Reviews by Josh | Let's Drink It!

Casamigos Tequila Reposado

July 9, 2021 Josh Tequila

With the recent increase in popularity and demand for high quality spirits, many newcomers are finding success in the growing industry. But few have found as much as Casamigos, who benefited from a head start to turn a simplified line of tequila, including Casamigos Tequila Reposado, into a massive profit.

Casamigos began as a passion project in 2013 by three friends, actor George Clooney and businessmen Rande Gerber and Mike Meldmen, with no previous tequila producing experience. While together on one of their frequent vacations in Mexico, the trio had an idea to create the perfect tequila for their personal tastes. This lead to […]

green bottle with a thick white top and white label containing small green fruits

CHOYA Umeshu

June 25, 2021 Josh Umeshu

I’ve always been curious about the bottles of umeshu on the shelfs of my local Japanese market but this is my first experience with the drink. And CHOYA Umeshu is the perfect introduction since it’s one of the most popular brands in Japan.

“Ume” means plum and “shu” means wine in Japanese but umeshu is really closer to a liqueur than wine. It’s made by aging green, unripe ume in shochu and sugar. Shochu is a distilled Japanese spirit that shares some similarities to sake. The CHOYA website has more detailed information on the history of umeshu and the traditional Japanese ingredients.

A visually appealing aspect of Choya Umesue is the […]

Green glass bottle with simple lettering embossed on the front

La Gritona Tequila Reposado

June 11, 2021 Josh Tequila

La Gritona is a reposado tequila from the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico. Owner and operator Melly Barajas, along with a group of local women, produce this tequila in a small distillery using locally grown agave. The bottle is also produced locally; hand-blown using recycled glass in a city an hour away.

Since it’s a reposado tequila, La Gritona is slightly aged before bottling. The spirit sits in ex-Jack Daniels barrels for 8 months to accentuate the agave characteristics without adding too much flavor from the barrel. There’s more in-depth information on the distilling process on the La Gritona website. BOTTLE SPECS ❖ Spirit: Tequila […]

Bourbon bottle filled with carmel colored liquid with a a large turkey on the label.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed

May 28, 2021 Josh Whiskey

While I looked around the internet for new bourbons, I noticed different distilleries would have a barrel proof option. The marketing successfully gave me the impression these bottles were special and I was immediately curious. Wild Turkey Rare Breed was one of the names I saw most often.

Wild Turkey is produced by Wild Turkey distilling company in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. They have been producing whiskey for decades and have grown into one of the biggest names in bourbon. They began when The Ripy brothers started distilling bourbon in the late 1800’s and would sell their whiskey to a wholesale grocer named Austin Nichols throughout the […]

Pink Liquid in a clear bottle on a light brown table with a white background

Glendalough Rose Gin

May 14, 2021 Josh Gin

Glendalough Rose Gin is a unique spirit from Glendalough Distillery, an Irish whiskey and gin distillery from Wicklow, Ireland. They label themselves as the first Irish craft distillery and only use local and sustainable ingredients that honor the Irish landscape. All of the botanicals in Glendalough Rose Gin are from Wicklow and the head distiller, Rowdey Rooney, and his family are responsible for the rose flavor. The Wild roses, heritage roses and Damask roses are all hand picked by Rooney’s sister, Geraldine Kavanagh, from their late mother’s house. They both have their signatures on the front label of […]