Not An Alcoholic

Charbay Clear Vodka Revisit     Very clear nose, almost no smell at all, there's a slight wheat note, but it's very minor, fantastic as far as the vodkas I've had. Smooth mouth feel, not too thin, no bite at all. In larger gulps, I get a slightly sweetened chemically taste, but it's not bad at all, and especially sipping on it, I'd never notice. Nearly perfect vodka, 9.5/10 original rating stands  

  Old Grandad Bonded Bourbon Whiskey Revisit     I'd like to preface this by saying that I'm not the biggest bourbon fan. I have tried multiple brands of bourbon now, and I have never enjoyed bourbon quite as much as I've enjoyed Rye, Scotch, Irish whiskey, or even my Straight corn whiskey. Bourbon in my personal and humble opinion, feels like it's trying to sit somewhere between a rye and a straight corn whiskey, and it doesn't fill what I want from either. I will try to give an objective review, but I wanted to clarify my stance and biases first.     Lots of peanut in the nose, I also get some corn, a bit of vanilla, and a sweet chemical note. Before I even got a mouth feel, I immediately got peanut flavor, then I started to detect it's a bit thin on the mouth, with a bit of a bite to it, then get some rye heat, mellows out to corn and vanilla finish. I gave this a 7/10 originally, I think you could raise that to a 7.5/10, it's fine, it's useful in my ...

  Appleton Estate 12 Year Rare Casks     This evening's review will be the first of many full revisits that occur over the lifetime of this blog. There's many reasons to revisit reviews, for example when I first reviewed this rum, I was still doing these reviews entirely on  Twitter , leaving me with a 240 character limit. In addition to the character limit, my palate has also grown tremendously in that amount of time, and I should be able to appreciate finer details now. With that being said, as I revisit older reviews, if I'm not proud of the older ones, I'll likely be reverting them to draft on blogger, so they're no longer available here. If they were published on twitter, and you're in my twitter circle, you should be able to find them there.     Rich and sweet nose, I get maple, walnut, a little bit of dark chocolate, and a whiff of ethanol, but it's small. The mouthfeel is almost deceptively thin, the flavor is incredibly full, but rounded with ...

  Havana Club Añejo Clásico Puerto Rican Rum      Before we get started, I'd just like to briefly explain why I picked up this bottle. Simply put, you cannot legally acquire a true Cuban rum in the United States at the moment because of the trade embargo dating all the way back to the 60s. This is a horrible shame in Tiki drink culture, and rum culture in general, because cuban rum is called for a lot in drinks, and has it's own characteristics that lots of people look for. Havana club claims this rum to be made with a 1934 Cuban formula, but now manufactured in Puerto Rico. This would more or less allow you to get a very Cuban styled rum in the United States. In addition to that, this was a very reasonably priced bottle at my local ABC store.     Now that my rum has had time to chill as I type that, let's get to the notes! A little rubbing alcohol on the nose, but also some nutmeg, a little banana, maybe a bit of a nutty sweetness, like a pecan pie or some...

  Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey     Previously I did a review of another Irish Whiskey, Jameson  available here . That review is incredibly short, because it's literally just copy pasted from when I was still doing reviews on twitter. However, even though it's brief, I stand by the notes I gave in that review. I bring this up because I will probably reference it a lot when reviewing this whiskey.     The nose is sweet, but more cereal-y than the Jameson, still has a crisp note, like an apple or something. I would describe the nose of the Jameson as a bit more full bodied, but the smell of the Tullamore Dew is still very pleasant. Mouth feel is thin, and it has some bite that the Jameson doesn't. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I actually find the bite of this whiskey to be very enjoyable. But very cereal forward, with a bit of bite, almost like an American rye whiskey. The finish on this is a bit more unified than the Jameson. The Jameson almost goes...

  A bottle that is no longer sold?     Perhaps a slight exaggeration, this bottle is no longer available to purchase from Appleton. In March of 2020 it was announced that Appleton would be changing their product stack, and the formerly Appleton special rum would now be sold by another brand under the same corporate umbrella as "Kingston 62 Gold rum". As you can tell from the photo, this is an older bottle that my parents had from a Jamaican friend of ours. Review     Sweet nose, bits of oak, banana, but also a little bit of paint thinner in there. Not incredibly aggressive, but definitely present. A little thin, a little abrasive in the mouth at first, particularly if your lips are as dry as mine, but it smooths out pretty quickly. I get notes of banana, maybe some sweet apple, brown sugar, a little something earthy, and a bit of wood on the finish. It's a shame that this bottle is no longer sold by Appleton. I have no reason to doubt that the Kingston...

  Xicaru Silver Mezcal Review     Sweet and extremely smoky, I spilled a little on my hand while pouring this evening, and it smells like mesquite barbeque now. It's such a rich smoky flavor, simply smelling it causes salivation. Very layered flavors in the mouth. It honestly feels like lukewarm tap water in the mouth, but the taste is so complex. Immediately earthy. Rich flavors that taste as a garden smells, that gives to a soft chocolatey herbal note, that gives to a heavy smoke. Honestly, while this is no dig at the mezcal itself, it's a bit much for my palate. I'm sure there are people who would drink this and scarcely blink. If you enjoy islay scotches, this might be an interesting foray into agave spirits for you. But this is really beyond what I am capable of making too many objective comments about. 8/10 Would love to revisit as my palate grows. What is a Mezcal?     Mezcal is a spirit distilled from agave, just like a Tequila, however a Tequila is usua...

  Regans' orange bitters No. 6, Angostura Orange Bitters, and Fee brothers west Indian orange bitters respectively. Regans' Orange Bitters     Subtle nose, smells bittersweet, softly of oranges, something mildly herbal I can't quite place, maybe light floral notes. Thin mouth, very bitter forward, lots of orange peel, something slightly salty, again a mildly herbal note that doesn't immediately register as anything I know of. Soft floral note, I'd imagine it's probably orange blossom water. Really solid bottle of bitters. 8.5/10 Angostura Orange Bitters      Soft nose, almost smells a little artificial, definitely a bit sweet smelling. Thicker mouth feel, pretty sweet orange note, with some bitter spices, definitely cinnamon, clove, maybe a hint of ginger? Rather good. Doesn't taste like the artificial note I was getting from the nose, I'd imagine it's just some sort of association I'm making in my mind. 8/10 Fee Brothers West Indian Orange Bitte...

  Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur Review     Unbelievable nose, a lot of things where I'm not only struggling to determine what exactly I'm smelling, but I'm wholly unfamiliar with the smell itself. I get some honey, a definite smoky spicy note, a little something musty, which I have smelled with some poblano peppers (the pepper that when dried becomes an "ancho chile") before. There's also a sort of sour milk note that I wasn't expecting, and maybe even a bit of mango. But beyond all the things I could identify are a range of spices I don't know how to place. The mouth feel was thick, a bit syrupy even. Being a liqueur, that's not out of place, but I was expecting a lot thinner. Immediately it's all of the flavor of an ancho pepper WITHOUT the spice. It's smoky, it's warm, it's a bit chocolatey, it's got a little earth. Then I get overtaken by that honey note again, metallic, sweet, then the spice from the ancho finally sweeps back i...

  Fee Brothers Grapefruit Bitters Review      Smells strongly of grapefruit unsurprisingly, maybe a note of cardamom, and cinnamon. There's also some sort of perfume quality in the nose, I'm not sure what it is, but it's less of a "note" and more of a characteristic, something about how it reaches your nose. A bit hard to explain. Smooth mouth, thick, almost creamy. Really coating. Very fast, but complicated evolution. I immediately got a bright citrus note, definitely some grapefruit, but also lemon zest. Then I get a deep floral component, multilayered, maybe lilac, honeysuckle, violet, and then the bitterness is very late in the evolution, that's when I get a bit of cardamom, maybe even a hint of celery seed. 7/10 will get used behind my bar. So what are bitters? Why do you use them in drinks?     Bitters are a traditionally alcoholic spirit, often in small bottles (usually 4-6oz, but sometimes you might see a 16oz) infused with botanicals, spices, flowe...

Why have multiple bottles of rum from the same brand anyways?      While this might be a trivial question to some of the members of my reader audience, if you'll indulge me for a moment, I'd like to explain my reasoning for this, and go into what rum is a little bit as well. If you'd just like to see my reviews of the bottles today, there will be another section further down where the text is once again emboldened.     So, why have multiple bottles of rum? Well, lets start with a bit about rum production in general and compare it to some other spirits. Rum is at it's core, a distillate product made from sugarcane or sugarcane byproducts. But, that leaves a lot of room for interpretation, for example, you might have a Rhum Agricole made from sugarcane juice from a single harvest of sugarcane in a single country, that's distilled in column stills, not aged, and bottled at 40% ABV. Or you might have a jamaican rum, made from molasses from multiple harvest...

 Behind a bar, one of the most recognizable and widely used bottles will be Angostura Aromatic Bitters. The small bottle, with the oversized label and that yellow cap are iconic imagery in the world of bartending and mixology. While there's plenty of drinks that call for peychaud's or maybe an orange bitters, no bottle of bitters is called for as much as Angostura Aromatic Bitters. However, people are quick to forget that while Angostura's main product is their standard Aromatic Bitters, they also make an orange bitters, and the subject of today's review, Cocoa Bitters (and also an amari, a few rums, brandy, a vodka, and some soft drinks. But those are for another time). The nose is extremely rich and complex. There's some deep chocolate notes, but also a bit of cinnamon, clove, maybe some anise? perhaps even cardamom? The smell evokes a glass of hot chocolate, while something is baking in the kitchen, but it's concentrated and heavy. When the small sip I took i...

 Smells slightly of bitter oranges, but a lot of herbal and earthy notes as well. Immediate mouth feel is thick, almost syrup, incredibly dry. In Italy, this is often served as an "Aperitif" or a drink that's supposed to wet ones appetite. So as I'm drinking this at 9pm having ate dinner already, it's a bit late for a glass. However I have this bottle for cocktails primarily. The flavor is obviously dry as stated before, but I get a lot of herbs, and a lot of orange peel, maybe a slight floral component, perhaps violet? Very strong aperitif, especially compared to it's other common aperitif cousin Aperol. 6/10

 Nothing crazy tonight, sweet vermouth on the rocks with a twist. The expressed lemon oil is front and center on the nose. I also get a bit of some vanilla. Smooth, soft mouth feel, lots of vanilla, some cherry, fig, a little herbal note. Lovely sipper. 9.5/10 Carpano antica formula is a very nice sweet vermouth. If you're going to be mixing, you can go a lot cheaper. But if you just want a glass of vermouth on it's own, what a wonderful glass it is.

Smell is amazing, I get honey peanuts, rye, maybe a tiny bit of chocolate, but its soft. I also find the color rather appealing, but that's much less important. Mouth is a bit thin, spicy and rye forward, but I get honey, licorice, peanuts and butter. Very good 9/10 It's also worth noting that this is a relatively inexpensive bottle, and it's bottled in bond, and going to be one of the most commonly called for spirits behind your bar. You really want your rye to be something you enjoy, and the flavors here are just excellent.

Smells like grapes (It is basically a Peruvian grape brandy), but there's also a lot of earthy notes. In the mouth it's sweet and earthy, with little fruity notes, and also some vegetal notes. 8/10

Yes I need to clean some glassware Soft nutty smell, but it's a bad glass for smelling. Thick mouth feel, sweet, a little nutty, a tiny bit of cherry, bitter finish. Really coats your mouth. Essential in a home bar, 7/10

Strong vegetal nose, like earthy and also green smelling, almost savory. The mouth feel is soft, thin, maybe a bit silky, I get notes of grass and earth, but no bitterness, it's really interesting. For being a "cousin" of rum, it's not what I was expecting at all. 8.5/10

Definitely get apples on the nose, like a yellow apple, not a red or green variety. A lot less flavor than I was expecting frankly. Nothing bad, tastes more like a weak green apple. Just not a very strong flavor. Very drinkable though. 8/10Definitely get apples on the nose, like a yellow apple, not a red or green variety. A lot less flavor than I was expecting frankly. Nothing bad, tastes more like a weak green apple. Just not a very strong flavor. Very drinkable though. 8/10

Smells sweet, but still strong, maybe a little bit of the corn in the nose, but not much. Mouth is soft, smooth, warm, lots of corn notes, like corn on the cob with butter. It's sweet, and maybe a little buttery, really pleasant. I also get some grassier notes. 8.5/10