Jack Daniels Single Barrel Review

I present to you today the newest member of our family, Jack Daniel's Single Barrel. This spirit is very prestigious in the whiskey community and carries a very big stick. The bottle is designed with simple in mind. The glass has a Jack Daniel signature below the label to add to its one-of-a-kind nature. It also has a small label on the front, only about 2"x2". The neck of the bottle as a great vintage design with a sturdy corked top to finish it off. The label around the neck has the inscription of what the barrel number is and the date. The spirit is a dark sort of amber/gold color with deep brown tendencies. When compared to the traditional Jack Daniel's, it is much more rich in color. When the cork is popped off, it smells of rich oak and honey. It smells significantly sweeter than the traditional Jack Daniel's. There are hints of smoke and oak that overpower the sweeter smells, so you get a "taste" of how long it has been in the maturation process. When tasted neat, it is a very smooth ride, more than I was expecting. At the exit, there is a little bit of a nice sting in the nostrils that adds to the flavor recognition. I was expecting some sort of small sting, as this whiskey is 94 proof instead of the traditional 80 proof. I really liked this whiskey neat as I think it offers a lot of flavor and a really nice level of intensity. Next, this whiskey was tried on ice, swirled around in the rocks glass to melt the ice just a little bit. I found that the whiskey became much smoother, but you lost a lot of the sweet flavors that were present when it was neat. The smoke and oak tastes were still prevalent but not as pungent. Lastly, this whiskey was tried with cola. Just kidding. I'm sure that this Jack Daniel's Single Barrel would taste wonderful in cola but I will not be the one to commit that petty crime. For a whiskey that is as prestigious as this, I would prefer to keep it by itself. Feel free to mix it with cola, if you get a chance, and post a comment in regards to what you think. If you are like me and do not want to do such a thing, then we will never know what that combination offers. Overall, this is a very good whiskey. It is one of the better American whiskeys I have had and it has a lot to offer, in both flavor and presentation. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel can be found ranging from $37.49-$47.99/750mL/ in 47%ALC/VOL. The value of Jack Daniel's is great when put up against other options for a small amount of difference in cost. If you are a whiskey fan and feel like treating yourself to something special for that once occasion, Jack Daniel's Single Barrel would sure be a good choice.

Appearance: 9/10

Scent: 9/10

Neat Taste: 10/10

Chilled Taste: 8/10

Overall Score: 9/10

Schwartzhog Review

Today, I bring you a wild herbal liqueur called Schwartzhog! Schwartzhog is a German Krauter (herbal) liqueur, carefully crafted and finally approved in the US in 2008 ( LocalWineEvents.com, 2009). This spirit is contained in a dark green bottle with gold-trimmed labels. The design is elegant and catches the eye. The black wild boar (Schwartzhog) icon on the front draws significant attention along with the unique font. First, the liqueur has strong hints of ginger and root. It also has small hints of orange and lemon as well. It smells similar to its well-marketed competitor, Jagermeister. Schwartzhog smells sweeter, with more hints of fruit. We will taste this herbal liqueur in three ways. The first way will be what Schwartzhog calls Shoot the Hog. This is just a straight shot, ice-cold. Wow! What a rush! This liqueur is very full and rich with flavor! It is very smooth across the tongue and on the way down the hatch. As it first hits the tongue, you get a strong taste of the root and ginger. As you begin to ingest the spirit further, you taste a large group of fruit. As compared to its competitor Jagermeister, there is not as much black-licorice (anise) taste; Schwartzhog seems to have more fruitiness to it. Second, we will try Schwartzhog mixed with cola, as if it were a cocktail. When combined in a 1:3 ratio, Schwartzhog to cola, the root and ginger of the liqueur keep their presence. The fruits, both orange and lemon, still exist on the exit. Either way, this is a good combination. The last way we will try this wonderful Schwartzhog is.....drumroll please.....a "bomb!" Schwartzhog calls it a Hog Bomb but they create it in the form of a cocktail in a highball glass. We will use a power-bomb cup. This is the most tasty, energy drink-based liqueur bomb I have ever had. The flavor is just as wonderful as when the liqueur is enjoyed straight but when combined with the energy drink, it offers a large burst of flavor for the taste buds. The ginger and root flavors somewhat disappear but the fruit flavors are very rich. This liqueur can be used in different cocktails, ranging from energy drink cocktails, to shots, to a wonderful modification of a popular cocktail that Schwartzhog calls a Hogarita (Schwartzhog.com, 2009). In conclusion, this liqueur has a lot to offer. The presentation, overall flavor and options for recipes give this German herbal liqueur a large bang-for-your-buck. Schwartzhog can be found ranging from $15.49--$19.99/750mL/ in 36.7%ALC/VOL. When this was purchased, Schwartzhog was offering a $10 Mail-In Rebate after your purchase, one per household. The value of this liqueur is outstanding and it offers wonderful flavors. The best way this could be enjoyed is with an energy drink in the form of a power-bomb. The only disadvantage is that this is not how the liqueur was intended to be enjoyed (straight, ice-cold). Choose what works best for you! Schwartzhog is a strong opponent to Jagermeister and offers many different qualities that make it a wonderful liqueur for any occasion!

Appearance: 9/10

Scent: 9/10

Chilled Taste: 9/10

Mixed Taste: 8/10

"Bomb" Taste: 10/10

Overall Score: 9/10

Satan's Whiskers Cocktail Review

Today I bring to you a vintage cocktail known as Satan's Whiskers. This cocktail was obtained from Suzi Parker's "1000 Best Bartender's Recipes" book, published in 2005. This cocktail has a wonderful ingredients list that will sure bring you back a few years. The recipe calls for:

1 ounce gin

½ ounce sweet vermouth

½ ounce dry vermouth

½ ounce Grand Marnier

1 ounce orange juice

1 Dash Angostura Bitters

The directions call for the ingredients to be shaken with ice in a cocktail shaker and then poured into a chilled martini glass. After following these steps, you can garnish the cocktail with an orange peel or what I found went well, a small slice of lemon. To begin, this cocktail has a wild presentation. It shows off with a bright, luscious orange color with a very wholesome depth. It doesn’t smell a whole lot like gin, which is very nice. You can smell the vermouth characters the most. The orange juice is a very nice complement to the other ingredients. The cocktail has a big burst of flavor. At first you taste the orange juice and Grand Marnier together, which is a very sensational taste. You then have the vermouth and gin taste exit at the end. This cocktail has little to no burn at all. It has more of a “zing” to the taste than an alcohol burn. This cocktail has a lot going for it and has very “classy” ingredients. Whether you are outside on a warm day or sitting inside with your friends playing cards, this cocktail will fit most any occasion. I would highly recommend this cocktail to both a beginning taster as well as any veterans that would like an exquisite rush of flavor!

Appearance: 9/10

Scent: 9/10

Taste: 10/10

Overall Score: 9.3/10

Gusano Rojo Tequila Review

Today we will look at a man's best friend...tequila. The tequila we will examine today will be Gusano Rojo (which translates to "red worm"), a 100% Agave
tequila with an Agave Worm! The worm is in the bottom of the large bottle and in the small bottle that is roped to the top of the neck of the bottle as well! Two bottles of tequila with two worms? Could life be better?! Well, the presentation seems to be significantly above par with a very well designed label and and double-bottle value, but we will have to see if the taste holds up to it's physical impressions. First, the smell first smells like tequila and pimento (the little red thing in the middle of green olives). It smells sweet, contrary to the characteristics of a hot chili (pimento). It smells strong of agave, which is a good thing for any 100% Agave tequila. Next, when tried neat, it doesn't taste like the traditional tequila! It doesn't have as much of the sweet taste as it did the scent but is more spicy. It has more of the green-olive taste, which leads to a more bitter taste. It is not so bitter as to be unbearable but in a 1-1/2 oz. shot, it would be very tasty. It doesn't leave much of a burn but more of a warm tequila sensation. Second, when tried on ice, the flavor diminished a little, but seemed to have a more oak-like taste to it. This wasn't as much present when tried neat because the overwhelming flavors of spice, tequila and agave were so present. The last way to try this tequila is in a tequila sunrise, described below:

2 oz tequila

4 oz orange juice

1 oz grenadine

Garnish w/ Lime wedge (optional)

First, the smell was wonderful, presenting clashes of what seemed like fresh oranges and tasty agave. The grenadine chilled at the bottom (no pun intended) with no contribution to scent. The tequila, when in a cocktail as such, can still be significantly tasted. That oak-type presence is still there but the spice/pimento-type taste goes away. The orange juice complements those characteristics and makes this a wonderful tequila-based cocktail for anyone. After all of these methods, it is clear that this tequila is probably best enjoyed in a tequila-based cocktail with fruit juices or maybe as a shot. The tequila tasted more flavorful when it was not chilled and even more-so when it was in a juice-based cocktail. This tequila ranges from $18.99-$20.99/750mL/ in 40%ALC/VOL. In summary, this tequila is a wonderful addition to anyones spirit collection. The value is great as the tequila's taste is good and you get a second small bottle (mini) and an agave worm in each bottle! The value is outstanding, the bottles look awesome and the tequila tastes good! Sounds like a winner to me.

Appearance: 10/10

Scent: 8/10

Neat Taste: 8/10

Chilled Taste: 7/10

Mixed Taste: 9/10

Overall Score: 8.4/10

Superheroes

As we venture out into the impenetrable night

The night that covers us like a dark, black wave,

To enjoy ourselves as the evening commences,

We look to be entertained by the nightlife around us.

The places we choose make us who we are

The drinks we choose make us who we are

Both can change our lives in one way or another

To create so-called "superheroes,"

Ones we call ourselves.

Absolut Peppar Review

Another spirit comes to you today with a very unique design. Absolut Peppar was introduced in 1986, about seven years after the introduction of Absolut Vodka. It uses all natural flavors with no sugar added. It was the first flavored vodka introduced by Absolut (Absolut.com, 2000-2008). The bottle has a wonderful design with a very attractive red text. The word "Peppar" stands out with a very distinct red touch and the cursive touch to the rest of the text adds to the bottle's elegance. The look of the spirit is very clear with no inclusions what-so-ever. The scent of the vodka is very peppery. At first, it is a smell that you may have smelled before but cannot describe. It smells like a pepper rind or something very spicy. It smells as if pepper seeds were ground together. Now for the taste of the vodka. When tasted neat, it had a very large pepper taste! It was not the taste of a pepper that you would have in your refrigerator that you bought from the grocery store but more of a wild, strange pepper. Next, when tasted on ice, chilled, it had the same amount of flavor as when tried neat. The bitter pepper was still prominent and did not subside. Last, Absolut Peppar was tried with Mr. and Mrs. T's Bold and Spicy Bloody Mary Mix. When measured at a ratio of 2:5, it seemed like it couldn't have been mixed better! The pepper flavor was still present but wasn't as bitter and "rind-y" when mixed with bloody mary mix. It complemented the mix very well and added to the flavor of the mix. Of all of the methods that this spirit could be served, mixed with tomato juice or something with significant flavor would work best. Even mixing this vodka with tonic water would be a stretch for the pepper-intolerant. Absolut Peppar can be purchased from $19.99-$24.99/750mL/ in 40%ALC/VOL. In summary, this vodka has a lot of flavor and is probably best enjoyed in the traditional bloody mary!

Appearance: 8/10

Scent: 6/10

Neat Taste: 4/10

Chilled Taste: 4/10

Mixed Taste: 9/10

Overall Score: 6.2/10

Stellar Gin with Citrus Crush Infusion Review

I come to you with our first spirit review! Stellar brings this citrus infused gin to the market with some unique characteristics. To begin we will start with the simple, yet important part: the bottle. The bottle looks very attractive when compared to other bottles of gin. It boasts a tall, clouded appearance with a surfeit amount of blue. Next is the look of the spirit. It is clear in color and looks very similar to water (although those liquids both differ in their effects after consumption). The scent of this gin has a lot of lemon to it. There is very little to no indicators of juniper at the start (the pine needle smell). It also has a very small hint of lime to its aroma as well. Now on to the taste. First, it was tried neat, with no ice or refrigeration. It has a large lemon saturation and surprisingly very little to no juniper as well! It also leaves a hint of peach in the back of the tongue. It leaves a slight burn at the tip and back of the tongue but nothing serious. The second way this spirit was tested was on two to three ice cubes, chilled. The scent stayed the same but the flavor changed a lot. About half of the lemon and lime taste went away but the peach stayed after tasting it. On the bright side, the burn became significantly less than when not chilled. The last way this gin was tested was in the traditional measurement under the Gin and Tonic. This method was by far the best. The flavors came rushing back to create a clash of fruit on the taste buds. Hints of lemon, lime, peach and orange were all present in this battle for flavor. This gin is a wonderful starter gin for folks who are not so fond of the juniper taste, as it is barely present in this spirit. This is also a wonderful piece for veterans alike who would want to experience a different style of gin. It can be purchased from $17.99-$24.99/750mL/ in 40%ALC/VOL. In summary, this gin is very flavorful and Stellar does a wonderful job bringing it to market.

Appearance: 8/10

Scent: 8/10

Neat Taste: 7/10

Chilled Taste: 9/10

Overall Score: 8/10