Recent Posts (Page 37)

• Holiday Gift Guide – Great Spirits to Give as Holiday Gifts

  In Best / By Geoff Kleinman / 29 November 2010 / 11 comments

  

  In an effort to make your holiday shopping a little bit easier this year, Drink Spirits has a series of gift guides to help you find the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday gift list. The first installment in our gift guide series is Spirits That Look Expensive But Aren’t in which we focused on ways to help stretch your gift dollars as much as possible. Sometimes, though, it’s less about bargains and more about finding amazing and special gifts that really make an impact. In this guide we’ve put together a group of spirits that we feel is something special. Each spirit is unique, world class, delicious, and would make a fantastic holiday gift.

   

• Holiday Gift Guide – Spirits That Look Expensive But Aren’t

  In Best / By Geoff Kleinman / 26 November 2010 / 15 comments

  

  Spirits make great holiday gifts and you don’t have to spend a fortune on them. With the economy being what it is, getting amazing bang for your holiday buck is extremely important, so we decided to assemble a group of spirits which look much more expensive than they really are.

   

• House Spirits Slabtown Whiskey Review

  In Whiskey / By Geoff Kleinman / 19 November 2010 / 2 comments

  

  Whiskey is a quintessentially American spirit built on top of the foundation of heritage American grains, corns and woods. It’s something that, as a country, we are very adept at producing.  Having this amazing spirit in the hands of small batch artisan distillers is a whiskey lover’s dream come true. Unfortunately, so far, that dream hasn’t been fully fulfilled. Whiskey is an extremely expensive proposition that requires strong capital, good craftsmanship and the most expensive element in the equation – time.  Unfortunately, the economic realities of craft distilling don’t often provide the luxury of time.  The need to start generating income off whiskey and a desire to do more than gin or vodka has created a new wave of young whiskeys on the market. Some of these whiskeys are completely unaged and are sold as White Dog, White Whiskey or New Make Spirit, while...

   

• AGWA de Bolivia Coca Leaf Liqueur Review

  In Liqueur / By Geoff Kleinman / 17 November 2010 / 4 comments

  

  AGWA de Bolivia Coca Leaf Liqueur has a fantastic story behind it. Coca leaves are flown from Bolivia to Amsterdam under armed guard and these leaves are used to create a Coca Leaf Liqueur which captures the essence of this leaf. It doesn’t hurt the mystique that Coca Leaf is the origin plant for cocaine. It’s a great story and it gives AGWA de Bolivia the kind of taboo excitement that only a spirit like absinthe used to get. Beyond the hype and hoopla, Coca Leaf actually has a fantastic taste. We’ve had it infused in other spirits (most recently a coca pisco, which is a traditional infusion) and it has a terrific and almost indescribable herbal, vegetal taste that is slightly bitter and slightly spicy. AGWA de Bolivia Coca Leaf Liqueur (60 proof – $30) – Bright green in color, the AGWA de Bolivia stands...

   

• Don Julio Tequila Review

  In Tequila / By Geoff Kleinman / 3 November 2010 / 6 comments

  

  In many ways it’s a heavy burden for a master distiller to work on a legendary spirit line. That task is even harder when that line is named after a real person who is still alive and kicking. Enrique de Colsa, master distiller for Don Julio tequila, has the enviable and unenviable task of maintaining one of Mexico’s most notable premium tequila lines.  Enrique does it with a very good sense of humor and whenever pushed on any aspect of the line happily answers, “That’s the way Don Julio did it”. As a company, Don Julio has a pretty interesting history.  Founded in 1942, the first tequila from Don Julio was anything but premium.  In the 40′s tequila was an extremely rough product that was reserved for special events or when people really wanted to get the lead out.  Ninety-five...

   

• Cardhu 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky Review

  In Whiskey / By Geoff Kleinman / 29 October 2010 / 4 comments

  

  We haven’t reviewed many single malt scotch whiskys on Drink Spirits, because we feel it’s important to cover a wide range of spirits and not get too caught up with any one category (and it’s VERY easy to get caught up with single malt scotch).  Truth be told, we are absolute lovers of single malt scotch whisky. When the day is at an end and we’re done sipping, tasting and writing, you’ll often find a nice peaty Islay scotch in our hands.  We recognize that the single malt scotch category is intimidating. Even we get overwhelmed by the vastness of the category and the unfortunate fact that, in this category, age and price don’t always equate quality. Previously we brought you a deconstruction of one of the most popular scotch whisky blends, Chivas Regal 18. Chivas 18 is a fantastic entry point into the...

   

• Scotch Whisky Basics with Master of Scotch Whisky Martin Daraz

  In Scotch Whisky / By Geoff Kleinman / 28 October 2010 / 5 comments

  

  When it comes to Single Malt Scotch Whisky, there is a serious misconception that somehow you need to know something special to drink and enjoy it. Since some Single Malt Scotch Whiskies can be expensive, there can be an air of elitism around them. Scotch enthusiasts will often rattle off tongue-twisting names followed by the largest year they can come up with, proclaiming that it is the be-all and end-all of Scotch. Unfortunately this is utter and complete nonsense. The truth is, like every other spirit category, Single Malt Scotch can be experienced in the glass without a deep understanding of its origin or history. Great Scotch Whisky doesn’t have to cost a fortune or even be a single malt. If you pour us a nice dram of Chivas Regal 18 blended Scotch Whisky or even Johnny Walker Blue Label,...