tanstaafl2
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Posts posted by tanstaafl2
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Purchases and presents from the last several weeks (months?) playing catch up:
DQ Gran Añejo, from Rafa; Don Pancho 8 from a friend (sugary); repurchase of Luxardo; ED NAS White (quite decent); 4 bottles of Bacardi Heritage (the Holy Grail); Some super-artisanal Sotol that my friend brought me from Mexico; ditto but Mezcal and different friend; and now that it's back in season and used a lot in my Green Zone drinks, Green Hat Spring/Summer, as well as some Ararat 3 year Armenian brandy.
Not included in the photo: Green Hat Navy Strength
The bottle of Sotol looks like Hacienda de Chihuahua which, while interesting, is pretty readily available in many places in the US. Indeed it often seems to be the only brand of Sotol readily available! Not sure how "super artisanal" that makes it.
Although typically lumped in with mescal/tequila on the liquor store shelf, I suppose because it is from Northern Mexico, it is not agave based, coming instead from a different branch in the asparagus family than the agaves.
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Stab me in the heart, whydontcha?
You are welcome to head south for a taste most anytime! As for your heart Unicum can probably fix it. After all it is made to cure what ails you!
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Received a bottle of Zwack from a friend who had himself received it from somebody else: there may in fact have been a long chain of regifting of this Hungarian herbal liqueur that nobody knew what to do with.
It has some good potential in cocktails I'm finding. Tonight it was The Tempest, with lime juice, ginger syrup (honey-ginger syrup), Angostura bitters, soda, and an orange wedge.
If you find that you like Zwack you owe it to yourself to at least try the original, Unicum, if you get the chance!
I think you may still have to find it overseas though. The Zwack of today available in the US is sweeter and more citrus flavor forward. The original is pretty intensely herbal and bitter. I generally try to keep one around in the freezer for "medicinal" purposes!
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And I really think the quality of the new, younger Overholt isn't near as good as the previous, older iteration of Overholt (4 year).
I agree with that as well. Just doesn't seem to deal with its youth as well as the Pikesville Rye does. Or rather did?
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Yes! That's the bottle!
And that is very sad news....
Don't suppose anyone has any suggestions for a replacement?
If you are looking for a young inexpensive rye as a replacement you might try Old Overholt. Also now a three year old rye, this one is from Beam. But they aren't exactly the same in taste. Maybe the 2yo Willett would suit you as well but it is typically more expensive at around $35 last time I looked.
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Yes! That's the bottle!
And that is very sad news....
Don't suppose anyone has any suggestions for a replacement?
I am told from fairly reliable sources that a final decision on the fate of the original 3yo Pikesville rye has not been made yet by HH. I would be a little surprised if it hangs around but these days who knows? But if you like it I might think about stocking up if you can!
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And I would agree that recipes using white dog might be a place to start. Not that there are a lot of those either I suppose.
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I posted one here a few months ago. It was, umm, OK.
As it happens I haven't made it again recently...
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I've had it, but not side by side. These guys did a comparison and here were their impressions:
Great link! Thanks.
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Just picked up my first bottle of Pikesville. Not at $11. $16 instead, but I am not complaining. Quite nice! I will not claim to be a connoisseur, but this hits the spot. I will advise that my usual preferences run to Bourbons with high rye content rather than that which is normally classed as rye.
Did your bottle look like the one in this blog post? As you probably saw it is a young 3yo 80 proof rye (although I agree with the blog that for the price it was pretty decent). As Heaven Hill makes only one rye mashbill this is a younger lower proof version of Rittenhouse Rye BIB.
But Heaven Hill is about to make a big change in Pikesville Rye! It will soon become a swanky looking 6 year old rye that is bottled at 110 proof. Basically the older higher proof version of Rittenhouse BIB. Pretty much perfect for cocktails!
Of course it will now cost about $50...
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Here are the various labels for reference (photo by aphonic/Eric Witz). I stocked up on the yellow label before it switched to the red. I still have a couple of bottles left.
Great pic of the older bottles! I also have a couple of the older yellow label that existed before it changed to red but have never had a chance to try those two older yellow label bottles on the left.
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Last night's Don the Beachcomber 1934 Zombie from the Zombie Challenge 2015 with Plantation Barbados 5, Appleton 12, Lost Spirits Cuban-inspired 151, lime juice, homemade Don's Mix and falernum, Angostura bitters, St. George absinthe, and grenadine. High octane for sure.
Did a little impromptu 151 tasting in the process. The Lemon Hart has richer/deeper caramel notes and is smoother than the Lost Spirits, which is high on banana notes (think bananas foster).
Now that Lemon Hart appears to out of production yet again have you seen/tried the new Hamilton 151 Demerara rum yet? I am curious to try it next to old and new Lemon Hart and perhaps the Plantation and Lost Spirits over proofs.
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(Crossposting this to Chowhound)
I'm in Amsterdam currently and looking to bring some Genever back home. I can get the standard Bols easily at home. What should I bring back? Something that might work well on its own or do well in an old-fashioned or negroni variation.
When at the airport as I noted above the Bols products seem to dominate. That said the 10yo Bols Corenwyn was pretty good. But if you are out and about in Amsterdam then your options improve considerably. Unfortunately I rarely do more than pass through the airport.
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I have enjoyed the Van Wees Roggenaer 15yo. 100% rye malt and more like a whisky than a genever to me.
http://forums.egullet.org/topic/137753-what-did-you-buy-at-the-liquor-store-today/?p=1882896
Might have to look for the Rutte Paradyswyn! Is that likely to be found in duty free at Schipol? Seems like Bols products tend to dominate there.
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Yes, every now and again you might still see it on a shelf. It wasn't that long ago that it switched to the red label version. 3 years maybe?
There is also a lower proof version out there that you have to watch out for because as I recall the labels were pretty similar. Always check the proof/ABV!
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I picked up a bottle of the Hamilton 151 after following a couple threads on TikiRoom discussing replacements for LH 151. (A limited supply of Hamilton's available now at Spec's downtown Houston, for those in the area. I understand that Hamilton distribution is tiny. There is no more LH in Texas as far as I know.) I don't recall anything about this in what I've read online, so I'm a bit skeptical, but the guy who ordered it for me said the distributor told him that Hamilton bought the old LH production facility and is using the same recipe as LH 151 for Hamilton 151... taking that with a big grain of salt.
Hassouni, I'd agree with your conclusion--Hamilton 151 is a good sub for LH 151. Side-by-side, they taste pretty similar, if perhaps a little weaker and less concentrated in flavor than the LH.
People on TikiRoom are saying there's a yellow label LH 151 floating around... not really sure what this means for the product's future.
Do you mean the yellow label LH 151 that proceeded the more recent red label version of LH 151 that seems to be discontinued as well at the moment? Don't have a picture handy but shown here on this website if you scroll down a bit. Might be a few of them still floating around. Worth buying the old yellow label version to me if I see it and the price is reasonable.
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For those in the UK, you can now buy those half bottles of antica formula in Waitrose, which is fantastic.
A typical Carpano Antica bottle is a liter, not a 750ml 9at least that is the case here), so not quite half but still convenient at times to have the small bottle.
That said I find the Antica keeps well in the fridge with a vacuvin so I tend to stick with the family size bottle. That and I have a tendency to drink it like a glass of wine so it doesn't hang around that long....
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So bottled rock 'n rye is rye + sugar? What is the advantage of having someone else decide how much sugar you get? Not being flip, just confused/curious.
Can't speak for other R&R brands but the Hochstadter is more than rye and sugar. It includes navel orange, lemon and grapefruit peel, rock candy, honey and the traditional horehound herb built on a more or less 6yo straight rye base (the original bottling was age stated 6yo rye).
I find it works for me as a bottled cocktail for convenience, especially when traveling or bringing something simple to a party that a lot of people might enjoy that isn't vodka and juice of some sort. YMMV!
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If you care to share your Whistlepig results in one thread or another, I would be most interested. Assuming, of course, that you remember. Tonight I went with a generous goblet of Colonel Taylor as my digestive.*
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Ah, therein lies the rub! I remember but my palate (and my underlying bias) was perhaps not at its best by the end of that particular day. To be truly fair I need to reevaluate the Whistlepig on a another day. I am already biased against the Old World bottling as it is 90 proof and sourced from MGP in Indiana rather than the more typical Canadian rye from Alberta. So I plan to redo them blind as soon as possible.
Hopefully tomorrow!
Someday I will determine whether I prefer Whistlepig or Colonel Taylor. That shall be a sad day indeed.
Why so sad? There is room for everyone to get along!
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I think my simplest "cocktail" has become the Hochstadter "Slow & Low" Rock and Rye.
Open bottle and pour. Add a large cube as desired. Enjoy!
If you need to gussie it up to feel like you have a real cocktail (it can be a touch sweet) you can always throw a dash or two of your favorite bitters in there.
The current version is now 84 proof. I tend to get a bit stingy with my last bottle of the original 98 proof bottle with age stated 6yo rye.
Not to pricey either. I have seen it for under $20 on occasion.
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That distillery (NOM 1414) seems to make a number of products but don't know how available they are or if they would be exactly the same.
Pura Vida, Siembra Azul, Gran Dovejo, Don Weber (a budget line I think but 100% Agave) are all from NOM 1414.
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That color is very nice but choosing between Grand Marnier or Cointreau and missing out on the color or McGuinness blue curacao and living with the taste it imparts doesn't require a whole lot of decision making. That said, now I have to ask your opinion... for this drink, Grand Marnier or Cointreau?
Would a couple of drops of blue food coloring work in a pinch? I don't think it would affect the taste very much.
I mean, who wouldn't want a drink that color???
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Have you drifted into the world of Shochu yet? Kind of like running sake through the still I suppose. We got an unexpected tutorial on Wednesday when our local Sake Master brought in a Shochu Master visiting from NYC (both are originally from Japan).
Apparently better quality Shochu (which is different from the Korean Soju although for marketing reasons, at least here in the US, the bottle is sometimes labeled as Soju) is often aged although usually in stainless steel tanks rather than wood. There are a few exceptions and there are getting to be some flavored versions as well.
We started the day with one of our usual Wednesday tastings that was going to include a bit of tequila for Cinco de Mayo, a new and unusual Canadian bottling called Alberta Rye Dark Horse (a predominantly rye whiskey with 8% Old Grand-Dad Bourbon and 1% Sherry added), a few Whistlepigs in a blind tasting and the 2014 Laphroaig Cairdeas for "dessert".
But things quickly got out of hand when nine bottles of Shochu arrived! That was followed by 2 other distributor reps with wine and more whisky in tow and we of course were obligated to try it all. After all, it is only polite...
For some reason my memory is a bit fuzzy (!) but the first three were barley based with the Kintaro a rather funky roasted barley version. The next three were Sweet Potato based with the middle bottle at an undiluted 76 or so proof (most are cut closer to 50 proof). The one of the left with the blue label was a tasty version made with malted sweet potato (I think). The final three were rice based and my least favorite even though one had a bit of barrel aging. The one on the right was citrus flavored (Limes I think) and had a nose that was a lot like Sprite. Alas the palate was rather non descript.
The Ark Jakuunbaku and the two sweet potato versions on the left and middle were my favorite and the leftovers somehow managed to come home with me!
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Classic Bats and a nice ginjo. Kikusui's organic, to exact. Very restrained aroma. Delicate. A rounded sweetness that rolls, ever so pleasantly, into a crisp savouriness. This would be lovely with fresh seafood--sashimi, oysters, maybe a cold seafood salad. A touch of pepper on the end with a bit of fruity sweetness. I normally prefer less refined sake but this one is a winner.
We tried this as part of our little sake marathon session a while back and I liked this as well. Quite distinctive and a bit vegetal to me. Savory works as a descriptor as well as best I can remember.
The Moscow Mule: Mugs, Recipes
in Spirits & Cocktails
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Dump the vodka and go with a nice bracing blanco tequila! It probably has a name but I call it the Guadalajara Burro. I like Dulce Vida because it has a bit more proof (100 pf) than most tequilas.Will help provide some balance to the ginger beer.
My typical choice of ginger beer has been Fever Tree or the even spicier pink top Blenheim ginger ale if you can find it. Although if you don't like heavy ginger or really spicy ginger beer then you might not care for the Blenheim. It has a kick like a Guadalajara burro!