9 hours ago, rotuts said:the PW had some pear aroma and flavor , but not very much.
it also has a lot of raw alcohol burn.
not what I was expecting. reminded me of Local Raw Calvados in Brittany / Normandy : good for ' burning a hole and not much else
That's pretty much my experience with pear eau de vie. Clear Creek Pear Brandy is my favorite and but it's still not something I care to sip on its own. It is an ingredient of my favorite holiday cocktail, Chuck Taggart's Réveillon, so I always make sure to have some around at that time of year.
9 hours ago, rotuts said:the TiaMaria was OI. good coffee flavor and aftertaste but sweeter than I remember.
If the Tia Maria is too sweet for sipping purposes, which you mentioned earlier, consider diluting it into something like a Coffee Old Fashioned with a bourbon or rum that you view sip-worthy as the base spirit, depending on your preferences.
For sipping straight, I'll repeat my recommendation for the Koloa Kaua'i Coffee Rum. Very delicious. Perhaps a bit overpriced at around $30/bottle when you might find a nice rum like Doorly's XO for $16.99 (current price at my Total Wine) to blend with your Tia Maria.
