I was also invited to sample the Filibuster Dual Cask Straight Bourbon Whiskey ($48.99), which was the inspiration for the Triple Cask, but made at a slightly more approachable proof and a more approachable price point. The mash bill consists of 70% sweet corn, 20% rye, and 10% barley aged less than four years in American oak. The whiskey is then finished in used French wine barrels - I believe once filled with Chardonnay. The result is vanilla, caramel, and baking spices on the nose with the caramel remaining through the finish. Expect some cherry cola, banana, and candied apricots. Any heat dissipates rather quickly.
Focusing on the world of wines, beer, and spirits that we experience through our travels at WineCompass.com and theCompass Craft Beverage Finder.
Friday, June 30, 2023
Innovative Finishing and Best Small Batch Bourbon at Filibuster Distillery
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Virginia Distillery Company's VHW and Courage & Conviction Through a Life of Miniatures
According to the distillery, "the whiskies of Courage & Conviction, developed under the tutelage of Dr. Jim Swan, feature three core cask types:
- Bourbon casks: These barrels formerly held Kentucky bourbon from well-known distilleries. Aging in American oak bourbon casks add notes of vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, oak, smoke and cinnamon.
- Sherry casks: The distillery uses Sherry cask types, including Fino, Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez. These casks give the whisky notes of tart cherry, golden raisin, fig, caramelized plum, brown sugar and spice.
- Cuvée casks: This innovative barrel is sourced from premium European red wine producers. After the wine is removed, the cask is broken down, the interior shaved, re-toasted and re-charred, and then put back together again. The re-toasting and re-charring of the cask energize the wood sugars and brings forward barrel spice, bright red fruit and toasted pecan.
The flagship Courage & Conviction American Single Malt Whisky is a target recipe of 50% Bourbon Cask, 25% Sherry Cask and 25%. The base spirit definitely provides a Scottish cerealy, salty, and peaty profile. Then the fresh and dried fruit flavors surface which continue through to a lengthy low burning finish.
The Courage & Conviction Bourbon Cask is blunt and harsh. There's a burnt toast feel that ends with a strong coughing burn.
The Courage & Conviction Sherry Cask is, contrastingly, outstanding. There's a complex aroma, figs and nuts, that continue into the core where it combines with more dense fruit A bit of funk lingers with the smooth tail. This is bottle-worthy.
The Courage & Conviction Cuvée Cask starts with red fruit on the nose which leads to cherry notes, a little chocolate, and a sweeter caramelized and less cerealy, salty, and peaty profile. Little to no burn. This may be bottle-worthy.
The VHW Port Cask Finished Whisky is made from the base Virginia-Highland Whiskey which is then finished in a combination of Port-style wine casks from Virginia and traditional Tawny Port casks for a minimum of 12 months. The Scotch takes primary focus but eventually yields to dried fruits (figs) and hints of coffee and cocoa. It's a pleasant sipper - even while just enjoying the aroma.
Monday, April 12, 2021
Finding Rum in Pittsburgh from Maggie's Farm Rum - Allegheny Distilling
We also purchased the Maggie's Farm Coffee Liqueur ($30), a low abv (21%) liqueur that starts with their white rum as a base, the infused with cold-brewed coffee that was locally roasted ground and brewed in-house. Finally, the liqueur receives some house-made vanilla extract and a little dark brown sugar. Just add a little cream for an excellent boost to your day.
Monday, October 26, 2020
Gonzalez Byass Sherry & Candy - A Halloween Treat
Monday, October 5, 2020
Redbreast 12-Year-Old Irish Whiskey - Sherry Barrel vs Bourbon Barrel
Thursday, September 3, 2020
Grangestone Bourbon, Rum, Sherry Cask Single Malt Scotch Whiskys
Alone, Grangestone should be considered a mid-tier brand where the initial finishing occurs in traditional American oak casks for three years in order to be regarded as a "proper" Scotch whisky. But finding a trio of miniatures that underwent a second maturation in bourbon, rum, and sherry casks provided an opportunity to see how each imparted different characters into the whisky. As stand-alone 750ml bottles, these whiskys sell for $30, but as miniatures $2.50 each.
Overall, I preferred the Grangestone Rum Cask Finish Single Malt Scotch Whisky as it seemed to impart more balance and depth with vanilla and a rum-honey sweetness. The Grangestone Sherry Cask Finish Single Malt Scotch Whisky was the most concentrated with plenty of baking spices, dried fruits, and caramel. Finally, the Grangestone Bourbon Cask Finish Single Malt Scotch Whisky was very spicy - almost rye spicy - with more burn and oak flavors. Ready for another round...
Saturday, August 22, 2020
Grape Spotlight: Jura Savagnin & Vin Jaune
"During his studies in the 1860s, Pasteur identified that what he referred to as Mycoderma vini - known as the fleur ("flower") by the vignerons, now known as the microorganisms that create the voile or layer of yeast that settles on the surface of wine in barrels - was different from what was known as Mycoderma aceti or acetic (vinegar) bacteria. He even showed that you could seed the surface of the wine with Mycoderma vini to create the right bouquet - anticipating the use of the ensemencement process by almost a century. " -- Wink Lorch: Jura Wine: With Local Food and Travel TipsThus Louis Pasteur, the father of microbiology and pasteurization process should also be known as the father of Vin Jaune - the intentionally oxidized wine produced in his native Jura, France. Lorch continues quoting Jacques Levaux, the retired director of the Jura wine laboratory, "... apart from the rigorous analytical testing, little had changed either in the making or the understanding of Vin Jaune since the time of Pasteur in the mid-19th century".
To paraphrase Lorch, the production of Vin Jaune follows the practice of Spanish sherry where wine (from 100% Savagnin grapes - picked late in the season) are placed in a barrel and not moved or topped for up to six years. Naturally or inoculated, a layer of yeast called voile ("veil") - and similar to Sherry's flor - forms and protects the wine from extreme oxidation and provides a nutty and rich profile. Since the wine in the barrel is never topped and some is lost to evaporation, it is compulsory to use a 62cl clavelin bottle.
DalGobboM - Own work CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Jura's is a cool climate with warm, relatively dry summers and cold winters, and the majority of Jura's vines are planted on south-facing slopes -- to absorb as much of the sun's rays. A minority of vineyards are located in the more mountainous areas of eastern Jura, where heights can reach p to 4,500ft (1370m). However, the majority of vines are planted in the slightly lower-lying land in the west which average 1,000ft (305m).
Marine fossils |
Jura was once one of France's most prolific wine regions and dominated by red grape varieties. However, according to Lorch, "during the phylloxera crisis, from the peak of plantations in 1873 to 1900, the vineyard area reduced in the Jura by 62% - compared to 27% on average for France as a whole". These vines had also been declining due to powdery mildew and then add in two World Wars -- and Jura wine production was basically broke at the beginning of the 1960s.
Courtesy of Domaine de Sainte Marie |
Domaine de Sainte Marie participated in the Hopwine program and from the kit I received, it appears that the estate is well on their way to not only meet but exceed that goal. The 2017 L'Etoile Ensemblage is a textured and acidic blend of Savagnin, Chardonnay, and Poulsard -- the later a red wine grown as a white wine. The 2012 Cotes du Jura Vin de Paille is made from Savagnin, Chardonnay, Poulsard, or Trousseau grapes that have been placed on loosely woven mats made of straw (paille) and dried out for several weeks (or even months). This process concentrates the sugars and flavors providing an auburn colored wine with intense sweet flavors and funk but lifted with refreshing acidity. And finally, there's the 2010 Cotes du Jura Vin Jaune that is one of the highlights of the entire Hopwine shipment of 30 individual winery kits. It is aromatic, with a clean profile of nuts and honey with rising acids. And excellent.
Domaine de Sainte Marie is looking for a U.S. importer and distributor so hopefully, their wines will be available in the near future.
Saturday, August 15, 2020
A Little Spain and Croatia in the Blue Ridge Mountains
Rappahannock Cellars released their first vintage of wines in 2000 and since that date, they have held back a portion of their Vidal Blanc in each successive year. They take that Vidal and siphon it into five-gallon glass casks and place on the winery's roof where it ages in the sun for 10 months. The direct sunlight and heat oxidize the wine which, when optimal, produces characters of cooked or dried fruit, nuttiness, and yeast. These casks are brought inside and aged over the winter and then back-blended with the previous vintages in their version of a Spanish Solara system. Each year the Solara gets older with a portion bottled for release - which they appropriately label Solera ($34).
This wine is dry yet very complex - similar to a Spanish Oloroso sherry with nuttiness and yeastiness immediately apparent. Since the wine is naturally oxidized it can remain corked for a few months so is appropriate for sipping or in cocktails - one is mixing with grape brandy from the winery's sister distillery Dida's Distillery.
The distillery honors the Delmare's great-grandfather Paul Mariani as Dida translates to Grandfather in Croatia and it was their Dida who immigrated to California and introduced the family to agriculture. Distiller Allan Delmare further commemorates their heritage by producing the Dida's Vintners Choice Immature Brandy ($40), a grape brandy in the tradition of the Croatian fruit brandies - rakija. In rare instances, you can find oak-aged rakija and in Hungary, the best home-made palinka's are those with a little oak seasoning. The Dida's has even more seasoning using 100% in new American charred oak barrels which smooth the rouge edges without overwhelming the fruit. I found my local rakija source. Zivjeli!!.
Friday, January 3, 2020
Demarest Hill Winery & Distillery - The Everything Store for Craft Beverages
During a Christmas Break visit, we sampled many of these offerings with a keen interest in the unique distilled products. For instance, Ciummo distills a rather tasty Clear Grappa but also sells versions augmented with honey, raisins, or figs. He follows a similar pattern with grape brandy, selling versions aged in Cherry Tree wood and our favorite the Triple Tree Plus Brandy ($22) – aged from maple, oak, apple, cherry and cedar trees from his property. I also enjoyed the Dandelion Brandy ($22) distilled with a dandelion flower mash and serves as a suitable digestif. The Sherry is suggestive of Jerez and the Tropical Liquore - a version of the Dominican drink "Mamajuana" is a blend of rum, red wine, and honey aged in the bottle with tree bark and herbs. And his fruit brandies, Cherry and Peach are sweet - but loaded with flavor.
As for wine, a majority of the products are on the sweeter scale but there are several dry offerings that are pleasant. The estate Dry Aurora - a white hybrid grape variety produced by Albert Seibel - is complex and interesting. And the off-dry Riesling comes across drier as the acids enable a crisp and clean finish. For reds, the Bacchus Noir made from Baco Noir was our favorite followed by the Warwick Black Pearl and Warwick Red Deer composed of De Chaunac and Marechal Foch respectively. For a final, try the Apple Cider and Rum ($14) which is only 2% alcohol but provides a delicious and deep apple flavor.
Monday, November 25, 2019
Cotton & Reed: DC’s First Rum Distillery
In addition to their very unique Dry Spiced Rum ($29) that is infused with mostly gin inspired botanicals like juniper instead of baking spices, their Despaccino 2018 ($29) is delicious. The coffee beans come from Counter Culture which are then cold-brewed from Junius Coffee. The rum is also infused with rhubarb, dehydrated orange, and cacao all contributing distinct rich characters.
Finally, don't neglect their cocktails. I chose a light and refreshing Rumba Palumba made from their White Rum, mezcal, grapefruit, and lemons. Excellent.
Monday, November 4, 2019
International #SherryWeek with González Byass
Vina AB Amontillado ($24.99)
This wine starts with a Tio Pepe base after the standard four years in the Tio Pepe solera system. This means that it consists of 100% Palomino Fino grapes that have fermented and aged in a process that allows for the development of flor -- a unique layer of yeast produced naturally in Jerez. This layer protects the wine from oxygen and after four years of age, provides the wine with its unique aroma and character. After four years, the wine is then transferred to the Vina AB Solera where it remains for an additional eight years which extracts elements from the American Oak such as caramel and vanilla. The wine also features the essence of dried fruits and nuts while staying relatively dry.
The Vina AB Amontillado can be consumed by itself yet for Halloween, we found that a Butterfinger pairs nicely, with the peanuts complementing the dried fruits and nuts. However, this wine's best usage is an ingredient in cocktails with many offered by a quick search online. It appears the Gin is the most popular companion with my favorite becoming a version of the Tuxedo. The base is 1.5 ounces of London dry gin and 1 oz of Vina AB, then .5 oz of Lusardo Maraschino, three dashes of orange bitters, and one dash of absinthe. Not having any Lusardo or absinthe on hand I replaced these with Monarch Bitters - using Pistachio Cherry Syrup and Cayenne Ginger bitters. A rather delicious cocktail.
Noé VORS Pedro Ximenez ($49.99)
Dessert in a bottle. The PX grapes were fermented and fortified in the Nectar Solera system where the grapes were fermented to 7% and then fortified to 15%. After eight years of aging, the wine enters the Noé Solera system for 30 years. This results in a complex and textured wine, sweet figs and lifting acidity. If you care to pair with candy, try a Twizzlers - but this is a fantastic wine solo.
Disclosure: We received samples from González Byass in order to share our opinion about their products, but this isn’t a sponsored post.
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Nomad Outland Whisky - Distilled in Speyside, Aged in Jerez
The spirit starts in the Scottish Highlands as a unique blend of over 30 different malt and grain whiskies from Speyside -- each 5 to 8 years old. Typically, Speyside whiskies can be classified into two groups: light and grassy or rich and sweet. Since the resulting blend destined for Nomad is aged three years in sherry casks, the base starts rich and sweet.
After these three years of aging, the spirit is transferred to Jerez where it spends a mínimum of 12 months in old Pedro Ximenez casks. The collaborators initially had tested this finishing in various used sherry casks including Fino and Oloroso barrels but determined the complex and textured residual from Pedro Ximenez works best. During these 12 months, the Nomad also absorbs some native yeast providing a little funk as well as the finishing due to Jerez's unique micro-climate -- subject to changes in temperature, winds, and humidity.
This is a beautiful whisky with multiple layers of vanilla, molasses, nuts, and dried apricots with some mango and honey. Yes, multiple layers of flavor.
Disclosure: We received samples from González Byass in order to share our opinion about their products, but this isn’t a sponsored post.
Friday, August 30, 2019
A Family Visit to Gonzalez Byass for Tio Pepe
During a family trip to Seville, mutual contacts were able to schedule a private tour and tasting of the facility - still located within Jerez de la Frontera and an hour and change train ride away. The actual production is now conducted outside the city center, but the original Tio Pepe winery operated largely in the center adjacent to the Cathedral and Alcazar. This facility now hosts a tasting and event center, administrative offices, distillery, and barrelhouse. Lots of barrels stacked together based on several solera systems. Stone streets are covered by grape canopies creating a semblance of Tio Pepe as a town upon itself.
The staff was very gracious, taking time to accommodate our visit and providing a thorough and educational journey through ten sherry wines. Melanie, our tour guide, explained the history, topography, winemaking, and aging process while Neil provided an in-depth dissertation on each sherry and its origin. Their talents made the visit enjoyable and eye-opening to each of us - the wine geek, skeptic, and roguish and inappropriate teenager. Cheers to Tio Pepe, González Byass, their staff, and everyone who made the trip possible.
The Background
Even though the Jerez Regulatory Council stipulates that 60% of the grapes must come from Jerez Superior in order to be labeled Jerez Sherry, González Byass uses 100% grapes cultivated in the declared Jerez Superior area. The vineyards in Jerez are composed of a white soil called Albariza that consists of 60% chalk - which retains moisture that is critical during the region's long hot and dry summers.
Tio Pepe Flor |
All sherries are aged following the traditional Solera system where the wines are blended in 600-litre American oak casks and then moved through the system as wine is taken from the bottom casks. Many styles are produced with distinctive characters depending on whether they have been aged under the influence of the flor (a layer of natural yeast) or as an oloroso (in contact with oxygen). Here are the wines we tasted.
Tio Pepe Fino Palomino (15% abv)
This Fino (dry) style sherry is based on the free run and light first press of Palomino in order to obtain the juice most capable of creating an elegant wine. After the wine is fermented to 11-12% abv it is fortified to 15.5% abv and stored in American oak casks, leaving the top 100 liters empty. This allows the development of the flor, a unique layer of yeast produced naturally in Jerez. This layer protects the wine from oxygen and after four years of age, provides the wine with its unique aroma and character. This aroma actually resembles muscadine, whereas the core is green apples and almonds.
Viña AB Amontillado Palomino (16.5% abv)
The wine starts with a Tio Pepe base after the standard four years in the Tio Pepe solera system. The wine is then transferred to the Vina AB Solera where it remains for an additional eight years - basically a 12 year Tio Pepe. This longer aging extracts elements from the American Oak such as caramel and vanilla. The wine also features the essence of dried fruits and nuts while staying relatively dry.
Del Duque Amontillado VORS Palomino (21.5% abv)
This wine follows a similar process by taking 10-year-old wine from the Amontillado Viña AB Solera and transferring it to the Del Duque Solera where it is aged an additional 20 years making this a VORS = or very old sherry. The 30 years has condensed the wine, increased the abv, and expanded the mouthfeel and oak elements. An excellent sherry.
Alfonso Oloroso Palomino (18% abv)
The must for this wine comes from the second press which normally provides more structure and tannins (seeds, skins, and stems). After the wine is fermented to 11-12% abv, it is fortified to 18% and like the Tio Pepe housed in American Oak with an empty top layer of 100 liters. However, the flor does not develop because the yeast can not survive past 16% abv. The wine undergoes complete oxidization while extracting elements from eight years in the barrel. Complex and spicy, nuts and vanilla.
Leonor Palo Cortado Palomino (20% abv)
The wine is created like the Alfonso except it is made from the highest quality free-run juice (like the Tio Pepe) and spends 12 years in the Leonor Solera system. This is a unique, new style with a nutty aroma leading to a toasted cream palate.
Apóstoles VORS Medium Palomino/PX (20% abv)
This is an 87-13 blend where the Palomino comes from the Leonor Solera system. The PX grapes are firmly pressed (think of olive oil production) and the must ferments to 7% abv. After fortification to 15% abv, the wine enters the Pedro Ximenez Solera system where it ages for 12 years like the Leonor Solera. The wine is then blended and added to the Apostoles Solera where it ages an additional 18 years. The wine has a tremendous mouthfeel with dried fruits and caramel.
Solera 1847 Cream Palomino/PX (18% abv)
This 75-25 blend is derived from the first press of the continuous Palomino press in order to obtain a little more structure and tannic body. Following fermentation to 11-12%, the wine is fortified to 18% and enters the Oloroso Solera where complete oxidization occurs because of the empty 100 liters. The Pedro Ximenez wine comes from the Pedro Ximenez Solera system. Both wines are pulled from their respective solera systems after four years are blended and then aged an additional four years together in the 1847 Solera system. The wine picks up more fig and dried fruit characters with some caramel and vanilla - simply delicious.
Matusalem VORS Cream Palomino/PX (20.5% abv)
The Palomino and Pedro Ximenez wine in this blend comes from the Olorosa Solera and Pedro Ximenez Solera systems described above. However, the wines remain in their respective solera systems for 15 years before being pulled, blended, and aged an additional 15 years in the Matusalem Solera system. The wine comes across drier than the Solera 1847 with a bittersweet flavor of spices, raisins, and dried fruit.
Nectar Pedro Ximenez (15% abv)
The sherry comes from the Nectar Solera system where the PX grapes were fermented to 7% and then fortified to 15%. After eight years of aging, this wine is full of fig flavors with enough acidity to help balance the sweetness. A family favorite.
Noé VORS Pedro Ximenez (15.5% abv)
For this sherry, the PX grapes were fermented and fortified as the Nectar, but the must enters the Noé Solera system for 30 years. This results in a complex and textured wine, sweet figs but nice acidity.
Thursday, July 4, 2019
Gonzalez Byass La Copa Vermouth - What Would Hemingway Do?
"That evening the priest from Henry’s mess comes to visit. He brings some presents for Henry: a mosquito net, a bottle of vermouth, and some English newspapers. Henry invites the priest to share some of the vermouth with him. The priest breaks off the cork on trying to open it and must push the cork down into the bottle. He sees this as a personal disappointment. " Chapter 11 Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell To Arms
"'Let's have some vermouth then' I said. 'Tell Bolo to bring out the bottles'. We had the tall glasses with mixed French and Italian vermouth (two parts French to one of Italian, with a dash of bitters and a lemon peel, filled with ice, stir and serve)…" Esquire article, "There She Breaches! or, Moby Dick Off the Morro" published in May 1936Most characters in Ernest Hemingway's novels were not shy of alcohol and these references often mimicked Hemingway's own preferences in libations. This included an exceedingly Dry Martini with just a splash of Dry Vermouth and the Vermouth Panache - a cocktail featuring dry and sweet vermouths with Angostura Bitters. I thought about these drinks after receiving a sample of two La Copa Vermouths from Gonzalez Byass - both based on original recipes and designs dating back to 1906. The earlier La Copa brand was produced from 1896 to 1926 - so perhaps Hemingway quaffed some of these wines in his early years.
The concept of Vermouth is as old as the Ancient Greeks as Hippocrates mixed wormwood flowers (wormwood = vermout in French) with fraxinella leaves to create an herbal wine. Today Vermouth is known as a low alcohol fortified and aromatized wine produced either dry or sweet. The beverage has been produced in Spain's Jerez region since the 19th century and Gonzalez Byass helped create that older tradition and was an early advocate in Vermouth's current renaissance.
The base for the new La Copa Vermouth is an Oloroso Fino sherry which is produced by oxidative aging. The wine is fortified early, suppressing the flor yeast which typically protects against oxidation. The sweeter La Copa Rojo Vermouth ($24.99) is an eight-year-old blend of 75% Palomino and 25% Pedro Ximénez with traditional botanicals including wormwood, cinnamon, orange peel, and nutmeg. The dry La Copa Blanco Vermouth ($24.99) is made from a base of 100% Palomino aromatized with various herbs, dried fruit, and spices -- including wormwood.
It was initially suggested to sample each of these vermouths over ice which provides a refreshing start to experience these wines. The Rojo shows a nice balance between the fresh aromatics and the bitter-sweet core where the spices continue throughout and provide an unanticipated drier finish. The Blanco is more bitter with the herbal aroma merging into a bitter almond core. And very refreshing.
But what would Hemingway do with these wines? I went to the resident expert on Hemingway's drinking preferences Philip Greene and his To Have and Have Another Revised Edition: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion for cocktail suggestions.
Vermouth Panache
This was easily my favorite cocktail playing with the ratio's where I enjoyed 3-1 dry to sweet instead of the recommended 2-1. Hemingway drank this in tall glasses filled with ice - enjoy all day.
3 oz. Dry Vermouth
1 oz. Sweet Vermouth
1 Dash Angostura Bitters
Hemingway's Dry Gin Martini
I used my special Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill Gin as the base and added a splash of the La Copa Bianco. The botanicals slightly enhance the gin's juniper and honey but expect a solid gin cocktail.
2 oz Dry Gin
Splash Dry Vermouth
Manhattan
I tried to versions the first using the River Hill 100 Proof Bourbon Whiskey and La Copa Rojo to create a high octane and this worked quite well. The vermouth's botanicals seemed to contain the alcohol's heat and made for a pleasant cocktail. In the second version, I used Palmetto Whiskey and La Copa Bianco. I also liked this alternative -- lighter in style and didn't require the bitters.
2 oz Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
1 oz Sweet vermouth
2 Dashes Bitters
Hemingway's Josie Russell
This has always been my favorite cocktail, so refreshing and unique. At times I have substituted apple brandy for the cider and that's what a did for numerous iterations using the La Copa Vermouths. My first attempt was using either the Rojo or Bianco with equal or lesser amounts of Falls Church Distillers Apple Brandy and quickly learned that vermouth and apple brandy don't align. I then substituted the cider with vermouth for better results. I found that 2 oz Springfield Manor Patriot Spirit Rum mixed with 1 oz La Copa Rojo creates an interesting spiced rum.
4 ½ oz. Rum
12 oz. Hard Apple Cider
2 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
Disclosure: We received samples from Gonzalez Byass in order to share our opinion about their products, but this isn’t a sponsored post.