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The rum fairy returned from overseas this weekend and brought a companion for the Havana Club Anejo Reserva as the Anejo Blanco joins the family. They tell me that is the sum total of the Havana Club options at the Jo'burg duty free so the next time they go I will be looking for someting else to encourage them to get. Perhaps the Captain Morgan non-spiced Black that was mentioned in the "Contraband" thread. Meanwhile back at the ranch I have been doing a bit of "taste testing" wth scotch liqueurs. Atholl Brose, Glayva and Drambuie were all sampled and I decided to also pickup a bottle of the big brother of Drambuie, the 15 year old, a the store this weekend to see if it was any different. Right now I think the Glayva is my favorite. I have an admitted sweet tooth and the Atholl Brose is a bit drier than the other two. Glayva is 35% ABV and Drambuie is 40%. Don't know if that is the whole story but the Drambuie seems a bit more fiery for when you want that sort of thing. I will work the Drambuie 15 into the rotation this week to see how it compares. But all that considered, I think I like my simple little bottle of Agavero tequila liqueur as well or better than any of them for a nice after dinner drink.

It does sound exciting. Wish I could go this year. Instead I am being forced to go on a cruise in the Arctic to search for walrus, polar bears and the like and I can only do one of them. Can't imagine why anyone would choose that instead of "Nawlins" in the middle of the summer. After all, who doesn't like 100 degree heat, 100% humidity and the smell of fresh vomit on Bourbon Street... But I will get there one year!

I did learn the reason for the "100 month old" bourbon and why it came out in 1971 at least. The decanter celebrated the 100th anniversary of the royal Proclamation establishing King Kamahamahe I Day on June 11th, 1871 by his great grandson, King Kamehameha V. A quite festive day across the islands if you happen to be there and especially in Honolulu where they have parades, art festivals, a hula competition and the now traditional decoration of the statue of Kamehameha I with leis in downtown Honolulu each year. And apparently the only state holiday the celebrates a former reigning king! If you don't count the birthday of Elvis...

I'd be pretty cautious with this. The glazing used on those types of pieces has the potential to contain some pretty nasty stuff, and what is whiskey but a solvent? Interesting perspective. Hadn't really given that a thought. I figured if I did open it I would decant the bourbon into a different bottle just to minimize the the wear and tear to the original bottle which is Regal China. Regal China was a company in Antioch, IL that went belly up about 20 years ago when the decanter business dried up. They made a lot of them for Jim Beam as well as other stuff over the years. Hopefully the glazes they used won't kill you! At least not any faster than the booze itself...

I'm not a collector of much of anything so I'd definitely be leaning towards giving it a try. If you're concerned about whether you'd be destroying the value of something valuable by opening it, do a little research. Shouldn't be too hard to find out what it's worth unless it's not worth anything. Information on valuable things people want is usually pretty easy to find. I like the bottle. If I found it for sale, what I'd be willing to pay wouldn't change much based on if it had that particular booze still in it or not... but I'm not an expert. Not really a collector either. At least not to keep bottles of liquor for show. This was a found bottle as it were and apparently not tremendously desirable from the limited info I have found. The decanter itself is not really in mint condition and appears to be worth at most $50-$100 empty. Can't find much info on an unopened one. But given it leaked on the trip home I suspect the bourbon inside could have been impacted. I am leaning towards opening it and giving it a try. Just thought I would run it up the flagpole here first and see if anyone might have some insight! Also still curious about the mystery Chinese bottle and the Armenian brandy. Haven't been able to find much of anything about the Chinese bottle. Yerevan Brandy Company, maker of Ararat (associated with the foothills of Mt. Ararat of ark fame it would seem) is apparently still around (even if the website is currently less than helpful!) and Nairi seems to be there oldest readily available expression at 20 years old. Whether this particular bottle is of any account and what year it was originally bottled is still something of a mystery. I would guess maybe it is 1991 or earlier. It seems very dark and perhaps slightly below what would be the full mark but if the seal is still intact then perhaps it might be good despite probably not having been well cared for. But my knowledge of what constitutes good brandy is pretty limited so if I do decide to open it I might have to find someone who can help me determine if it is still in decent shape!

Still curious if anyone has any info that might help better identify these bottles, especially the one that appears to be from China or Taiwan. And any thoughts on whether the bourbon in the King Kamehameha bottle is likely to be worth trying or if I should just leave the seal intact and unopened. I am leaning towards opening it and giving it a try. Original post

Seems my memory was correct and it was a 1 liter bottle. Would appear to be the new face of Plymouth gin. I guess the new bottle accounts for the $15 increase in price! It is a nice bottle though...

I'd say which ever one will compliment the apple most. Kinda says citrus to me. Grapefruit bitters might be good but I don't have that either. Maybe the Ango orange would work as an alternative.

Happened to be passing the store today so I popped in to check on the price of Plymough gin. 750 ml is currently still a little under $30 where it has always been. They also had a liter bottle with a rather interesting and quite different appearance from the 750ml for about $35. I was thinking of getting another bottle anyway just in case the gin robber barons struck here and I confess I found the bottle rather appealing in its own right so I ended up buying it. Has a label more reminiscent of the previous style. Don't have a picture handy but can be seen here. I note that picture on the link is for a 70cl bottle so that may be the new face of Plymouth. Will have to recheck my bottle to be sure it was in fact a liter size or if I paid more for it than the same size older style bottle sitting right next to it! Would serve me right for not paying closer attention...

Mostly the usual suspects. Boker's, Angostura and Ango orang, Peychaud's, Regans, Fee orange and barrel aged bitters, Bitterman's Xocolatl Mole, Bitter Truth Celery, old time aromatic, orange, creole and Jerry Thomas bitters, Underberg, amargo chuncho and probably one or two I can't recall off the top of my head. The Dandelion and Burdock bitters may be available locally but I will just have to make a point to look for it. I suppose one could fall back on the typical Peychaud's used in a Vieux Carre.

Here perhaps? Looks and sounds like an interesting drink. Don't have those bitters so can't try the exact version. Is there another bitters that might sub for the Dandelion and Burdock bitters in this recipe?

In addition to the odds and ends I brought from Hawaii I stopped by the store yesterday to check out the Willet Single Barrel 4yo Rye blend of LDI rye. Reviews have been pretty good and at $35 it seemed like it was worth giving a try. While there I decided to experiment with a bottle of Atholl Brose and decided to throw in a bottle of Mt. Gay Extra Old just for variety's sake. Tower here in Atlanta is also having an Irishman Irish Whiskey tasting on April 18th so I think I might pop in and give it a try. Met the local rep who is a pleasant young fellow from the old country. They are bringing out a cask strength (is it just me or is that the latest fad?) of their pot still blend that sounds interesting. Not currently available at the store but will be at the tasting. I also noticed that have an Irish Cream that is no doubt aimed at the "beeg boy", Bailey's. At $14 for a fifth with a $10 rebate I decided I would be more than willing to give it a little trial of my own! It appears my complaint about Carpano has helped save it for a bit longer. It was back on the shelf at Tower for the moment. Unfortunately it was also back up to its regular $35 price as well.

The label notes it is "100 months old" so 8 years, 4 months. Just not sure what the next 40 odd years in bottle in the tropics did for the bourbon inside! Probably not anything particularly good. I also wonder if the fact that it still has something left in it and the tax stamp intact adds anything to the value that would outweigh opening it and giving it a taste. Probably minimal I would guess. The appeal to me was mostly in the decanter and that seems to only be worth around $50 or so from what I can find.

Not exactly the liquor store this time. Was in Hawaii for the past few days (unfortunately not a pleasure trip as it was to attend the funeral for my fiance's father). Her mother asked me to take what I wanted from the liquor cabinet as she doesn't drink. Quite the odd assortment of bottles to be had. I suspect much of it came from Hong Kong as they traveled there often in the past but probably none of it is less then 15-20 years old. Also it was kept in a typical house in Hawaii with no heating or A/C and the temperatures in the house can sometimes get to 80 or more so they were not particularly well cared for. Scotch was the primary theme. In addition to 2 unopened bottles of Chivas, 2 of J&B and 2 of Cutty Sark there were a few oddities. There was a half full bottle of Camus XO that looked like it was from the 1980's. Somehow forget to get a picture but the bottle style can be found here. First are a few bottles of whisky, most labeled as specifically for Hong Kong duty free, and a bottle of Japanese whisky. Then a little Russian vodka and Armenian brandy that has to be at least 20 years old as it was from the USSR days. I don't think the brandy has been opened but can it possibly still be any good after all these years? There seems to have been some evaporation from the bottle. The vodka bottle seems like a nice curiosity for display anyway. Not sure how good it would be. The a couple of real oddballs. A bottle from China (Taiwan?) of unknown type that I would welcome any help identifying and a couple of miniatures from Nannerl. The Marillen apricot liqueur must have long since gone bad as that can't be the correct color can it? And finally the real find for me. Deep in the back of the cabinet was this Jim Beam commemorative decanter that had never been opened. As best I can tell it is from around 1971. There is still bourbon inside although the plastic seal is breaking down and the gasket between the bottle and the stopper looks to be breaking down as well. Unfortunately it leaked a bit on the trip home. I wish I could have carried it on the plane but not possible these days of course. But the smell of the bourbon that leaked out was surprisingly enticing. Trying to decide if I should pop this thing open and see what I find inside. Don't think it has any tremendous value but I would welcome any insight others might have. Just as Hawaiiana kitsch I found it quite appealing.

Apparently Uncle Pappy is back in town again. Who knew? But it seemed inconsiderate to turn down an invitation for another bottle of the 20 yo Bourbon. At least it means I can be a bit more generous in sharing the first bottle knowing I have a second safely tucked away for a rainy day. Also got a message that the bottle of Faretti Biscotti liquour I was waiting on was back in stock. So it was off to the liquor store today for me. First stop was H&F for the Faretti and to check on an order for some wine. And of course I can't resist looking around! Then it was down to Tower on Piedmont to pick up Pappy and see what they might have that was new and/or interesting. As usual I ended up with a lot more than I had intended... At H&F I picked up the Faretti (a really nice heavy bottle as well! I think the bottle will be a keeper.) as well as a bottle of Nielson/Massey Rose water. I also got intrigued by a new bottle of "Dry" Curacao from Pierre Ferrand that was created in consultation with none other than Splificator his own self. Now who could pass that up I ask you? Besides, you can't have too many orange liqueurs can you? H&F also mentioned they had heard the local distributor was dropping Prunier Pineau des Charentes. Say it ain't so! So I stopped by Tower next as they were my source for the Pineau. They weren't sure if that was the case but are checking for me. Just to be safe I picked up a couple of bottles for insurance. Better safe than sorry! While puttering about in that section I also decided to get a bottle of Lillet since I was out and Cocchi Americano since I was almost out. Then I noticed the lone remaining bottle of Carpano was on sale. That seemed odd. So I added it to my basket and inquired. Seems they are planning to stop carrying it. I must say that came as a surprise. I registered my sense of alarm at such an odd decision but not sure that will make any difference. Finally I wandered over to the main desk to pick up Uncle Pappy only to find they had just gotten in a few bottles of the Redbreast Cask Strength. I was already just a wee bit over budget but couldn't let that opportunity pass me by so in the basket it went. A busy day indeed.

Batavia Arrack is already a staple in my liquor cabinet. Not to mention Kronan Swedish Punsch! I particularly enjoy the occasional Airbag and Arrack Attack. So I suppose Banks would be a nice to have but not need to have.

Friday night so I decided to try something new! Tonight it was a "Scarlet" Rhum Club from the PDT Cocktail book. The book calls for Banks 5 Island rum but I don't have that so I decided to sub The Scarlet Ibis rum instead. At least I have one island covered... A very nice drink indeed although perhaps not for the Appletini crowd as it is fairly spirit forward from the rum. The Creole Shrubb seems to come through nicely and add a nice undertone to the drink and helps the orange bitters give this an orange/citrus edge to me. Calls for an orange wedge garnish but didn't indicate to put any oil from the peel in the drink. I suppose the shrub and bitters are sufficient. Has anybody tried the Banks 5 Island rum? Sounds like it might be interesting. Rum is composed of five different rums from distilleries located on the islands of Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Guyana, and Java (the largest Indonesian island). Each rum is aged between 3 and 12 years, filtered, and then expertly blended together with just a touch of Batavia Arrack. Or is it more of an overpriced gimmick? At probably at least $30 or more locally it seems a bit spendy. I will have to check to see if it is even available although I think I have seen it before at H&F. Seems to get a positive, if brief, endorsement here.

Getting too old for that fine print on the bottle! Depaz Blue Cane Rhum Agricole is bottled at 90 proof, not 80.

Went fairly simple this evening with a Pompadour. 1.5 Rhum Agricole (Depaz 80 proof because that's what I have handy) 1.5 Pineau des Charentes (Prunier) 0.5 lemon juice Pleasant enough but not quite what I was hoping for. Maybe I need a different rhum? In any case I think I would prefer to just drink the Pineau by itself on most occasions.

I had a glass of the 2007 Turley "Ueberroth" Paso Robles Zinfandel recently (it was a present for my father who is much more into wine than I) which I thought was excellent. It goes for around $50-60 dollars though and I am not sure it was head and shoulders above less expensive zins. Then again, as I noted, I am by no means an oenophile! The Turley zins seem to be well regarded but can be a bit spendy in general.

Have you ever tried one of the Amer Picon substitutes (such as post #108 from earlier in this post) side by side in the same drink made with your Picon Biere to see what, if any, difference it made? I would think that might be an interesting experiment. At a much higher ABV and with a bit more spice I would think it would have an impact. Just don't know how much. But I haven't got the Picon Biere to experiment with.

Yes! What could it hurt? Measurements are a good thing!

Imbibe recently had a post on this drink that was from Lantern's Keep. But they don't specify either the gin or the vermouth. Would be interesting to know what they choose to use in their particular version.

Stopped by the H&F Bottle shop to get the recipe for "The Slapping Incident" that I had at Restaurant Eugene. For anyone interested it includes: 1.25 oz Rittenhouse BIB Rye 0.5 oz lime juice 0.5 oz Fernet Branca 0.25 oz Faretti Biscotti Liqueur 0.25 oz Cocchi di Torino 0.5 oz Sorghum Syrup (1:1 ratio) Cracked black pepper for garnish Build in a Collins glass and stir. Top with tonic water and garnish with the cracked black pepper. I could have sworn there was a pinch of sea salt as well but I am hoping to get confirmation of that. While there I picked up a couple of things needed for the recipe and for another recipe that piqued my interest. They didn't have the Faretti Biscotti Liqueur so I am waiting on that to arrive. In the interim I may try some Amaretto as an alternative. In addition to the Sorghum syrup I got a small bottle of St. George Terroir gin and Alvear's PX 1927 Sherry in order to try "The Veil Remnant", also a creation of the bar at Restaurant Eugene. It includes the St. George Terroir gin, PX Sherry, Batavia Arrack and Bonal but I am hoping to get the recipe details soon. Finally, I decided to add a new toy for the bar and picked up a soda siphon just for fun!

Just found the answer here ... Ah, my mistake! Obviously I did not read the post thoroughly as it was clear enough in retrospect. Glad you found the answer.