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

CHOYA Umeshu

Josh

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 […]

Read more →
Bottle of 3 Amigos Tequila Añejo sittingon a wooden table, in front of a mixed white and wooden background

3 Amigos Tequila Añejo

Emmeline

3 Amigos Tequila Añejo is produced by 3 Amigos Tequila, a family-run company based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Though the company itself was founded in 2007, the current owners are the legacy of a Mexican family with over four generations of agave farming experience. Their tequila is still produced on the family farm located in the Los Altos (highlands) region of Jalisco, Mexico. As a company, 3 Amigos describes […]

Read more →
Green glass bottle with simple lettering embossed on the front

La Gritona Tequila Reposado

Josh

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 […]

Read more →
Bottle of Empress 1908 Gin in original indigo, on top of a brown table and in front of a mixed white and wooden background

Empress 1908 Gin

Emmeline

Empress 1908 Gin is a produced by Victoria Distillers in the coastal area of British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 2008, Victoria Distillers produces a variety of spirits including Gin, Vodka, Brandy, and more. Their products are handcrafted in small batches, and the distillery itself is designed with a focus on sustainability – transferring the excess heat from production into a geothermal system that helps […]

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

Wild Turkey Rare Breed

Josh

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 […]

Read more →