What did you buy at the liquor store today?

Brown Hornet · June 18, 2012

I just saw an email from Tower indicating they now have it. Although it looks a bit like a jonge genever (which is more like vodka to me) since it is clear it definitely taste more like a an oude jenever with plenty of malty goodness! I am happy to see it come to town. Now we just have to see if the Bols barrel aged genever will make it as well. Although at around $50 a bottle (at least it is a liter!) it is pretty spendy stuff for genever.

Make no mistake, the new bols genever is a true oude genever with all the malty goodness you expect. While very full-bodied and complex, I've found the bols genever to be extremely mixable -- it's really been a revelation to me. I'm also curious about the barrel-aged bols. I suspect that I would prefer the barrel aged for sipping but the standard bols genever for cocktails and mixing. If you pick up a bottle let us know what you think!

tanstaafl2 · June 22, 2012

I just saw an email from Tower indicating they now have it. Although it looks a bit like a jonge genever (which is more like vodka to me) since it is clear it definitely taste more like a an oude jenever with plenty of malty goodness! I am happy to see it come to town. Now we just have to see if the Bols barrel aged genever will make it as well. Although at around $50 a bottle (at least it is a liter!) it is pretty spendy stuff for genever.
Make no mistake, the new bols genever is a true oude genever with all the malty goodness you expect. While very full-bodied and complex, I've found the bols genever to be extremely mixable -- it's really been a revelation to me. I'm also curious about the barrel-aged bols. I suspect that I would prefer the barrel aged for sipping but the standard bols genever for cocktails and mixing. If you pick up a bottle let us know what you think!

I got the standard Bols Genever awhile back over the internet and quite enjoy it. I am now a bit spoiled by the 10 yo Bols Corenwyn a friend brought back from Amsterdam. But I would probably try the barrel aged Bols if it shows up locally. I am hopeful that another friends is bringing me back a bottle of Van Wees Roggenaer from the Netherlands in the very near future. My back up option was for Old Schiedam Single Malt Genever if they can't find the roggenaer but I am holding out hope that they are able to find the roggenaer.

Edited June 22, 2012 by tanstaafl2 (log)

tanstaafl2 · June 23, 2012

Thank you Ed for your reply... This is quite confusing for us... The Plantation rums are marketed as agricole here in Spain. After a bitter argue with my distributor they decided to double check if the latter was true.... Sorry but I am not keen about US rums...
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There are six Plantation Rums from Trinidad, Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados and Nicaragua. None of these rums are distilled from fermented fresh sugar cane juice but rather molasses. The rum from Babados for exampmle is made at the Black Rock distillery which is also known as the West Indies Rum Refinery where Cockspur and Malibu rum are distilled.
I don't want to cast any doubt as the quality of Plantation rums, I like their Barbados rum, but to call any of these rums agricole is a bit of a stretch. The parent company, Cognac Ferrand, is a French company and is a private bottler of fine spirits.
Anybody had a chance to try the Plantation 1998 Guadaloupe rum yet? Seems to have just hit the US market with a very limited supply. Was originally released in Germany in 2010 and then got recognition as the best Rhum Agricole at the UK Rumfest 2010 even though officially it can't carry the Rhum Agricole AOC on a technicality. But it is the first sugar cane rum in the Plantation series and sounds quite intriguing!
So not much buzz on this new Plantation rum I presume? I guess the limited supply would make it harder to find and try.

Since there was not much discussion on this new Plantation rum from Guadeloupe (OK, no discussion!) I figured I would have to take it for a test ride myself. Fortunately I was able to locate a supply and get access to it so I have now acquired several bottles to try.

Was able to get them for "MSRP" of $65 (plus tax of course). A bit spendy especially for something I have not tried but I like unusual things so I took the plunge! For aged rhum agricole it isn't all that expensive I suppose. Compared to the 1994 Rhum JM it is a veritable bargain! It is only a little more than St. James Hors D'Age which is good but not necessarily my favorite. Of course age does not always mean it is better but the additional year in a second cask was intriguing. I was particularly delighted they survived the trip home in my luggage.

In any case I look forward to giving this a try. I have bottles from cask 9 of 10 and it indicates there were 320 bottles from this cask. That suggests that perhaps only about 3200 bottles were produced and according to Ferrand at the link above only 600 of them made it to US shores.

While there I also stumbled across a bottle of the Col. EH Taylor sour mash bourbon, the first in this series, and even though it was now marked up a bit, also due to scarcity I suppose, I decided to add it to my cabinet. I am still hoping to add the fourth edition which is a barrel proof version when it is released which should be soon.

Edited June 23, 2012 by tanstaafl2 (log)

campus five · June 26, 2012

I haven't posted in this thread for a while....

Stuff that I've gotten within the last 6 weeks, or so:

Ferrand 1840 Cognac

Ferrand Dry Curacao

Byrrh Quinquina

Perruchi Sweet Vermouth

Cinzano Rosso

Jefferson's Presidential Select 18 year old Bourbon

Bittertruth Travel Bitters Set (not shown)

I haven't cracked the Byrrh, so I can't say anything about it.... Well, Louis from Miracle Mile Bitters did post something on FB about a Byrrh Negroni, and it being really good, Gonna have to try that.

The travel bitters set is pretty awesome. I had a gig out of town, and it made it very easy to make several combinations of bitters in an Old Fashioned, and since I threw in a tiny spray bottle of absinthe, Creole bitters-based Sazeracs.

I've been hooked on Carpano Antica for a long time, but recently switched to the Cocchi Vermouth (mostly because it's easier to go through a 750ml quicker than 1L, but also because it's equally as delicious). I've never really liked the M&R or NP or Dolin sweets. Cinzano has never been as ubiquitous as M&R or NP, but it is priced in the same ballpark. That's a good thing too, because I like it a lot more than either of those, and it's pretty available. Perfect for Negronis and Americanos, though I don't think I'd love it in a Manhattan.

As for the Perruchi Sweet, it's similar to the Cocchi Vermouth but a tad drier.

I really want to love the Ferrand products, but I'm not having the best luck. The sidecar I made with both (2 oz. .75oz, .75oz + .25oz simple), was both too spirit forward for such a young brandy, and too dry. I think something more like 3:2:1 ratios would be better. That said, the Curacao is delicious on it's own, and I just need to correct for it's drier-than-normal sweetness. Likewise, I think the 1840 would shine when combined with another spirit that needs some more bite in a cocktail, perhaps 12 year or old bourbon, or maybe an aged rum like El Dorado 12.

Finally, the Jefferson's Presidential Select...Oh damn. So, Mark at the Winehouse here in Los Angeles was helping another customer pick out a father's day gift, and my friend and I overheard the description of this as basically being "Van Winkle 18" since it was from the Weller distillery. It easily lives up to that description, and it's delicious. My friend suggested, that since his birthday had just passed and mine was coming up, that we split the bottle as a reciprocal birthday gift. I decanted my half into a 375 bottle from a home winery supply store, and I gave him the pretty bottle.

tanstaafl2 · June 27, 2012

I got the standard Bols Genever awhile back over the internet and quite enjoy it. I am now a bit spoiled by the 10 yo Bols Corenwyn a friend brought back from Amsterdam. But I would probably try the barrel aged Bols if it shows up locally. I am hopeful that another friends is bringing me back a bottle of Van Wees Roggenaer from the Netherlands in the very near future. My back up option was for Old Schiedam Single Malt Genever if they can't find the roggenaer but I am holding out hope that they are able to find the roggenaer.

My friend returned from the land of wooden shoes and I was delighted to learn they had secured two bottles of Roggenaer from the A. van Wees distillery de Ooievaar (which apparently means "The Stork").

If the stork always delivered this kind of offspring I would probably have a lot more of them!

This also inspired a trip to the liquor store where I came across a bottle of Pendleton 1910 Canadian Rye bottled in Oregon by Hood River Distillers (clearly they didn't distill this). Not sure they actually distill anything themselves, sounds like they are really just a bottler/distrbutor). The company isn't saying who the source is but there is some speculation that it comes from Alberta Distillers Ltd. which is owned by Beam. Not a true straight American rye but a blend of whiskeys. But all components of the blend are made from rye or so I am told.

Couldn't resist a little taste of the Roggenaer. A delicate whiskey with only a hint of wood despite its 15 years of aging. But still plenty of peppery rye character to be had. The website mentions a citrus note but I couldn't taste it. Any connection to a genever is purely incidental as the botanicals are pretty much gone or well in the background. Only that interesting "malty" character is apparent and even that is mild. This is definitely a rye whiskey, but perhaps in a class unto itself.

Both will likely undergo a more extensive introduction this weekend!

ScottyBoy · June 28, 2012

Charred then smoked jalapenos in some cheap tequila to soak. This stuff was my shift drink of choice when I was on the line. Puts hair on the chest!

tanstaafl2 · July 20, 2012

A few odds and ends picked up over the past week. Was in the part of town where the Total Wine has liquor (the one nearest me does not which is moderately annoying) and was surprised to see that they carry the Seale rums from Barbados. On an impulse I picked up the Foursquare spiced (which I had heard good things about but was a bit surprised to see was 35 proof. A quick check of Whisky Exchange seems to indicate that is the standard proof. Perhaps that will be OK with a spiced rum) as well as the Doorly's XO (they also had the Seale 10yo but I decided to try the Doorly's first).

But the real impulse of the impulse buys that day was a bottle of Papagayo "organic" silver rum from Paraguay of all places. Don't think I have ever seen anything from Paraguay, much less rum. Not sure I have seen "somebody" from Paraguay for that matter! In any case it may be a total bust but I bought it for the heck of it. Not sure when I will get to trying it out yet.

Then I decided to have a Byrrh! Not sure quite what to do with it yet but the recipe on the back sounds interesting and I think there is a thread here about it. Suze has apparently been picked up as well and is expected to be in soon. We shall see.

Finally I managed to add a bottle of the Willet 5yo rye to compare to the 4yo and got some of the newest Col. Taylor bourbon. It is a barrel proof weighing in at 134.5 proof and is being described as a "baby Stagg" albeit at essentially the same price. But I couldn't resist and look forward to comparing it to Stagg to see.

May try to arrange a "boy's night in" next weekend for some serious taste testing since the lady of the house will be out of town! That way I don't need to worry about having to get home and there is plenty of floor space for any "casualties"...

Edited July 20, 2012 by tanstaafl2 (log)

**ChrisTaylor** · July 21, 2012

A few recipes in beta cocktails and PDT Cocktail Book call for Tennessee whiskey, which I haven't actually had. So. Time to expand the whiskey collection. A bit of research told me that the Dickel, which the PDT guys seem to like a whole lot, was hard to find and retailed for about ~$150AUD. I don't have that kind of budget. I mean, I've paid that for the odd bottle of rye and scotch, but for a truly, totally, utterly blind buy? Well. Maybe not. So far as I know, my two Tennessee options in Australia are the Jack Daniels (and many of its variants) and one or two different kinds of Dickel. And then I found Gentleman Jack on special. The reviews on PeatsSake and whatnot were pretty much on par with what I'd expect of a whiskey at that price point. Yet to crack it open. Curious.

tanstaafl2 · July 23, 2012

If you knew Suze like I know Suze...

Well then you would probably know it a lot better than I do because I haven't had it before! But it has made it to Atlanta so I picked up a bottle this weekend. I presume it therefore has been in the bigger markets for a bit already (I see it on Astor for example).

Comes in a huge 1 liter bottle. I would have been perfectly fine starting with something a bit smaller but didn't get much choice. Talked with a bartender friend who wasn't all that excited about it but then he likes to make a lot of his stuff. I am still curious to give it a try and see what all the fuss is about!

**FrogPrincesse** · July 23, 2012

It's good to see Suze finally available in the US. The label is different from regular Suze. Somewhere I read that "Suze saveur d'autrefois" had a higher alcohol content that worked better in cocktails. Hopefully it will make its way to the West coast in the near future.

rod rock · July 23, 2012

Four bottles of somersby cider - addicted!

tanstaafl2 · July 23, 2012

It's good to see Suze finally available in the US. The label is different from regular Suze. Somewhere I read that "Suze saveur d'autrefois" had a higher alcohol content that worked better in cocktails. Hopefully it will make its way to the West coast in the near future.

Yes, the Suze sold on the Whisky Exchange is listed as 15% ABV and has a slightly different label as compared to what i got which is 20% ABV. How much difference it makes, whether in cocktails or on its own I wouldn't be able to say having never had the European version.

I suppose there is some reasoning behind changing it for the US market but that is not always necessarily a good thing.

**FrogPrincesse** · July 23, 2012

It's good to see Suze finally available in the US. The label is different from regular Suze. Somewhere I read that "Suze saveur d'autrefois" had a higher alcohol content that worked better in cocktails. Hopefully it will make its way to the West coast in the near future.
Yes, the Suze sold on the Whisky Exchange is listed as 15% ABV and has a slightly different label as compared to what i got which is 20% ABV. How much difference it makes, whether in cocktails or on its own I wouldn't be able to say having never had the European version.
I suppose there is some reasoning behind changing it for the US market but that is not always necessarily a good thing.

I volunteer to do a side-by-side comparison once I find the "savoir d'autrefois". I can't wait for more White Negroni experimentation!

KD1191 · July 23, 2012

It's good to see Suze finally available in the US. The label is different from regular Suze. Somewhere I read that "Suze saveur d'autrefois" had a higher alcohol content that worked better in cocktails. Hopefully it will make its way to the West coast in the near future.
Yes, the Suze sold on the Whisky Exchange is listed as 15% ABV and has a slightly different label as compared to what i got which is 20% ABV. How much difference it makes, whether in cocktails or on its own I wouldn't be able to say having never had the European version.
I suppose there is some reasoning behind changing it for the US market but that is not always necessarily a good thing.

I don't think this was done solely for the US market. They had the new bottling behind the bar at Zetter Townhouse in London when I was there earlier this month. One thing I can tell you without having tasted them side-by-side is that the new is certainly a bit more pricey...I picked up a 1L of the old-format at Duty Free in CDG for less than $10 a couple weeks ago. The new make runs nearly 3x that from Astor.

tanstaafl2 · July 23, 2012

It's good to see Suze finally available in the US. The label is different from regular Suze. Somewhere I read that "Suze saveur d'autrefois" had a higher alcohol content that worked better in cocktails. Hopefully it will make its way to the West coast in the near future.
Yes, the Suze sold on the Whisky Exchange is listed as 15% ABV and has a slightly different label as compared to what i got which is 20% ABV. How much difference it makes, whether in cocktails or on its own I wouldn't be able to say having never had the European version.
I suppose there is some reasoning behind changing it for the US market but that is not always necessarily a good thing.
I volunteer to do a side-by-side comparison once I find the "savoir d'autrefois". I can't wait for more White Negroni experimentation!

DSWE is the importer so perhaps they can give you an indication of when or if it will be headed your way. Would think some of the bigger LA stores might eventually get it. A place like K&L wines maybe. I think they have a store in the LA area.

tanstaafl2 · July 23, 2012

It's good to see Suze finally available in the US. The label is different from regular Suze. Somewhere I read that "Suze saveur d'autrefois" had a higher alcohol content that worked better in cocktails. Hopefully it will make its way to the West coast in the near future.
Yes, the Suze sold on the Whisky Exchange is listed as 15% ABV and has a slightly different label as compared to what i got which is 20% ABV. How much difference it makes, whether in cocktails or on its own I wouldn't be able to say having never had the European version.
I suppose there is some reasoning behind changing it for the US market but that is not always necessarily a good thing.
I don't think this was done solely for the US market. They had the new bottling behind the bar at Zetter Townhouse in London when I was there earlier this month. One thing I can tell you without having tasted them side-by-side is that the new is certainly a bit more pricey...I picked up a 1L of the old-format at Duty Free in CDG for less than $10 a couple weeks ago. The new make runs nearly 3x that from Astor.

Yes, I had noticed that as well. Could be trying to cash in on the cocktail craze. No doubt cost more to bring it to the US market but can't imagine the product is so much different that it needs to be that much more expensive.

Pulling a "Plymouth Gin" perhaps!

tanstaafl2 · August 4, 2012

There may be a drought in much of the US but it is looking green today in my area. Aat least in one "spot".

After having no luck finding Green Spot in the local Irish pubs (it seems to come and go depending on the last time somebody traveled to the mother country and it was always gone when I showed up) I decided to take matters into my hands. Despite the seemingly byzantine laws regarding spirits that seem to vary from state to state (and even county to county here) I decided to place and order with the Whisky Exchange and see what happened.

To my surprise and delight it arrived intact and hassle free in 5 days (can take longer to get a package delivered from two states over sometimes...). And so I now have my own supply of Green Spot Irish Whiskey. This could be dangerous of course. When I travel to London in a couple of weeks I now know I can have something shipped back with some confidence rather than have to pick and choose based on what I can successfully carry in my luggage. Hmm, this could get interesting. And expensive...

The test subjects that arrived today included a couple of Green Spot's and a bottle of Powers John's Lane Irish whiskey.

In addition I added a bottle of Green Label Johnnie Walker (easy enough to find here but even with shipping a bit cheaper to ship from England even considering the shipping cost and the difference in size from 750ml to 700ml). Never a big Scotch drinker but this was a favorite of mine among scotch when it was introduced a few years ago and I have heard it is being discontinued so I decided to add one for old times sake. I may add a couple more!

Finally I had been looking for the older Parker Heritage Collection expressions for a while but the older ones were getting hard to find, not to mention pricey. So when I saw this bottle of the PHC Golden Anniversary on the website I decided to splurge (again...) and have it shipped back across the pond.

It will be a belated celebration of St. Paddy's tonight at my house as the new Irish is getting a taste test tonight for sure! Will throw in a bit of the Redbreast for a little comparison as well.

jsmeeker · August 4, 2012

Just a bottle of Tanqueray. Nothing exciting. But now I can make more Negronis using the bottle of Carpano Antica I have.

tanstaafl2 · August 15, 2012

Had asked a friend who comes here regularly from Kentucky to see if they could find a bottle of Angels Envy for me. Turns out they could and proved to be the best kind of friend as they made a gift of it! While I was out picking that up I couldn't resist a pass by the liquor store one last time before I head out on my trip. Had heard about a Del Maguey mezcal that was made using blue agave (San Luis Del Rio Azul) and so I was in search of a bottle.

This mezcal came about as a result of a bit of quirk of fate and supposedly is a one off bottling. The blurb from Del Maguey say the following:

"From 2000-2004, there was an agave scarcity in Jalisco (not unlike the great Angostura scare of 2009); tequila producers tracked down strong strains of Espadin hoping to sustain their output. While on this mission, they were able to convince a few farmers in Oaxaca to plant some baby maguey azul plants in an effort to safeguard against future shortages. In the seven years since the shortage, that baby Azul matured and was harvested, and according to centuries of traditional methods, it was then roasted, fermented, and distilled into a beautiful spirit. It simultaneously offers the taste and depth of two styles of agave distillate at once - flavors that combines the famed tequila of Jalisco with true Oaxacan mezcal. San Luis Del Rio Azul merges bright citrus flavors with those of tropical fruits (think dried bananas and mangos), white pepper and mossy stones, yet maintains a luscious, creamy mouth feel. Just as the brightest stars burn out the fastest, some things are too beautiful to last very long or be recreated. This mezcal, unfortunately, is one of them. Never again will Del Maguey produce this unique experiment. The maguey azul was never replanted. There was an extremely limited bottling and once it's gone it is gone for good."

Whether it is any good or not remains to be seen. I have no idea what "mossy stones" are supposed to taste like...

While out I finally decided to stop resisting the temptation to try to the High West 21 yo rye.

But they will all have to wait until I return home from my trip at which time I hope to have a few other new additions to join them!

Moto · August 16, 2012

My latest additions to the shelf are the result of the travels of a few friends.

A friend just returned from Jamaica and brought back the following:

Appleton Special

Appleton 12 yr(much better than I expected though I have only had a bare sip)

Coruba Dark

Charleys JB Overproof

Blackwell Rum (quite smooth and delicious)

Lillifield Rum Cream

On their return from the DR another friend brought back some Brugal anejo which I have just startede exploring

Finally, I bought a bottle of Flor De Cana 7 yr. Have not sampled it myself though i have doled it out in a few cocktails that went over well.

KatieLoeb · August 16, 2012

Tanstaafl2 - Nice haul!! Report back on that Del Maguey. Never seen that one before.

tanstaafl2 · August 16, 2012

Tanstaafl2 - Nice haul!! Report back on that Del Maguey. Never seen that one before.

I will try to remember to do so! I probably won't do so until I have the time to do so at leisure. Will be traveling myself for the next several weeks so it will be September before that happens.

The Del Maguey is presumably a bit of an oddity or so they claim. Should be interesting. I am told there were only about 900 bottles (150 cases) made. How true that is I can't say.

haresfur · August 18, 2012

Not at the liquor store but I scored some supplies at Bendigo Wholefoods. On the left is agave syrup - I wasn't sure whether to get dark or light so I went with the dark. On the right is a "Traditional Mixer" that I assume is a shrub. Don't know what the Aussies traditionally mix it with.

Adam George · August 18, 2012

I didn't buy anything, but yesterday my colleagues and I went to visit Sipsmith in Hammersmith, London.

They were distilling gin at the time and the room smelt amazing. We got to try all the range including the 2011 Vintage Sloe Gin and Damson Vodka that was bottled only last week.

Excuse the cliche arty, but very washed-out photo, I'm still trying to work out how to best use my new camera and it was very dark inside.

EvergreenDan · August 22, 2012

Results of a trip to Boston's North End. The Rucola (Maurizio Russo) is an arugula-based amaro, mildly bitter and mildly sweet. It makes a nice sipper. In a cocktail, it's pretty subdued. Also fairly expensive $28/70cl as I recall.

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