there’s a lot of flavor and proof here for the price.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan, the spices come to the forefront, but the vermouth provides a great sweet and fruity foil. The result is that the sweet notes of sugar and caramel explode against jammy raspberries, baked cherry pie, and complex brown sugar with fresh baked fruit notes. The spices and oak explode on the ending, adding intensity and a slightly tannic nature to the finish. The body is rich as well, thanks to the proof. As Manhattan’s go, this one is an aggressive and balanced approach that expands for beautiful notes not present in lesser whiskey.

In Review – Wild Turkey Rare Breed Bourbon

Wild Turkey Rare Breed offers exceptional value and availability at a great price, especially compared to other barrel proof or cask strength offerings. Similar to Four Roses Single Barrel, there’s a massive amount of flavor here that doesn’t require waiting in line or breaking the bank. The key difference is that this is Wild Turkey spice kicked up to 12, and delivered in a cohesive package that doesn’t hurt the overall balance neat or in cocktails. It isn’t a delicate bourbon, but it is delicious, and we highly recommend adding a bottle to your bar after you’re had an intro bourbon or Wild Turkey 101.

The Classics: Cuba Libre

Posted on November 16, 2022November 15, 2022 by Nick

Few drinks are so well known as the Rum and Coke. Made with two ingredients, this drink is known by practically every bartender and cocktail enjoyer on the planet. Just by naming it, you can make it. But would you believe that the origins of this cocktail go back to the early 1900’s in Cuba? Enter the Cuba Libre.

Meaning “Free Cuba”, this drink originated in Cuba sometime around the late 1890s (but not coinciding with the entrance of bottled Coke entering Cuba). Instead, the original had a mixture of water and brown sugar. Legend has it that some time after 1900, an individual ordered a Bacardi and Coke, intriguing some local American soldiers, and the drink took off. Like all origin stories, this owes itself to an affidavit some 60 years later, so take it with a grain of salt, but enjoy the drink – which includes lime juice in many versions (unlike a standard Rum and Coke).

Cuba Libre

2 oz

Lightly Aged Rum

4 oz

Cola

⅛ oz

Lime Juice

In a highball add 3-4 ice cubes. Add rum, lime, and cola. Give one stir, and top with ice. Garnish with a lime.

The Cuba Libre is a classic combination of smooth rum and sweet cola. The slight note of lime gives a nice brightness here that opens up the flavor of the cola and the tropical notes of the rum. The rum’s subtle vanilla plays well against the cola’s caramel notes. Overall, they’re super easy to make and drink, and an obvious classic for this very reason.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The most obvious difference in recipes for a Cuba Libre (or a Rum and Coke) is the addition of the lime juice. The lime juice adds the pop of brightness here that some people like, and some hate. If you find you don’t like it (we admittedly like a little, but not a lot), feel free to omit it.

Rum – Almost all recipes will recommend you use a lightly aged or ‘white’ rum here. While these make the simplest Cuba Libres, there’s no reason you can’t choose your favorite rum or what you have on hand. In our example, we used El Dorado 3, but we’ve made them with Appleton Reserve, Plantation Original Dark, Doorly’s X.O., and others.
Cola – We recommend using fresh Coke for this. While we have a slight preference for Mexican Coke, there’s not a need to have it. Be aware, we emphasize fresh, because nothing will make a Cuba Libre more disappointing that old, flat, dull, Coke. You can also use other cola, if you don’t like Coke.
Lime – For best results, use fresh squeezed.

Henry McKenna Single Barrel

Posted on November 9, 2022November 8, 2022 by Nick

Perhaps few bottles suffer so greatly from both hype and barrel variation as Henry McKenna Single Barrel. Amongst the bourbon lovers, Mckenna is notorious for consumers greatly enjoying one bottle, and then being disappointed in the next. While there are a variety of possible reasons for this, including actual differences in production and what the consumer immediately ate prior to enjoying it, it doesn’t change that this bottle has won some significant awards and has a strong hype train surrounding it.

Henry McKenna Single Barrel

Henry McKenna Single Barrel is a Bottled-In-Bond whiskey aged ten years from Heaven Hill. This age statement makes it among the older available Bottled-In-Bond offerings.

Sight: A rich tawny.

Smell: Rich caramel and nuts float out of the opening salvo. Zesty spice, tobacco, and notes of oranges and peach pits join in. There’s a slightly fruity character that comes in, a bit of heat, and a pops of toasted oak and a cereal like note. Something akin to peanut brittle in a fudge shop occasionally comes through as well.

Sip: The flavors are complex and layered, starting with caramel and spice it evolves into peach pits, tobacco, charred oak, cigar box, and nuts. The flavors are somewhat random in their progression, but consistently show up. There’s a fair amount of stone fruit, from peach to plum that comes around the edges. There’s very little burn despite the 100 proof, and the texture is rich. A very occasional oversteeped black tea note also appears.

Savor: The ending maintains a stone fruit and toasted oak character with a moderate amount of oak. The flavor lingers in a balanced and inviting way.

Henry McKenna Single Barrel is quite nice as a sipper, displaying a good amount of complexity and depth. The continuing evolution of the flavors in the glass makes it inviting to come back to. The texture also helps in adding to the appeal. Overall, it’s far from a disappointing sipper.

In Cocktails

In a Manhattan the wonderful texture and proof helps to create the lanolin texture of a great Manhattan. Caramels, brown sugar, toasted oak, and stone fruit pastry notes all explode forth. There are pleasant baking spices throughout. The finish ends up carrying forward some of the spice, stone fruit, and caramel with just a bit of oak. It’s a phenomenal Manhattan.

Single Barrel Side By Side

A friend happened to have a bottle of Henry McKenna Single Barrel, leading us having the bottles in a side by side. The bottle my friend had was 2 years newer than my bottle. The other bottle was significantly stronger in the vanilla realm, but added a dustiness and reduced the spice. There were also fruity notes, but a bit more orange marmalade sort of notes. The palate is significantly lighter, still maintaining the vanilla notes, but also bringing in more floral elements with subtle spice. The oak notes are also still prevalent, but it doesn’t achieve significant oak or fruit. The weight of both is also different, with the newer bottle feeling significantly lighter.

The comparison feels shocking given both are bottled in bond products with 10 year age statements. While some variation is to be expected, these almost stuck me like two different distilleries due to the spread of flavors and textures.

In Review – Henry McKenna Single Barrel

Henry McKenna’s hype has been real on driving it’s cost up. When this bottle was purchased, the cost per bottle was $10 less than it is today. Pushing $60, the flavor is quite good, but the availability and bottle variation remain problematic. While it’s amazing in cocktails and neat, these factors might be reasons to shy away and instead choice a lower cost single barrel such as Four Roses or Wild Turkey Rare Breed.

Small Hand Foods Orgeat Syrup

Posted on November 7, 2022November 6, 2022 by Nick

Orgeat (pronounced or-zhaat[american] or or-zsa [french]) is a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar, and either rose water or orange blossom water. Originally made from barley, it was used as a shelf stable substitute for milk. While you can make your own, there are numerous commercial, high quality options available, such as Small Hand Foods Orgeat Syrup. Be aware, while you can find large quantities of orgeat for cheap (such as Monin or Ferrara), these options usually contain preservatives or artificial flavors to provide the almond / marzipan flavors.

Small Hand Foods Orgeat Syrup

Made from California almonds, apricot kernels, organic cane sugar, orange flower water, and California brandy, Small Hand Food’s Orgeat is very natural and will settle. Shake if this occurs and before using.

Sight: Somewhat cloudy, a hazy yellowish / almond color.

Smell: Nutty, floral, slightly creamy. There’s a touches of marzipan and almond biscuit, as well as a stone fruit like character.

Sip: Nuttiest and floral notes give way toward preserved peaches and apricot. The nuttiness becomes more like pecan pie filling, if it were instead made of almonds. It is also very sweet and creamy, although not unexpectedly.

Savor: The ending carries over marzipan, stone fruit, and creaminess. It lingers sweetly for a while.

Small Hand Foods Orgeat Syrup is very natural tasting, and obviously incredibly sweet and creamy. As this is syrup used for modifying drinks or recipes, you wouldn’t necessarily ever have cause to drink it straight. It is, however, important to understand how it tastes to understand how it will potentially impact the drink. As this is delicious and more subtle, it should contribute similar things.

In Cocktails

Small Hand Foods Orgeat Syrup adds nuttiness and subtle touches of a sweetness. In a Cameron’s Kick, it doesn’t get pushy. Instead it gently adds a sweetness and subtly gives a hint to almonds. There isn’t a lot of weight added. Instead it allows the cocktail to be drier, and plays more background notes.

In Review – Small Hand Foods Orgeat Syrup

Small Hand Foods Orgeat Syrup is subtle, sweet, and flavorful. It doesn’t get pushy, but adds the almond and creamy notes that help build the drink. That said, those expecting something sweeter may find they need to use more to achieve the result they would like. For those willing to pay the extra, we currently recommend keeping Small Hand Foods Orgeat Syrup around.

Find it at Amazon*

* – This link is an affiliate link which may result in us getting a partial commission from the sale. To date (as of publication), we’ve made $8.53 from affiliate links in 2022, while we’ve spent well over $200 on just webhosting. Help us keep the lights on if you like our content, and please use our links!

Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum

Posted on October 28, 2022October 23, 2022 by Nick

Our first run in with Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum was at the amazing Porco Lounge & Tiki Room in Cleveland, OH. If you haven’t been, you simply must go. The drinks are well crafted, the staff entertaining, and the collection of tiki memorabilia is tops. While Porco’s is amazing, the moment Rum Fire enters our knowledge is when they hosted Shannon Mustipher on her tour promoting her book Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails* (a book that’s a great choice if you want to expand from Smuggler’s Cove!) Shannon loved Rum Fire, and after a taste, it’s not hard to see why.

Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum

Country: Jamaica
Still Type: Pot Still
Raw Material: Molasses
Yeast: Wild yeasts
Proof: 126 (63% A.B.V.)

Sight: Clear

Smell: Cotton candy and sugar cane flow forth with a smack of spice and exotic fruit. Overripe mango and papaya come forward with a host of other tropical fruits, including what seems like guava. There’s a grassy vegetal note as well, and a hint of nutty pie. Heat picks up late in the mix.

Sip: The palate is a spicy with a lot of grassy notes and a bit of sugar forward to start, tropical fruits start to come in shortly after. As they approach, the alcohol comes into play, putting everything on blast. The result is something tropical, somewhat sugary, and aggressively hot. Pressing through, there are notes of fermenting bananas, citrus peels, and brown sugar caramelized over an open flame.

Savor: The end is laced with almost smoke that gives way to tobacco, leather, and tropical fruit jam. It lingers with a hint of heat.

Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum is a burning hunk of tropical flavors. The flavor basically smacks like a mule, and it’s pretty unapologetic about it. As sipping goes, you’d probably need to have a relatively anesthetized palate (which you could acquire by continuing to sip this) to find this a first choice. That said, there’s a ton of flavor here, but maybe not something you’d want to experience directly (like drinking vanilla extract).

In Cocktails

In a daiquiri Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum kicks like a mule. The heat of the alcohol is tempered and gives way to amazing grassy notes laced with fresh melon, coconuts, almonds, and other tropical fruits. The ester of the rum becomes more apparent with the lime, and a pithy citrus note joins in. The mid palate is sweet with a fermented tropical note and almost a hint of bitter chocolate. There vegetal notes give a sort of leather and tobacco finish with a little heat. The overall effect is packed with flavor, but almost explosively so.

In Review – Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum

Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum is an aggressive rum designed for complex drinks. While you can use this rum on its own, and even enjoy it on its own, it will be better for most folks in cocktails paired with other rums. What it will offer is fantastic complexity to join in with another rum or two. This will create astounding tiki cocktails, and give you a little extra kick.

* – This link is an affiliate link which may result in us getting a partial commission from the sale. To date (as of publication), we’ve made $8.08 from affiliate links in 2022, while we’ve spent well over $200 on just webhosting. Help us keep the lights on if you like our content, and please use our links!

Maker’s Mark FAE-02 – Wood Finishing Series

Posted on October 26, 2022October 27, 2022 by Nick

While Maker’s Mark FAE-01 was all about the flavors involved in barrel extraction, Maker’s Mark FAE-02 focuses instead on texture. To do this, Maker’s Mark instead used French Oak (leading to more vanilla that is typically associated with French oak, compared to the banana and spice from American). Using new techniques, Maker’s double heat treated the staves with both infrared (to make caramel notes) and flame (aiming at making vanilla elements). This is markedly different than Maker’s Mark FAE-01 where only one side of the American oak stave was seared. So how does it compare?

Maker’s Mark FAE-02 – Wood Finishing Series

Maker’s Mark FAE-02 is produced starting from fully matured Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. Once fully matured, 10 virgin toasted French Oak Staves were added.

Age: NAS
Proof: 109.1 (54.55% ABV)
Finishing: 10 Virgin Toasted French Oak Staves

Sight: Between Olosoro Sherry and Russet Muscat

Smell: The nose has a bit of heat to start things out, but presents with a healthy touch of vanilla and mocha out of the gate. The nose has a richness to it, and leans into a freshly roasted coffee beans and jammy cherry notes. The vanilla here is heavy, with a bean like aromatic quality and a pastry cream style richness. A light spicing and plum / roasted fig note join with some dried currants. Overall, the nose has a lot going on once you can pass the heat.

Sip: The body is smooth with heavy notes of oak, vanilla, cigar box, and touches of spice. The spices give a slight dryness to the body, and then opens up with a creaminess. The cherry and plum notes here are present, but well behind the vanilla cream notes that run throughout. The creaminess of the body really is the star here, with it being full, smooth, rich, and loaded with vanilla notes. A hint of coffee with cream and creme brulee can be found.

Savor: The vanilla and aromatics carry over onto the finish, and pull in a good amount of spices that linger. The finish gets more oaky with a bit of fire roasted marshmallows and charry sugar.

Maker’s Mark FAE-02 is richly textured and heavily vanilla laden. Those expecting caramel and fruit will find more oak forward flavors that are well balanced and textured. While there are layers, they’re variations on vanilla and coffee shop kind of notes. Overall, this is an enjoyable, easy going sipper that has a pleasing texture that’s worth exploring.

In Cocktails

Just like it’s sibling Maker’s Mark FAE-01, you’re unlikely to be reaching for Maker’s Mark FAE-02 to make a cocktail. Let’s say you were to make a Manhattan though. It turns out it’s rich, surprisingly spice forward, and has a nice French vanilla coffee undercurrent. The subtle sweetness of the vermouth comes out as well, with a good amount of cherry and plum. As it warms up, it becomes a complete vanilla bomb, ranging from extract to bean. While this is amazing and it is a good Manhattan, it might not be worth the price of admission if you’re trying to make drinks.

In Review – Maker’s Mark FAE-02 – Wood Finishing Series

Maker’s Mark FAE-02 is tasty on it’s own, and makes a reasonable cocktail. While this bottle is enjoyable, it doesn’t break a lot of new ground, and instead highlights the texture that Maker’s can achieve. If you happen to be a diehard Maker’s Mark fan, this might be worth $60 to you, but for most individuals, you’re going to want to find a pour of this in a bar or from a friend. Preferably next to FAE-01 so you can see what Maker’s was trying to show off (and would have been better selling me a 375ml twin pack).

Halloween 2022: Kuzco’s Poison

Posted on October 24, 2022September 30, 2023 by Nick

The Emperor’s New Groove* is one of our favorite movies, While thematically it isn’t really a Halloween movie, the villainess, Yzma, is “scary beyond all reason”. The plot follows the self centered ruler, Kuzco, who soon into the film, decides to let Yzma go. Instead of taking this news in stride, Yzma plans to take over the Kingdom by poisoning Kuzco. Only, Kuzco’s Poison doesn’t quite end up being poison, but rather Extract of Llama. The film follows the adventures of the ruler following their little mix-up.

In the spirit of the holiday, we’ve chosen to recreate this potion, only less poison / transformation based, and more entertaining your guests focused.

Kuzco’s Poison

½ oz

Macchu Pisco

¼ oz

Lime Juice

¼ oz

Passoa Passion Fruit Liqueur

¼ oz

Raspberry Syrup

⅛ oz

Campari

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a vials (or shot glasses). Add labels indicating Extract of Llama or poison.

Kuzco’s Poison is fruity, sweet, bright, and ever so slightly bitter. The passionfruit pops out in a starring role with plenty of raspberry supporting. The lime gives levity and the pisco – Campari mix gives an herbal, grape brandy like underpinning. As a shot, it’s entertaining and perfect for turning your guests into llamas!

Drink Notes & Recommendations

The first thing to note is that this doesn’t fluorescently glow. We used glow cubes to help add more color, but you can see the original color in the photo above. What it lacks in exact color match, it makes up in being delicious and easy going as a shot that won’t overwhelm your guests with booze. The recipe will make anywhere from a minimum of 2 to up to 3 vials (depending on your dilution). The design is for “two shots”.

Macchu Pisco – Pisco here is adding some fermented / distilled grape flavors to the drink while also giving a bit of a heavy underpinning. While Macchu has some bite, and it’s the best out there, it’s widely available, and plays it’s role of backdrop well here.
Lime Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
Passoa Passion Fruit Liqueur – Passionfruit liqueur are few and far between, and Passoa has been hanging around our bar for a while. We used it here for color and to give a mysterious flavor to the shot. If you can’t find Passoa, our backup bottle is Pinaq Tropical liqueur. Feel free to find what’s available in your local area though. Use the leftovers to try a Yeah Baby, our riff on a Porn Star Martini.
Campari – While there are no direct substitutes for Campari, you can play around with another amaro – such as Aperol or something else that features a strong red color. The intention is to add a bit of depth of color and bitterness.
Raspberry Syrup – The recipe is listed below, but for this recipe we strongly suggest you muddle the raspberries to add color. You can also use this to make a Clover Club if you’re looking for another application.
Glassware – We used vials we found on Amazon* which cost about $9 for 12 of them. If you don’t want to pay for the vials, feel free to serve this drink in a standard shot glass.
Glow Cubes – If you’re looking to use glow cubes to adjust the color, we used Windy City Novelties glow cubes*. These are the same glow cubes as used by Disney, and we highly recommend them!

Raspberry Syrup

120 g sugar
120 g water
40 g raspberries

Combine water, sugar, and raspberries in a small mason jar or sous vide bag. If using a mason jar, you may gently muddle the raspberries with the sugar for added color and flavor. Seal, and heat for 2 hours @ 135. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and coffee filter. If desired, add a neutral grain spirit at 5-10% of the finished weight as a preservative. Refrigerate. Dispose of if any clouding or mold develops.

Looking for more Halloween Cocktail ideas? Check out our past year’s cocktails!

Halloween 2022: Witch’s Brew

Posted on October 21, 2022October 20, 2022 by Nick

A chill has settled in the air and candy is lining the shelves in every store. That can only mean that it’s almost time to don our costumes and prepare to roam the streets for free candy! If you need something to help you get through the chill, endless miles of candy trekking, or that costume party, why not give our Witch’s Brew a try? Made with a red wine base, this one will keep you refreshed and feeling devilish all night long!

Witch’s Brew

4 oz

Old Vine Zinfandel

½ oz

Lemon Juice

½ oz

Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao

½ oz

Vanilla Syrup

¼ oz

Creme de Cassis

⅛ oz

St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

1 Dash

Angostura Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a flash blender or shaker tin. Add crushed or pellet ice. Shake or flash blend. Open pour into a goblet. No garnish.

The Witch’s Brew is dark, fruity, spicy, and refreshing. The allspice notes and clove elements from the bitters bring a mulled character to the deep red fruits of the wine. Bright citrus layers complexity, and the berry notes pop throughout. The sweetness balances with the tannins, and the finish gives a preserved berry and red vine linger.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

A riff on a Sherry Cobbler and a Sangria, the Witch’s Brew is made to be both quaffable and refreshing. The slow dilution from the ice and flash blending help with texture and ease some of the cloying liqueurs. With the dryness of the wine, this should also pair well with food.

Old Vine Zinfandel – You don’t have to spend a fortune to make a great drink, we used a go to bottle of Kirkland Signature Old Vine Zinfandel for ours. For good values, look for bottles from Lodi, California.
Lemon Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed.
Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao – Dry Curacao is going to offer more complexity, thanks to both offering a different base liqueur (brandy) and finishing with some spicing to the mix. If you can’t find Dry Curacao, use a regular, like our go to Cointreau.
Vanilla Simple Syrup – Vanilla here is going to add a richness and tie the flavors together between the oak and spices.
- To make: Bring 8 oz of sugar and 8 oz of water to a boil with a whole vanilla bean split lengthwise. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool – add 1/4 oz of Everclear (or vodka) if desired to help stabilize and preserve shelf life. Bottle, cap, and refrigerate. Dispose of if the syrup develops any clouding or mold.
Creme de Cassis – Is added for depth here, to embolden the berry flavors. We used Marie Brizard’s Cassis de Dijon, but feel free to use whichever one you have lying around.
St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram – St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram adds allspice notes, giving a beautiful fall spicing to the drink. You can substitute pimento dram if you have it on hand.
Angostura Bitters – Builds more complexity onto the allspice notes, and helps carry the fall spicing through. Feel free to experience with different aromatic bitters here to add complexity.
Ice – We recommend using ice from a small to moderate sized pellet ice here for best results (similar to cobbler). You can also use crushed ice, though the experience will be less consistent. Chick-Fil-A and Sonic are good sources of pellet ice for a few dollars if you don’t have a pellet ice freezer or good way to crush ice.

Looking for more Halloween Cocktail ideas? Check out our past year’s cocktails!

Maker’s Mark FAE-01 – Wood Finishing Series

Posted on October 19, 2022October 18, 2022 by Nick

A part of Maker’s Mark’s Wood Finishing series, Maker’s Mark FAE-01 is their spring expression for 2021, and the latest in a line of annual releases focused on unique aspects about Maker’s Mark. Sometimes affectionately referred to as the “license plate” series due to their name, the 2021 releases chose to focus on unique elements that make Maker’s – Maker’s.

FAE-01 aims to highlight the barrel extraction flavors found in Maker’s Cask Strength
FAE-02 aims to highlight the textural notes and smooth mouthfeel elements of Maker’s Mark.

Maker’s Mark FAE-01

Maker’s Mark FAE-01 is produced starting from fully matured Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. Once fully matured, 10 virgin toasted American Oak Staves were added. Maker’s notes that these staves were only toasted on one side to help emphasize the smell of the barrel warehouse. They do not specify the additional aging time with these staves.

Age: NAS
Proof: 110.3 (55.15% ABV)
Finishing: 10 Virgin Toasted American Oak Staves

This is the third expression in their Wood Finishing series, which starts in 2019 with a single release (RC6), and was followed in 2020 with a second release (SE4xPR5). 2021 marked the first year with a spring and fall offering.

It also has the hardest cork to reinsert of any bottle I’ve ever owned. However, it definitely seals well.

Sight: A happy tawny.

Smell: Big bursts of cherries erupt, ranging the gamut from fresh and juicy to candied to dried. Elements of vanilla, caramel, and light oak charred wrap around them. Other notes of stone fruit, candied berries, and tobacco come through. There’s hints of heat and random pops of spice. The nose feels rich and thick despite the bursts of ethanol.

Sip: The mouthfeel is instantly thick and rich. The start has a nice sweetness and the preserved cherry notes, coffee, espresso, and caramels come out immediately. It evolves somewhat rapidly, building in levels of heat, but also extracting more roasted oak, tobacco, plenty of spice, and more stone fruit. There’s even a little hint of orange zest, banana, and clove. As it build, it maintains it’s richness, but gets aggressively heavy and hot.

Savor: The finish is oaky with a slight creaminess and plenty of cherries and fruit. One of the impressive things is the length. As it lingers, it brings in more roasted oak notes, plum skins, and cigar box. There’s even a bit of dark roast going on.

Maker’s Mark FAE-01 is rich, smooth, and more than a little high strung. The flavor profile is really delightful and Maker’s hits there goal of delivering additional mouthfeel. The richness on the palate is really unparalleled by their standard offering. The flavors really delight the fruitiness of the whiskey while giving a lot of room to the American oak. The only down side is the proof of 110.3 here really comes across in every last point of proof. Don’t take too big a sip or hold it too long, and this shouldn’t be a huge issue.

In Cocktails

In all likelihood, you aren’t using Maker’s Mark FAE-01 to make drinks. If you end up finding yourself so compelled though, you’ll find that FAE-01 works well enough, adding caramel and cherry bursts between notes of spice and oak. There’s a bit of char that pervades on the finish. While the flavors are pleasant, and the Manhattan is good, with a bit of a honeyed note, this clearly doesn’t feel like the best use of this whiskey.

In Review – Maker’s Mark FAE-01

Maker’s Mark FAE-01 is really quite good, and priced fairly at $60. The mouth feel is really the highlight here, and the value is in savoring on it’s own. While it doesn’t make a bad drink, you could make an equally good drink with a cheaper bottle – like their Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. Based on this, and the fact that this was a one time allocated release, we recommend this bottle for bourbon enthusiasts, but doesn’t need a place on your home shelf.

Our Her’s Cocktail: Something Blue

Posted on October 17, 2022October 17, 2022 by Nick

Unsurprisingly, for our wedding we wanted to share our passion for cocktails with our family. While I love bourbon and rye, my wife has a penchant for tequilas, rum, and Tiki inspired drinks (even after the wedding, we went to Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room and Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto). As such, we wanted something with a bit of tropical feel, that would scratch that Tiki itch, while also giving us a nod toward the wedding day. What emerged, was a crowd favorite, our Something Blue.

Something Blue

1 oz

Siete Leguas Blanco Tequila

¾ oz

Malibu Coconut Rum

¾ oz

Lime Juice

¾ oz

Giffard Curacao Bleu

½ oz

Small Hand Foods Orgeat

¼ oz

John D. Taylor Velvet Falernum

2 ¼ oz

Club Soda

Combine all ingredients except club in a shaker. Add ice and shake. Separate and add the club. Open pour (dirty dump) into a double rocks glass or Jupiter glass. Garnish with Tiki swizzles.

Our Something Blue is smooth, bright, and laced with vanilla, citrus, spice, and coconut notes. While the combination of Siete Leguas Blanco and Malibu Coconut might seem strange, the coconut works as a modifier giving an underlying base for the Siete’s vanilla like notes to play off of. The brightness of the lime pops these flavors, and combined with the spice and nuttiness of the orgeat and falernum opens the drink up to a complex symphony of easy going flavors. The club helps elongate the drink to not only help guests enjoy it longer, but to settle some of the intensity. Overall, the drink is as beautiful as my bride.

Drink Notes & Recommendations

There are a lot of ingredients in this cocktail, and while we urge you to use the original ingredients, we recognize it’s hard to match one for one. We’ll give you recommendations where we can, and note a small change for when trying to batch this drink for large events (which is the inclusion of super juice!).

Tequila – We like a vanilla forward Blanco here, which is why we chose Siete Leguas. If you can’t find it, Casamigos can make a good substitute, and our house Olmeca Altos Plata won’t hurt either.
Coconut Rum – We honestly use Malibu in place of Kalani Coconut Liqueur. The flavors are reasonably close, and Malibu sells for a fraction of the price of Kalani. If somehow you can’t find Malibu, we recommend using Kalani here.
Lime Juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed. For batching, consider using super juice to avoid oxidation, as detailed below.
Blue Curacao – while there are plenty of brands, our go to for all drinks is Giffard Curacao Bleu. This brand has a slight vanillin note in our experience, which gives a nice lift to certain drinks.
Orgeat – In this application we recommend something natural like Small Hand Foods Orgeat*, as it adds nuttiness, but not unneeded candied flavors. From what we’ve heard from fellow enthusiasts, Liber + Co might also work as a substitute. If you can’t find it, or don’t want to pay the premium, feel free to reach for something more candy almond like Ferrara Orzata Almond Syrup* (which will change the character of this drink). As such, we may recommend you even cut the amount in half to a bar spoon. Monin may also work in this reduced amount.
Falernum – We use John D. Taylor’s Velvet Falernum, which adds a tropical spice note and sweetness. Feel free to use your favorite, and adjust upward if you find you’re lacking sweetness after the switch.
Club Soda – Your local grocery store generic will work just fine here. Club soda will contain minerality notes, where seltzer will not.

Lime Super Juice

So what should you do if you need to prep this drink later, and you can’t be bothered to squeeze limes the day of? The best answer we’ve found is to use super juice. This acid stabilized juice contains the same acids as a lime, but with less lime juice (which oxidizes after squeezing). The result is a juice that can remain fresh and unoxidized in your fridge for up to a month, and reduces waste of fruit. Be aware, due to the strength of the juice, and the acid correction, we recommend using ½ oz of Lime super juice (compared to ¾ oz fresh squeezed)

To calculate the exact amount you will need, we recommend using Kevin Kos’ Super Juice calculator, and follow his recipe as shown below:

Knob Creek Smoked Maple

Posted on October 14, 2022October 13, 2022 by Nick

When I originally purchased this bottle (back before the packaging changes), I thought this was Knob Creek’s regular bourbon offering. After taking a picture of it, I realized that I had purchased Knob Creek Smoked Maple. Unable to return liquor in the state of Ohio, I did what anyone would do. I opened it. So how is it?

Knob Creek Smoked Maple

If you read the reviews on Knob Creek’s sight, you’ll find that people are quite polarized over Knob Creek Smoked Maple. This isn’t surprising when you consider that many “maple” bourbons are aged in ex-maple barrels. The result is usually something that it’s particularly sweet, but has a maple note. This isn’t that, this is more akin to a bourbon with maple (flavors) added to it. With that out of the way, here’s what it’s like.

Sight: Chestnut Oloroso Sherry (no mention of color add –)

Smell: Unsurprisingly a roasted, slightly caramelized maple syrup note comes thought. It is slightly short of what I’d consider smokey. Touches of baking spices, vanilla, and oak notes comes though in the underpinnings. A slight touch of orange zest might be linger as well.

Sip: Sweetness starts with a richness from the sugar. The palate is loaded with maple drenched pecans and peanuts. The nuts are almost pan roasted with maple, and sprinkled with cinnamon and baking spices. Touches of oak and a little cigar box come in too.

Savor: The finish has a bit of warmth, giving some heat all the way down. Despite that, the sugar keeps it easygoing, and the flavors of maple, spice, and nuttiness linger.

Knob Creek Smoked Maple is sweet, maple laden, and underpinned by solid Knob Creek flavors. Like the Knob Creek Small Batch 9 Year, there’s a lot to like about the interaction of the nuttiness and oak touches that under pin the maple flavors here. While the flavors are nice, purists will find the maple flavors overpower what they like to pick out of the whiskey, while those who like a little sweetness may find something to soothe the experience with. Either way, it isn’t a bad product, but it certainly isn’t meant as a neat drinker for everyone.

In Cocktails

Knob Creek Smoked Maple is more liqueur than liquor. As such, using it as a base in a Manhattan would be quite strange on it’s own, but you could use it as a modifier or split base. In an Old Fashioned, it produces the same nuttiness and maple notes as on it’s own, with a lot of complexity to the nuts. The spices here are accentuated by the bitters. Unsurprisingly, it’s an easy sipper and feels a bit like a shortcut / poor mans version of our Maple Cinnamon Old Fashioned. Due to the sweetness, I excluded an additional sugar component.

This might be the best usage as well, as this is a tricky bottle to find a great use for. Most recipes that specify maple syrup are using it as a sweetening element, while most recipes that are calling for bourbon don’t look for sweetness. The result is something that fits in neither category, and seems best for enjoying on it’s own, using as a small amount of modify in place of bourbon base, or in fast Old Fashioneds. You might also consider it in a Stone Fence, where the maple and apple could work well together.

In Review – Knob Creek Smoked Maple

Knob Creek Smoked Maple is an unsurprisingly sweet and more refined maple liqueur. The underpinning of Knob Creek bourbon really gives it some character, but it is unmistakably sweet. Combined with the limited cocktail potential, this is a hard bottle to recommend to all but those who truly love maple syrup. Still, the liqueur inside isn’t bad, just not for everyone.

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Nick

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry is a 100% Pot Still Rum, and aims to show off the traditional rum funk of 19th century rum. The rum is an aim to return to the original aspects of Jamaican rum. With access to both “Long Pond” and “Clarendon”, this rum is a dream of Alexandre Gabriel, the master distiller of plantation. So does it work out as dream?

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry

Rum Info (per Plantation’s site):

Alc./Vol. : 43%
Origin : Jamaica
Distilleries : Clarendon and Long Pond Distilleries
Raw material : Molasses
Fermentation : 1 and 3 weeks
Distillation :
- Clarendon : Pot Still (Vendôme)
- Long Pond : Pot Still (John Dore)
Tropical ageing : 1-3 years in Bourbon casks
Continental ageing : 1 year in Ferrand casks
Volatile Substances : 312 g/hL AA
Esters : 156 g/hL AA
Marks :
- Clarendon : EMB & MLC marks
- Long Pond : VRW & STC^E marks
Classification : Plummer
Dosage : 0 g/L
Cane sugar caramel E150a (% vol) : between 0% and 0.1%

Sight: Amber (Color corrected)

Smell: Spiced banana’s foster laden with rich buttery caramel and funky tropical fruit. Cracked black pepper and green papaya run through with a pop of spice. Creamy mangos and papayas with a hint of berries come in to add more tropical riffs in the character. The nose feels deeper than it should, and has a good richness.

Sip: The ester funk is unapologetic here, coming in from the word go. Interestingly, the dryness is present but keeps it well balanced throughout. The flavors of Jamaican funk come through, but ripe bananas, pineapple, mango, and a subtle grape-berry notes are prevalent. The spice and caramel are in the background, and start to show themselves closer to the ending.

Savor: The ending is spicy and oak laden with the tropical fruit taking background. The result is a bit of a fruity finish that leans spiced and dry as it lingers.

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry has a wonderfully complex nose, and then doesn’t over do the sugar throughout. The flavors are well balanced, if drier, showing off the fruity components while minimizing sweetness. The flavor profile is unapologetically Jamaican, but rounded off by the continental aging. If you like the general character of Jamaican rum this is something you should consider to sip.

In Cocktails

In Grog, Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry shows off it’s tropical fruit in spaces against the lime and sweetness. The subtle touches of sweetness from the dark demerara bring forward more spice and caramelized notes. While it’s smooth, it doesn’t have the most depth.

In Review – Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry is really a great way to spend a few dollars more and get a very specialized rum. The flavor profile isn’t as aggressive as Appleton. For fans of a bit of the Jamaican funk without the full bore hit, this is a great option for $25. It also has enough balance that you could consider it as your only aged rum, if you’re starting your home bar.