I have to say that I am digging the whole gin variant thing. Barrel-aged, Old Tom and now from CalWise Spirits in Paso Robles, smoked gin.
I am looking for cocktail recipes for this already.
Smoking Gin
Angel Rare & Eagle Envy
Since the SABInBev take-over of Goose Island, lo those many years ago, the annual Bourbon County releases have grown in number and in the amount of flavors they cram into each bottle. This year is different though. Only one of the six variants is in pastry stout land, a bananas foster stout which I will slide away from. But two (see below) really lean into what I think is the core mission of this program. Bourbon and barrel-aging.
2023 Bourbon County Brand Eagle Rare 2-Year Reserve Stout
“With a heritage rooted in authenticity and a commitment to craftsmanship, Eagle Rare captures the essence of American history with its Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Just as bourbon is a uniquely American product, Bourbon County Brand Stout is distinctly Chicago. From the carefully selected American oak barrels sourced from Eagle Rare in Kentucky to the distinct combination of our unique climate and original imperial stout recipe crafted here; Bourbon County Eagle Rare Reserve Stout epitomizes a proud American legacy.
Aged for two years in extraordinary Eagle Rare 10-year-old barrels, each sip is a culmination of our passion, intricately woven together with the nuanced flavors imparted by these remarkable barrels. Eagle Rare Reserve is an incredibly complex and boldly rich stout that celebrates the essence of American brewing at its finest.“
2023 Bourbon County Brand Angel’s Envy 2-Year Cask Finish Stout
“Introducing the newest addition to the Bourbon County family: our first-ever “Cask Finish” stout. Inspired by the innovation of our friends at Angel’s Envy, we embarked on a journey to further develop the complexity of barrel-aged stout by introducing never-before-used finishing barrels. The beer starts in freshly emptied barrels that once held Angel’s Envy Kentucky straight bourbon. After aging in those for a year, the beer was transferred to a second set of Ruby Port wine barrels where it patiently matured for another year. By replicating Angel Envy’s finishing process, we refined and amplified the flavors of cherry, spice, and cocoa within this aged stout. Bourbon County Angel’s Envy Cask Finish Stout is a testament to our legacy as the originators of bourbon barrel-aged stout.“
Two P’s
It is almost as hard to keep up with canned cocktails as it is beer. One distillery that is high on my list has two of its fan favorites back in cans.
Ventura Spirits has…
Prickly Paloma is the best selling canned cocktail we’ve ever produced and this version is even better than the original!! Prickly Pear Brandy, Grapefruit Cordial, Lime Juice and Soda.
The Pixie Collins has long been one of our favorite cocktails and now it’s ready to drink straight from these beautiful cans! Wilder Gin, Pixie Cello, Lemon Juice and Soda.
Cocktail book J-L
Getting into the middle of the Oxford Companion to Cocktails and Spirits, here is my most interesting entry for the letters J through L.
This I have to try on one of my summer cocktail Wednesdays.
Alembic?
I do not have anything riding on emojis. Do I sometimes use them? Yes. But if they went away tomorrow, my life would go on as Celine says.
So when I learned of the alembic emoji I thought it would be cool to use once or twice but in looking at the cartoon’d version of the ancient distilling tool, I was left scratching my head. I would have guessed hookah or chemistry set before still, ancient or not. Maybe they should stick with a column still.
RTD Reviews – Rod & Hammer
SLO + Whiskey + RTD craze = a taste test of California Whiskey cocktails from Rod & Hammer. Mule vs Mai Tai.
The Whiskey Mule is spicy first and foremost. Strong and good ginger ale used here. But it does not have three Bourbon notes that I expect. No oak. No vanilla. No coconut. It doesn’t taste alcoholic either which is sneaky because this is 11%.
The Whiskey Mai Tai had a nice Tiki flavor start. Almost baked pineapple. There was a fruit punch aroma to this though that the kid in me liked. Whiskey was discernible this time but still really a background player.
I do like the word centric labels and the rough hewn colors and feel an even with a lack of Whiskey flavors coming through, I would be interested in trying their distilled spirits.
Wilderton
Tucked between Ferment and pFriem on the Hood River waterfront is Wilderton Botanical Spirits. The Non-Alcoholic distiller opened their tasting room at the beginning of July with three products, Lustre (gin), Earthen (whiskey) and Bittersweet Apertivo.
I had both a taster of the three as well as one of their two seasonal mocktails to see what was what.
The Apertivo was my least favorite but I am not on the bandwagon for the spirit in either version. Weirdly bitter and tasted of beets. Earthen seemed a really pale comparison to whiskey. No oak or vanilla or coconut, it just sort of sat there. The faux gin was easily the best of the bunch. Botanicals just fit with gin.
The genius bit of the tasting was that each of the three N/A spirits had a sample cocktail. Tonic for Lustre, ginger ale for Earthen both really worked because the Fever Tree drinks are top notch. The G&T could have fooled people.
It is a small but welcoming space and a fantastic diversion from the beer and cider in Hood River.
RTD Day – Acting
File this under, “Maybe you do not need to sign everything your manager gives you.” Both Jennifer Lopez and Blake Lively, who are not drinkers now have RTD’s. Lopez with Delola and Lively with Betty Booze.
Why they couldn’t just do N/A cocktails is better left to the philosophers I guess cause I sure don’t understand. Celebrity beer, spirits or RTD’s might be super good but you have to get behind the curtain of why it is being made and then if the celebrity won’t even drink it, then that is another hurdle to jump.
RTD Day – In the Garden
Still not understanding the hatred of vowels in business and brand names but setting that aside, Three Weavers is launching an RTD line-up called GRDN PRTY. These are cocktail-inspired flavored malt beverages. No spirits here. The cans started into distribution on July 17 but you can head to their taproom in Inglewood to get any or all the three flavors, which are: Pineapple Sage, Lemonade, Grapefruit Guava Rosemary and Juniper Lemon Cucumber.
Rye State of Mind
I am a sucker for documentaries, especially beverage documentaries such as Fire Water and Grain – Empire Rye where we “meet a group of renegade craft distillers, farmers, entrepreneurs, historians, and policymakers as they band together to celebrate the past, present, and future of Rye Whiskey and what it means to the people of the state that made it famous.”
It doesn’t appear to be “free” streaming from what I can see but you can buy via whichever platform you use.