P.P.
Aberlour 12 Year Old Double Cask Matured Speyside Single Malt Whisky
- Best Buy
- $40
Nosing passes find delicious aromas of roasted chestnuts, nectarines, apricots, banana, traces of jasmine, unbaked bread dough and yeast, and light honey. Palate entry is assertive and caramel sweet; midpalate is more integrated as layers of sweet grain and toffee intermingle with dried fruits (prunes), oaky spice and marzipan. Concludes sweet, oaky and a touch Sherried.
— P.P.
(12/15/2009)
Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine Neutral Grain Spirits with Natural & Artificial Flavors
- $20
Opening whiffs encounter lively, herbal aromas of vinyl and fennel turning sweeter following aeration; it’s a stinky bouquet but, bizarrely, I like it. Entry is sweet with tastes of honey, brown sugar, rutabaga, turnip and spices; midpalate showcases various spices that include cinnamon, vanilla and, most exotically, calamus. Strange, but I like it.
— P.P.
(12/15/2009)
Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon Carolina Moonshine Neutral Grain Spirits
- $20
The aroma is featureless offering at most a timid and ghostly graininess. Entry is clean, grainy sweet and mildly intriguing; midpalate offers little flavor impact.
— P.P.
(12/15/2009)
Renegade Rum Company Panama Rum 1997
- $68
A beguiling rum bouquet offering pleasing biscuity smells and a natural juiciness. Palate entry finds succulent flavors of marshmallow, cotton candy and light caramel; midpalate is alive with chocolate-covered raisins, treacle, marzipan and candied almonds. Concludes smooth, rich, integrated and more bittersweet than all-out sweet. Luscious, world-class.
— P.P.
(12/1/2009)
Gran Patron Burdeos Añejo 100% de Agave Tequila
- $500
Delightful aromas of dill, asparagus, baked bread and black peppercorn; following aeration subtle notes of vanilla, just-sawn oak, loose leaf tobacco and fennel are added. Entry is poised, sap-like and delicately honeyed; midpalate is regal, satiny textured, rich in grapy yet vegetal and spicy flavor. Concludes long, layered and succulent.
— P.P.
(12/1/2009)
Papagayo Organic White Rum
- Best Buy
- $28
A very different rum bouquet offering ambrosial freshness. Palate entry is crisp, bittersweet and brief in staying power; midpalate tastes include baked pear, brown sugar, molasses and cake frosting. What this rum lacks in heft and texture it more than makes up for in keen freshness, a light touch and juiciness. Bravo.
— P.P.
(12/1/2009)
The Diamond Standard Vodka
- $100
The assertive bouquet offers distinct scents of dried beans, grain kernels, buckwheat and brown rice. Palate entry is bittersweet, keenly black peppery, clean and oily in texture; midpalate stage adds pleasing, desert dry notes of slate and chalk. Finishes bittersweet, starchy, and acutely minerally. May be too much for drinkers who prefer their vodkas lithe and…
— P.P.
(12/1/2009)
Purus 100% Organic Wheat Vodka
- $28
No aromas other than traces of wet stone. Palate entry is surprisingly (after the undemonstrative bouquet) sweet, mellow and buttery in texture; midpalate continues the mild breakfast cereal sweetness in style and elegance; firm, oily texture is a real bonus on my scoring chart. Concludes delicately sweet, buttery and with loads of layered character.
— P.P.
(12/1/2009)
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2009 Va Piano
Having been given almost four years of age prior to release, this deep…
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