Spirits Archives - Page 12 of 16 - First Pour Cocktails

Absolut Vodka

Posted on April 16, 2021April 6, 2021 by Nick

Few vodkas are as ubiquitous as Absolut Vodka. Launched in 1970’s, Absolut was a bit of a marketing gimmick thanks to it’s transparent bottle. While this has become more commonplace, the actual product inside still depends on the use of Swedish wheat, water, and process to make. While we know their upper end Absolut Elyx is excellent, does their base product merit attention?

Absolut Vodka

Sight: Clear.

Smell: There’s a nice touch of vanillin and grain notes that starts out, before pulling in a bit of ethanol. The nose is a little more yeasty than one might expect.

Sip: A moderate to heavy mouthfeel, it’s just short of coating in it’s character. It’s a little short of smooth as well, hinging into prickly without feeling hot. The notes of grain lead off, adding in a bit of alcohol and grain mash notes. The smallest hint of vanillin can be noticed peaking around the edges.

Savor: The end is again, mildly evaporative and prickly, leaving a slightly dried character and notes of grain on the finish.

Absolut Vodka is completely fine. Not great, not bad, just fine. That’s ok though, it doesn’t need to be exceptional on it’s own. In this price point, there aren’t a lot of vodkas that you’re going to want to sit back and enjoy neat or with an ice cube. Absolut Vodka would probably be fine that way, but it’s better in a cocktail.

In Cocktails

Absolut is priced and flavored in a way that makes us happy to utilize it our vodka cocktails. The reason has more to do with the lack of flavors and more to do with the texture. The moderate to heavy mouthfeel is useful in building drinks without adding more alcohol, and it doesn’t change the finished product. Unlike a rice or rye based vodka, there’s very little in the way of additional characteristics to interfere. The dilution and cold helps with the rougher edges, and in all but the most spiritous cocktails, it’s hard to notice. Bear in mind, it’s not bad, but we are inclined to splurge and step up the ladder for Absolut Elyx for spirit forward drinks like the Martini and Vesper where there is very little to hide behind.

Absolut Vodka Overall

We go with Absolut Vodka as our bar’s standard vodka based on the affordability, clean flavor, and the perceived mouthfeel elements. Absolut works very well in most cocktails, and is part of our recommended bottles for starting a home bar. That said, if you wanted to splurge a little, consider Absolut’s higher end offering Absolut Elyx for a smoother, more refined choice.

The Glenlivet 12

Posted on April 9, 2021April 20, 2021 by Nick

While there are a healthy number of cocktails that call for Scotch, there aren’t quite enough of them to earn Scotch a place in our best bottles for beginning a home bar list. That doesn’t mean that Scotch might not be one of the first bottles you add to that list though. Used in Rob Roys, Blood and Sands, Whisk(e)y Highballs, Pencillins, and the Bobby Burns, Scotch is very much a great next step if you find your self in love with Manhattans, bourbon, or Anejo tequilas or Mezcal. And perhaps few are known better than The Glenlivet 12.

The Glenlivet 12

The Glenlivet distillery has been operating since 1824 (only closing for World War II), and produces almost 6 million annual liters of whiskey. The distillery is owned by Pernod-Ricard. While the majority of the production become The Glenlivet, the distillery also produces the blended Chivas Regal.

Sight: A bright gold with a consistent edge.

Smell: There’s a beautiful start of gentle vanilla that is slowly joined by various fruity elements. The fruits are diverse, with notes of apple, kumquat, pineapple, dried mango, and more. A subtle flaky pastry or cookie like note hangs around as well.

Sip: The body is smooth and rich, and maintains its character without bringing in significant heat. The palate opens up into notes of vanilla, stone fruit, pineapple, with touches of heather, toasted hazelnuts, and toasted oak.

Savor: The ending has just the slightest hint of heat, but brings a nice rich nutty character on the finish with hints of minerality.

The Glenlivet 12 has a nice, rich, round offering that demonstrates the initial complexity single malt scotch can offer without breaking the bank. The blend is by no means the deepest or most pensive, but it is easy going, welcoming, and quite tasty for the price. The flavors of tropical fruits and vanilla are well balanced, and the nuttiness on the end offers a compelling reason to sip it. Overall, there’s nothing wrong with a simple dram of this on it’s own.

In Cocktails

The Glenlivet 12 adds a smooth character and richness to cocktails. In a Bobby Burns, it wonderfully compliments both the Drambuie and sweet vermouth while adding in hints of nuttiness and floral touches. Within a highball, the nuttiness comes through, but the richness cut from the club soda tempers some of the tropical notes, giving way to more touches of oak and heather. The whiskey is the star here, but is remains subtle in its character.

Looking for a cocktail? Try it in a Bobby Burns or Bobby Burns No. 2

Bobby Burns Cocktail - Image — Bobby Burns

The Glenlivet 12 Overall

The Glenlivet 12 is a a nice, easy going, enjoyable single malt scotch that plays nice in cocktails without breaking the banking. To a certain extent, it’s very much a gateway scotch, something to open the door to what scotch can be, but not becoming the star itself. Furthermore, it’s widely known and widely available These characteristics add up to make it a great choice to use in a home bar for a cocktail, and earn it a recommendation from us.

St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

Posted on April 6, 2021April 6, 2021 by Nick

Allspice or Pimento is a dried unripe berry that is the fruit of the Pimenta Dioica plant in many warm Caribbean climates. Upon arriving to the new world, and discovering this berry, the explorers concluded it was basically every spice rolled into one. As a result, the name Allspice kind of stuck. Given the area’s thriving rum industry, its unsurprising that eventually it was turned into a rum liqueur. While it was initially a viable product commercially and used in many classic cocktails, it eventually died off in the 80s before being revived by those exploring classic cocktails. Among the renditions available is St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram.

St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram

Sight: A deeply caramelized woody brown with a lighter orange hue around the edges. Moderate opacity.

Smell: For lack of a better descriptor, the nose starts with complex heady notes of allspice. There is a certain amount of caramelized sugar and rum ester, but these are dominated by the smell of allspice. Complete with the gamut of clove, cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg notes.

Sip: The sip is sweet and thick to start, the flavors of all-spice begin to creep in quickly, leading with the more clove like notes before breaking into cinnamon and nutmeg. These add a very mild component of bitterness. Touches of peppercorns and caramelized sugar join in, as well as a general anesthetizing sensation.

Savor: The ending maintains the clove, cinnamon, allspice character, but adds a subtle numbing and fruity character.

St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram is delightfully laced with spice and character plus some gentle rum notes. What it nails in spades is the flavor of Allspice, which is loaded into the bottle. While the overall final liqueur is too powerful to enjoy straight, but perfectly balanced for cocktails.

In Cocktails:

Thanks to the strong flavor of baking spices, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram is a very versatile ingredient when used in small quantities. It finds a home in a number of Tiki classics (including some of the classics like Montego Bay, Rum Barrel, and Three Dots & a Dash) as well as their contemporary inspirations. We’ve also found it works fantastically adding fall flavors to darker liquors include bourbon and applejack cocktails. Bear in mind, even a bar spoon of St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram is extremely pungent, so don’t expect to go through a bottle quickly.

St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram Overall

St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram is one of a few choices on the market for Pimento Dram / Allspice Liqueur. However, they cut no corners in making a solid product that really emphasizes the allspice berry. The fact that it blends so seamlessly into cocktails is an added bonus. While a bottle is in the mid $20 range, you can expect to use it slowly. For anyone expanding into Tiki Cocktails, this is a soon rather than later add to your bar.

Sobieski Vodka

Posted on April 1, 2021March 31, 2021 by Nick

One of the first things I did in college, after I turned 21, was run an insanely nerdy Design of Experiment with my engineering friends tasting vodka. We went out and purchased a whole host, ranging from Svedka to Grey Goose to Zyr, and several others. After imbibing more than we should, we tallied up the numbers and analyzed our findings. The surprise, a Polish vodka called Sobieski Vodka was one of our favorite values in the group.

Sobieski Vodka

Made from 100% Rye, Sobieski is named for a Polish king, and is connected to Marie Brizard.

Sight: Clear

Smell: A bit of heat and spice leads off the nose. Touches of ethanol and like vanillin work around the edges. The nose is remarkably clean and subtle, with just the slightest hint of wet rock.

Sip: Sobieski starts of clean and smooth with hints of the spicy character of rye and touches vanillin. The flavor gradually becomes more ethanol with a touch of sweetness before reducing to a clean, if slightly hot alcohol flavor.

Savor: The ending is again, slightly boozy with just a little bitter-spicy rye component.

Sobieski is undoubtedly a rye vodka, and has the hallmark flits of spiciness around the edges. The thing about Sobieski is it’s fairly mild in it’s flavor, not being so obtrusive that you’d notice it. That is, unless you’re trying to notice it. When observed up close, there is a touch of heat and lacks of flavor that leaves it less than pleasant to enjoy on it’s own. For the price, this makes it one of our favorite choices to use for infusions and cocktails.

In Cocktails

Sobieski works delightfully in most cocktails, hiding in plain sight. It does especially well hiding in cocktails with some degree of acidity, using the light spice and clean character to blend in. The exception to this amongst cleaner flavor profiles, such as Martinis and Vespers, where it does well, but not as well as softer wheat offerings.

It also works particularly well in infusions, where I’ve used it to make fruit flavored vodkas and recently to make our Krupnik for Dyngus day.

Sobieski Vodka Overall

At $17 for a handle (1.75L) and an awful bluetooth speaker, Sobieski Vodka remains as stellar value with or without the trinkets. What it does well is provide a neutral, inoffensive, relatively smooth base to craft from. While it’s no over ice sipper, there’s nothing here to detract from other ingredients. Based on this, Sobieski is a top candidate to make our Recommended Bottles for Beginning a Home Bar list, and deserves consideration on your shelf.

360 Double Chocolate Vodka

Posted on March 26, 2021March 13, 2021 by Nick

Not every ingredient you keep in your bar is designed to be a beautiful, sippable tipple. In fact, some ingredients I’ll suggest you add to your bar are things I’d never recommend you pour in anything other than a cocktail. Despite that, some of these items are wonderful when you trying to bring out a really specific flavor in a drink. Take for example, the oddly brilliant 360 Double Chocolate Vodka.

360 Double Chocolate Vodka

Sight: Clear.

Smell: The double chocolate moniker comes alive here, starting with powder milk chocolate and moving toward tootsie roll. There is a subtle underlying whiff of alcohol.

Sip: Thanks to sugar, the body starts off smooth and rich. Gradually, the notes of alcohol creep in off the edges and add a heat that’s not quite overwhelming, but certainly unwelcome. The chocolate flavor maintains though, landing somewhere in the milk chocolate region.

Savor: The ending adds a little bit of bittersweet chocolate to the tootsie roll like characteristics that go throughout.

360 Double Chocolate Vodka is obviously never meant to be consumed out of a tasting glass. It’s hot, it’s kind of one note, and it’s got a couple of odd alcohol induced flavors going on. Despite this, it’s one of our favorite chocolate vodkas because it’s really chocolatey. More than just giving a chocolate flavor, it manages to give a milk chocolate flavor that can be tough to obtain from liqueurs. For these reasons, it’s one of our favorite flavored chocolate vodkas to work with.

In Cocktails

Something about this vodka just sits perfectly in the uncanny valley of too terrible to drink on its own, and please put a bunch of that in a drink. In cocktails all of the sharp edges vanish and it becomes charmingly forward in it’s chocolate flavors. In our Chocolate Martinis it’s absolutely brilliant, adding just the right amount of chocolate. Meanwhile it provides a very natural chocolate flavor for our Chocolate Covered Strawberry cocktail without overwhelming the strawberry. Perhaps the only issue is the need to adjust sweetness, but this is a minor gripe.

360 Double Chocolate Vodka Overall

The ludicrously low price of only $12 a 750ml makes this an easy recommendation for any fans of chocolate liquor. If you’re concerned about the environment, they’ll also take back the swing cap by sending you a prepaid envelop. Overall, there’s just a lot to like about 360 Double Chocolate Vodka for not a lot of cash.

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength

Posted on March 19, 2021March 4, 2021 by Nick

As mentioned last fall, finding some whiskeys can be a real challenge. Depending on your state, you may not be able to Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, E.H. Taylor, Weller, or a whole host of other well respected bourbons. Among bottles you’re likely to find is Maker’s Mark, and sitting up range from their base offer and their refined offer is Maker’s Mark Cask Strength. So it is worth taking a flyer on it?

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength

Sight: A delightful tawny.

Smell: Vanilla and fruity caramel waft out of the glass. A spicier note than normally comes across in Maker’s Mark comes up as well. Touches of wheat, tobacco, spice, and dried apricot are jumping out. Like all high proofs, there’s a hint of burn if you pull in too much. The nose is nicely complicated.

Sip: The body starts out silky smooth, and then moves ever so slightly toward prickly over time. Spices begin to come the the vanilla and caramel notes. Touches of preserved fruit float in, and are complimented with touches of black tea and toasted oak. There are hints of almost sauternes like orange and honeyed sugars.

Savor: The end is more notes of spice and various brown sugar and caramel mixed with toasty wood notes. The finish lingers pleasantly, almost invitingly.

Maker’s Mark Cask Strength is undeniably a high powered bourbon. While it doesn’t reach the echelons of some other barrel strength offerings, it delivers massively on flavor. As a result, it feels wonderful, inviting, and balanced. Yes, there can be harsh moments, but in general it’s very friendly and fits in a huge amount of flavor.

In Cocktails

Higher proof bourbon can be useful in making cocktails by providing the ability to put more concentrated flavor in a smaller volume of liquor. The trade off is more actual alcohol notes that have to be balanced to prevent over asserting themselves. Maker’s Mark Cask Strength sitting at around 110 proof sits in a nice sweet spot, where there’s a great amount of flavor, but not quite as much booze as something heading toward 150 proof. That lower proof helps keep Maker’s Mark Cask Strength wonderful in cocktails. In a Manhattan, it fills in the gaps that normal Maker’s Mark leaves (which rye can slot wonderfully to fill). In an Old Fashioned, it’s smooth character is accentuated, as the ice help open up the complexity of the spice notes and sugars.

Final Thoughts on Maker’s Mark Cask Strength

Overall, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength is a beautiful, powerful whiskey that’s extremely reasonable for the step it provides in quality. While it doesn’t remove Maker’s Mark as a great option for your bar, it does add a great step up that could serve as a high proof wheater in your crafting line up. Overall, at $40, it’s a great choice that’s widely available and not subject to bourbon hunters.

The Busker Triple Cask Triple Smooth Irish Whiskey

Posted on March 7, 2021March 7, 2021 by Nick

The Busker Triple Cask Triple Smooth has an incredibly long name for an entry level bottle. The first Irish Whiskey brought in from Royal Oaks Distillery in Ireland, this blend features grain whiskey finished in Bourbon, Sherry, and Marsala casks. Disaronno is helping to bring it over stateside. So should it earn a place on your bar?

The Busker Triple Cask Triple Smooth

Sight: A beautiful gold leaning into shades of copper.

Smell: It takes a bit of time to open up, but the forefront of the nose perfumes outward with caramel, nuttiness, and touches floral and fruity elements. The caramel and nuttiness almost leans into coconut with a hint of almost tropical banana. There’s also a grainy dust note hanging out as well giving it a distinctly malty nature.

Sip: The mouthfeel is surprisingly round and rich. There’s a subtle unripe pear that starts things off, it moves into an interesting caramelized poaching liquid with hints of caramel and spices. There’s a bit of a honeyed character there as well. Touches of toasted wood oak and nuts round out the edges. There is also a bit of heat.

Savor: The ending is again laced with pome fruit, nuttiness, and hints of caramelized sugars. It lingers dryly on the tongue, lounging and coating the palate.

While The Busker Triple Cask Triple Smooth isn’t the most mature or complex product, it also doesn’t feel as small as it’s ABV would lead you to believe. The round, rich texture makes it feel as though it’s bigger than it is. The gentle, yet firm character of the grain and fruit notes against the woodiness and caramelized flavors creates a nice well balanced whiskey. For those looking for another Irish option, it’s certainly a welcome contender at the price point.

In Cocktails

In an Irish Blackthorn, The Busker Triple Cask Triple Smooth manages to add a softer character to the background – giving hints of grain and caramel. The main thing it adds though is a beautiful mouthfeel. While it still works harmoniously, it’s still doesn’t end up particularly forward thanks to the absinthe and the bitters. That said, it does add, and it doesn’t loose it’s character. Given the small number of Irish Cocktails, this is an encouraging sign – especially given it’s neat character.

The Busker Triple Cask Overall

The Busker Triple Cask Triple Smooth offers a compelling value proposition thanks to it’s relatively large mouthfeel and straightforward flavors. The whiskey is by no means perfect, or wow worthy, but it is very good value in the mid to high $20 price point. As an every day Irish whiskey, it’s certainly worth picking up to explore if you’re a fan of the style.

Want to consider some other options? Check out our other Irish Whiskey Reviews!

The Dubliner Irish Whiskey

Posted on March 5, 2021March 1, 2021 by Nick

St. Patrick’s Day is almost upon us again, and to celebrate a bottle of Irish Whiskey seemed in order. As I mentioned in last years discussion of Jameson, Irish Whiskey doesn’t receive a lot of love on our shelf. In fact, other than this time of year, we don’t reach for it, and have a nary a (completed) cocktail that calls for it. A search of the cocktail books at home, there are only a handful Irish Cocktails. Perhaps though, Dubliner Irish Whiskey can change my mind.

The Dubliner Irish Whiskey

Sight: A light, bright, pale gold with hints of yellow.

Smell: The nose is softer, leaning into pome fruits (apples, pears, etc), floral touches, and honey, before picking up a vanilla, rye spice, and hints of ethanol.

Sip: The beginning is like a strange cross between a honey liqueur scotch and a mellow bourbon. There’s a light body here that leans toward some floral notes before shifting full into a semi transparent bourbon / rye flavor.

Savor: The ending is lightly spiced with touches of honey, a hint of vanilla, and a bit of an anesthetizing tendency.

The Dubliner Irish Whiskey is a lighter alternative compared to some other Irish whiskey on the market. The softer notes of honey and spice with touches of vanilla make it inviting, and less brash than Jameson. Some of the spice elements lean into a lighter interpretation of scotch or a faded bourbon. It doesn’t scream anything particular, but it is gentle, soft spoken, and inviting.

The Dubliner Irish Whiskey Overall

Normally I would explain how well The Dubliner works in cocktails, but outside of a Black Thorn (Irish) and Irish Coffee, there’s not a whole lot of immediately notable testing cocktails to go on. That aside, between this and Jameson, I highly recommend trying The Dubliner Irish Whiskey. It’s new, gentler, refined approach might just surprise you.

P.S. Again, I appeal to those Irish Whiskey loving readers – please leave us a recommendation for your favorite Irish Whiskey in the comments.

Doorly’s X.O. Rum

Posted on March 2, 2021April 11, 2022 by Nick

If you live in a state-controlled liquor authority state, and you are deeply in love with cocktails and exploring their flavors, you will inevitably find yourself denying your state the revenue they seek to extort from you by driving somewhere else to bring home something you can’t find on your own shelves. Although not available in the great(?) state of Ohio, Doorly’s X.O. Rum is essentially available anywhere you can find a Total Wine, and it’s reasonably priced at only $20 a bottle. So should you take a road trip?

Doorly’s X.O. Rum

This Barbados Rum is matured twice, once in oak, and once in Spanish Oloroso Sherry. It is also a product of the unavailable-in-Ohio Foursquare distillery.

Sight: Lighter than the bottle implies, it’s a sherry oloroso shade with a caramel like allure.

Smell: Beautiful aromas of toasted nuts and warm, sticky caramel waft out – accompanied by brown sugar and notes of vanilla. A subtle baking spice is in the background with touches of toasted oak. An almost date like sweetness pervades the nose and works itself to be the predominate of some dried fruit smells that linger round the edges.

Sip: The body starts out smooth and well rounded, but still very much viscous and not overly thin. Elements of caramel, oak, and nuttiness come thought, but the body’s nose does not lead to a sweet palate. Rather, the complexity of notes of spice, dried fruit, vanilla, and peppery wood are thoroughly savory in nature until toward the end, where things move a hint toward a more balanced point.

Savor: The ending maintains a warm vanilla and nuttiness with hints of barrel aging around the edges. The flavor lingers quite pleasantly, with just a hint of tannic nature.

On its own, we’ve quite enjoyed having Doorly’s X.O. Rum around the house as another option. In some ways, it functions much like a more complex Kirk & Sweeney, leading strongly with vanilla and caramel notes, but better bolstered with elements of cask finishing and nuttiness. The flavor profile is great for considering in Tiki drinks, even if it wouldn’t be my first choice for sipper. That said, it’s smooth enough that it would still be enjoyable on it’s own or over ice.

In Cocktails

Evaluating in a Daiquiri, Doorly’s X.O. Rum stands out beautifully. The caramel and fruity notes are pulled out with subtle spicing that compliments the lime well. The hints of nuttiness come through on the finish, emphasizing the warmth and sweetness. These same elements transition beautifully to Grog. The elements of oak and spice with tropical fruit lead the charge as lime and sweetness round out the edges. Overall, these elements work great exceedingly well and should hold up for other Tiki and cocktailing applications.

Doorly’s X.O. Rum Overall

For the price, Doorly’s X.O. Rum is frankly nothing short of spectacular for the price. If I had a Total Wine in my backyard, I would without a doubt have a bottle of this on hand at all times. If you’re a fan of aged rums, give Doorly’s a try.

Pusser’s Rum

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Nick

Pusser’s Rum is best known for it’s legacy as the rum of the British Navy. Long ago, the British Navy used to give their soliders rations of rum or ‘tots’. Do to concerns about alcohol consumption among sailors, the British Navy ended this practice in 1970. Leaving service, many of these soldiers desired their favorite tots, and with some entrepreneurial spirit Pusser’s makes a blue label Navy Style rum to help fit the bill.

Pusser’s Rum

Sight: A bright caramelly brown.

Smell: A touch of heat wafts off the top, giving way to a burst of molasses like brown sugars and spices. A certain funk hangs around and a then this beautiful salted caramel seems to wrap around it. A touch of ripe tropical fruit exists, boarding into roasted pineapple.

Sip: The body is lighter than you might expect, but gradually builds in flavor and intensity. This interesting start of rum esters starts things out before getting increasingly spiced and oaky. This amazing things starts to happen as it sits on the palate, releasing notes of molasses, roasted coconut, and fresh caramel with touches of nuts. I never really gets sweet, yet gives off those sweet flavor elements. There is some heat that grows with the flavor.

Savor: The ending leaves the woodsy spice and a healthy dosage of ester notes and tannin. The fruitiness, molasses notes, and caramel character is very in line with the expectation of a darker rum.

Pusser’s Rum is an iconic blend and really does strike all the right notes for a a light to moderately aged rum. It has a little to moderate rum funk, but it also gets a little sweet and a little fruit. It’s definitely not something you’d want to sit and sip on, but as it lingers, it does give off an inviting personality. For all these reasons, it’s a great mixing rum – that’s is sometimes difficult for those new to the spirit.

In Cocktails

In cocktails Pusser’s is one of our favorite rums to split. While the flavor profile can get a little aggressive on it’s own, it adds so much depth to other rums when used as a compliment. Those molasses notes build on the spice and fruit of the other rum, making both more expressive. For these reasons, it’s frequently seen around Tiki cocktails, but deserves considerations for Cuba Libre’s and other rum drinks.

However, in our standard daiquiri test Pusser’s becomes somewhat problematic. While dark rums can get a little aggressive in a daiquiri, Pusser’s actually pulls it into the world of funk, wood, and molasses. Daiquiris though, are not where Pusser’s truly shines.

Perhaps the most well known drink, one that some say exclusively requires Pusser’s, is the Painkiller. A delightful concoction of coconut cream, pineapple, orange, and Pusser’s, the Painkiller ends up being soothingly creamy and tropical with just enough spice to belie the fact that you’re slipping away into relaxation land. On it’s own, the Painkiller deserves your consideration (and a possible bottle of Pusser’s).

Pusser’s Overall

Pusser’s Rum is a bully of flavor, but one that’s deliciously put together. While it’s not as versatile or restrained as some of the other rums, it delivers an in your face, unapologetic character to the drinks it’s used in. For this reason, it’s a recommended bottle for lovers of rum drinks and those looking to bolster their bar’s rum selection – without breaking the bank.

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Nick

As we mentioned back in our review of Appleton Estate Signature Blend, Appleton Estate Reserve Blend is our preference. The cost differential in Ohio was minimal as of last year, with only a two dollar split between these two rums. There’s very little reason at that price to say no to swapping up. So what makes the reserve blend so much better?

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend

Sight: An orange and caramel hue

Smell: The nose starts off with a waft of warm wood, vanilla, and touches of caramelized sugar. As it persists, some of the spices of the wood begin too emerge against an increasingly ripe menagerie of fruits, ranging from bananas to dates to hints of tropical citrus. The back notes of caramel underlay these like an overripening, and there’s little funk.

Sip: It starts off slightly sweet, but quickly dries with the influence of the spices and oak notes. The aging is apparent here, with a spiced brown sugar sugar that laces with touches of orange, toasted coconut, and banana. A hint of funky ester hides around the edges, and light burn occurs throughout.

Savor: The finish is smooth, yet presently tannic as it finishes. There’s a dryness to the ending, evaporating the sweetness, but leaving a hint of caramelized fruit behind that lingers lightly with that trademark Jamaican funk.

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend is a more oaked, and spicy version of it’s younger sibling. The result is a more funky and complex rum, although not so much so that you’d break the bank. Interestingly, both of them have some sharp edges, but the overall flavors they bring to the party (especially for mixing) over come any harsh notes. It’s worth noting that it brings a little more funk to the party, and that may also dissuade you one way or the other. While you could enjoy this on it’s own, it’s also not exactly entertaining, even though it is palatable.

In Cocktails

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend is beautiful in cocktails, contributing the character of sweetness without actually adding sweetness. The result is notes of caramel, tropical fruits, and warm spices. It becomes especially apparent in a daiquiri, where the lime sets off the sweeter elements, and then the simple accentuates them. For these reason, we find the reserve blend works fantastic in rum cocktails and crafting new Tiki ideas.

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend Overall

There’s really very little to complain about from a cocktail making standpoint for either the Appleton Estate Reserve Blend or the Appleton Estate Signature Blend. If the price difference is less than $5, it’s really a matter of preference. Stretching beyond $5, you’re probably seeing quickly diminishing returns for the added complexity.

As you may also notice, there has been a packaging flow through change. As a result, we’ve squirrelled away a couple extra bottles, and will be comparing to the new 8 soon!

Marie Brizard Cassis de Dijon

Posted on January 19, 2021January 19, 2021 by Nick

There are a lot of liqueurs that have very few uses. For better or worse, Creme de Cassis is amongst these bottles. Being primarily used in a Kir Royale, you might question if you should spend more for a better bottle of something with so few uses. If you happen to like the Kir Royale, than one sip Marie Brizard Cassis de Dijon will answer your question instantly.

Marie Brizard Cassis de Dijon

Claimed to be made from the finest blackcurrant, Marie Brizard will set you back somewhere around $20 for a 750ml.

Sight: An inky, purplish black at it’s core. The edges give way like an old wine through shades of garnet and brick with a watery orange edge.

Smell: The smell of blackcurrents and ripe berries is abundant with hints of earthiness, almost like grape stems or stony soil.

Sip: The palate starts sweet and quickly works into a more lively territory as notes of bright, fresh berries well up. There’s a subtle bitterness like berry skin, that gives way to a mix of both fresh and jammed blackcurrants. That subtle bitterness gives it bit of extra snap texturally, helping with a syrup like consistency.

Savor: The ending a long affair of blackcurrants brambling slowly away leaving a saccharine sweetness and touch of stem.

Marie Brizard Cassis de Dijon highlights blackcurrants naturally, giving them their space to show off. The slightly jammy notes that run throughout make for a lovely bookend to the fresh fruit like bite the liqueur displays. It is definitively more complex and well rounded than a bottom shelf bottle. A comparison of Marie Brizard to DeKuyper Creme de Cassis left no doubt as to the reason for the price difference, with the later being artificially powdery in it’s sweetness and muddled with flavors approaching chocolate and concord grapes.

In Cocktails

To say Creme de Cassis is limited is a bit of an understatement. There is exactly one classic cocktail I’m aware of that class for Creme de Cassis, the Kir Royale. A built drink, the Kir Royale is merely a half ounce of Creme de Cassis, and around 5 oz of champagne. In essence, you’re building a highball with champagne. For this application, Marie Brizard Creme de Cassis has enough complexity and acidity to complement the wine, and elevate the experience, while adding its fruity twist.

Marie Brizard Cassis de Dijon Overall

Marie Brizard is a gorgeous example of blackcurrant liqueur. The complexity and natural character make this a shoe in for lovers of Kir Royale. Others might think twices if they really need a bottle of blackcurrent liqueur on their bar. However, if you do, then Marie Brizard Cassis de Dijon is our recommended bottle.