With the overwhelming number of other spirits available on the market, I’m not usually interested in any produced by grocery stores. But while browsing for some new cocktail mixers, I found Trader Joe’s Small Batch Vodka hard to pass up because of the surprising low price. I’m also always a sucker for a simple bottle design. So, let’s see if I would come to regret my first experience with a grocery store branded spirit. Trader Joe’s Small Batch is a corn-based neutral spirit that, as the name suggests, is distilled in small batches. In fact, it’s distilled 10 times before being charcoal filtered and bottled at 44% ABV. I couldn’t find […]
I’m not ashamed to admit it – I’m a Chicana gal who loves pumpkin spice. Pumpkin was always my favorite pie, and I will not apologize. It’s the best spice combo ever invented. That’s why every year, I try to review at least 1 tasty-looking pumpkin spice flavored spirit. This year, I went for something a little more ubiquitous that I honestly can’t believe I haven’t tried yet: Mr Stacks Pumpkin Spice Liqueur. Mr Stacks Pumpkin Spice Liqueur is produced by Mister Stacks Specialties Company – a Minnesota based spirits company that produces a wide variety of liqueurs and schnapps products. Unfortunately, production information for their […]
When I think about the states in America that produce bourbon, Colorado definitely isn’t top of mind. But, Mile High Spirits have been producing bourbon, alongside with a whole bunch of other spirits, in their Denver-based distillery since 2011. And they were generous enough to send us a bottle of their flagship Fireside Bourbon Whiskey along with their Fireside Old Fashioned. Mile High Spirits primarily uses local ingredients, including locally grown corn, barley, and rye, when producing Fireside Bourbon. After the spirit is distilled in copper stills and aged for a minimum of 2 years, the whiskey is diluted to 40% ABV with filtered […]
Pravda Vodka is produced by Pravda – a Poland-based brand that produces handcrafted rye vodka. Made using sweet rye grain and spring water from the Carpathian Mountain Reserve, Pravda Vodka undergoes a thorough 5-step distillation process in column stills. They take special pride in the next step, which involves a uniquely designed copper still that claims to result in an extra fine and gentle flavor. The spirit and the spring water are then blended through a slow, 2-week long process to produce what Pravda describes as an “Azeotropic mixture”. Afterwards, the mixture undergoes a charcoal filtration process using a unique charcoal […]
After recently reviewing Espolon’s Tequila Blanco, I was interested in exploring more of their tequila products. Fortunately, I ended up with this bottle of Espolon Tequila Añejo from a recent work gift exchange party. This was one of my first experiences with Añejo tequila, and I was excited to see how it would differ from blanco and reposado. If you want general information about Espolon, you can read my recent review of Espolon Tequila Blanco. Espolon Tequila Anejo is produced in the same facility and using the same base ingredients. The main difference is the Añejo is aged for a minimum of 11 months in American Oak barrels, followed […]