This is a unique spin on whiskey from the Island state of Hawaii (courtesy of Richard Rosen), it is Distillers Reserve from 12th Hawaii Distillers on Kona.
It is a “spirit is distilled four times using pure Hawaiian honey before it rests in a charred oak barrel with Hawaiian Kiawe wood.”
It is crazy but there is certainly a smooth mouthfeel and Macadamia nut taste to this. There is a burn as well more in the nose than the taste and a nice full amount of sweetness here too. This is much more a near drink then others that are purely cocktail bound.
When you deal in whiskey and bourbon, you see four years, ten years, twelve is big but I have never seen forty-six like Bushmills had (sold out now). And it is an extra classy bottling…
“The Bushmills® 46 year old is the oldest single malt ever released from the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world. It pays homage to the River Bush, which has flowed through our story for over 415 years.
Its water is at the heart of every drop of Bushmills® Irish Whiskey, dating back to 1608. Without it, there would be no Bushmills®. We couldn’t make our whiskey anywhere else”
My wife the non-drinker told me about this new gin app, Ginventory, that is part gin suggestions, part home bar tracking, part shop for you to keep the gin at your fingertips. I downloaded it to see what it is like and if it has utility.
You can search for a specific gin, there are trending gins, you can rate gins and there is even a purchase option for some which is more useful in the UK from my look-ups. All without creating an account. That is a big plus in my book.
If you did want to wade a bit deeper, you can join in and show what you have in your liquor cabinet and curate a wish list too. As reviews grow, the app will be even more useful.
This is not a whiskey to trifle with. It comes in hot. Alcohol on the nose is first to acquaint you with that fact. First sip has a burn to it from start to finish. Underneath that is a bit of a cola taste. Not perceiving much stout influence here. I do get a bit of vanilla as I get used to the ABV. If you want to make a high octane cocktail this could do the grunt work.
I am on a bit of an Irish whiskey kick before the day of Sainted Patrick and so I picked up a rum finished version of Tullamore D.E.W. …
There is a soft tropical fruit feel to the aroma. Maybe vanilla meets papaya. Getting some heat here but fairly mild. This goes down real smooth with a bit of a bite ag the back. Getting coconut milk notes primarily. Vanilla is a big player here as well. For a shade under $30.00, this is quite a good Irish whiskey.
So, a while back I read and reviewed a book about the love / hate of the liqueur Malort. A midwest, mostly Chicago, rite of passage drink. I enjoyed the book, not so much some of the people from it and really wanted to have a taste of it.
photo courtesy of Richard Rosen
Fast forward to near Christmas and a boutique liquor store, Bar Keeper in the Virgil Village section of Los Angeles were selling little mini bottles. Perfect! I got one for myself and fellow imbiber Richard to taste. Below is his series of texts while tasting….
I did not enjoy it either. It tasted like a candle. A flea market home made candle. I knew the taste was going to be off putting but what really surprised me was that there was zero alcohol burn. None. There was also no sweetness or viscosity to it either. Plus the pee yellow color did not help matters. It was just chewing potpourri.
I guess I am in the camp of why would you ever drink this.
To make up for the other post today, here is a review of a corn whiskey from Home Base Spirits, California Corn.
This whiskey uses certified organic Yellow Dent Corn grown in the Sacramento Valley grown and then goes into former Home Base Bourbon barrels. Originally intended as a piece to a blend puzzle, it turned out so well that it was released all on its own.
It pours a dark yellow with orange tinting to it. The aroma can be gathered even when not near your nose. Powerful wake-up first but underneath is a bit of soft caramel. Very dulce de leche notes in the flavor and then a powerful wake-up as the burn hits the throat. Good cop and bad cop going on here.
I do remember those days of high abv beer battles and I have tried Utopias as well as that strange beer that came dressed as a former squirrel.
I thought those stunts were over but apparently there is a new entrant at the top of the heap. A fortified product with a warning to just drink a tiny amount in a single sitting.
And of course, it has a childish name of Snake Venom.
My suggestion is to not shill out that money. You can get a really good bourbon with that cash.
I have now gone through them all and it is time to do summary reviews…
Day 1 – Mai Tai has big rum aroma but the orange lime mix kicks in while the almond note adds a bit of creamy texture.
Day 2 – Blanco Margarita has the balance of spirit and citrus just right. simple ingredient list but works really well.
Day 3 – Espresso Martini, my first ever, nitro too. smooth and creamy. weird duality. good cold brew then not good vodka .
Day 4 – #3 Daquiri coconut top note, heavier abv than the other 3. the acidity keeps it bright though
Day 5 – Manhattan is a classic and this is right up my alley. big bitters taste here. nice and spicy. perhaps a touch too much. whiskey is a minor player.
Day 6 – Negroni is not one of my favorite tipples. I find that Amaro and me are not friends which is a problem for a cocktail heavy with it. But this one, I can get down with. Crimson Snap liquer seems more accessible to me.
Day 7 – Oregon Old Fashioned which is quite strong. was hoping for more of a filbert nutty taste to it. the fir note is not there either. mostly getting honey and whiskey.
Day 8 – Margarita with jalapeno scared me a bit since I am heat averse but this was more on the green vegetal pepper side and though not my favorite had a nice balance of sweet and spicy.
Day 9 – Bee’s Knees first time trying this drink. not as sweet as expected. quite strong. have never heard of the liqueur in this but it makes this a little top heavy even as it cuts the honey.
Day 10 – Maple Old Fashioned is not super syrupy which is a good thing? quite a bit hot as well. the other old fashioned is slightly better. was expecting more sweetness or viscosity.
Day 11 – Thai Gimlet has quite a bit of spice to it and a nice hit of lime as well. for a vodka drink, i quite like it. no alcohol hit but that is ok since the other big flavors take control.
Day 12 – Pacific Paloma has a slight grapefruit pith aroma and a larger citrus taste here. seems a bit watery overall though. the other listed ingredients do not pop out.
