Category: Spirits, Wine & Cider

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New Roses

Some quick bourbon news: Four Roses has done a refresh of their brand imaging and along with that they are releasing a limited edition Ten Recipe Tasting Experience.  The set “will feature each of the ten unique bourbon recipes that make up Four Roses’ bourbons. It’s these ten signature recipes that set the brand’s bourbons apart, and gives the liquid in each bottle its distinctive characteristic. The kit will include 50ml bottles of each recipe for bourbon enthusiasts to get a taste of where the brand’s offerings originate. A QR code on the box will lead to a guided tasting video with Master Distiller Brent Elliott for a more immersive experience.”

Sounds like deal for suggested retail price of about $130.00 and some should make their way to California too.

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Cocktail book G-I

Here is my favorite entry in the G-H-I section of the Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails….

Hors d’age or beyond age is just a cool term that I wish would come back into vogue.  It is just so classy.

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Fruit and Staves

Not all cider is apple centered and not all cider is just light and sparkling. Tieton Cider has a pair of bourbon barrel ciders that focus on other fruits to pair with that note of bourbon, they have a peach version as well as …..

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FWIBF – Paso Distilled

It is not really a trip to Paso Robles without visiting at least one distillery.

First up was CalWise Spirits just down Ramada Drive from Firestone Walker. That is important because they get their wash from them. CalWise does gin, rum, whiskey and liqueurs. I tasted a little bit of everything. Most impressive to me were the gins. Their flagship and their blood orange worked well for me. And I bought a bottle of their Vermut for cocktail use at home. Distiller and tasting tour guide Leo gave a lot of info about the distillery and what they liked and even played the new Ben Folds album was I was sipping.

Second was Bethel Rd. Distilling next to Castoro Cellars and Peachy Canyon. It is a lovely indoor / outdoor space with grapevine views. All of their spirits come from grapes and brandy is their forte. I sample three brandies from neutral to flagship to VSOP. I was quite surprised by the first, expecting a harsh vodka bite but it was delicate. The VSOP was another winner. The gin was great as well, enough for me to buy a bottle.

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Orangin

Paso Robles is not just wine and Firestone Walker beer. There is a thriving distilling scene as well which leads of course to Ireland. One of the gins that I have taken a shine to in my mini-dive into this spirit is Drumshanbo from Ireland which is made with oriental botanicals and gunpowder tea. But they now have a California connection with a CA citrus-ized version….

They must have put a lot in to turn it that color unless they aged it in wood barrels of some sort. Might be an interesting experiment.

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Seasonal Magic

Craft beer has seasonal beers, most notably in winter but there are certainly beets for spring, summer and fall too. When obe thinks of gin, you may not think that way but Leopold’s Distilling in Colorado does and their summer gin is out now for 2023.

“This gin draws on the warm climates from which its exceptional ingredients are harvested by hand: Spanish Blood Oranges for a rich sweetness, French Immortal Flowers and Juniper Berries for a cool and clean flavor, and Australian Lemon Myrtle for a fresh, citrus finish. Each ingredient is distilled individually to honor its distinctive flavors.”

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Beer Palate / Cider Palate

Beer is my main beverage but I dabble in gin and bourbon and also cider. Coming this fall is a new book that reaches over the gap between beer and cider from Beth Demmon.

Demmon should be on your list of beer scribes to follow. You can get a taster of her cider writing style HERE.

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Dogged Whiskey & Gin

It was a sad day when Portland’s famed Hair of the Dog Brewing closed up shop but that news has been tempered by the fact that a new brewery will take up the space and now CopperWorks Distilling is upcycling used oak barrels from HotD for a cask finished Single Malt Whiskey and a Cask Finished Gin.

There is a Matt and Adam expression of both so you can compare and contrast.