A Muddled Thought

A few months ago I came across Cielo, and decided to take a look at their Anejo offering.

Created from blue Waeber Agave originating in the Jalisco Region of Mexico, each pina (or the heart of the agave)is harvested at the end of ten years.

Utilizing a process that first involves steaming the agave to release its nectar prior to distillation in pot stills, Cielo distills its tequila offerings three times.

This yields an Anejo that has notes of butter and caramel on the nose, with a flavor that incorporates a balance of cocoa, toffee, banana and mild notes of spice.

Score: 9/10

After sampling the Cielo Anejo, we decided to take a look at how it would work in cocktails.

The Dirty Purse-A Combination of Cielo Anejo Tequila, Pineapple Juice, Sloe Gin, and Maraska.

2 Oz Cielo Anejo
½ Oz Pineapple Juice
2 Dashes of Grapefruit Bitters
½ Oz Sloegin
½ of Maraschino (Maraska)Liquor

If I was going to use one word to describe Riazul Anjeo it would be superb- simple as that.

It is without a doubt, Riazul is one of the most impressive tequilas I’ve come across, and probably the most impressive Anejo variety I’ve yet to review.

I like to compare my experience of Riazul with that of a blind date. Up until a few months ago, I hadn’t heard of Riazul. So, when I received a sample of their Anejo I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I was left wondering what was in store for me.

So as if to say I was on a blind date, I walked into the restaurant and met my date. At first glance, I admired the look of my date, who happened to have just the right amount of curves. But is she more than just gorgeous, does she have any substance?

Let’s get back to the tasting notes, because if I tried to continue the date analogy it might begin to read like a Penthouse Letter- and, well, that’s not what we do here.

Once I got past the intense yet simple elegance of the bottle of Riazul Anejo, I decided to inspect further.
After opening the bottle, I was hit with a brilliant intense nose of agave, pineapple, honey and hints of sweetness. So far, I was thinking this would remind me of many other tequila’s I’ve tried in the past.

So, I moved in closer for a taste. Immediately upon tasting it I was hit with a symphony of notes of heavy milk chocolate, followed by caramel, coconut and espresso. In simplest terms, I was blown away, while a newer competitor to the tequila market, if these guys decide change anything they should be dragged outside and flogged. This is the first review where I can say that between a price point and flavor profile it is a perfect spirit.

To add to my love letter to Riazul Anejo towards the end of my initial tasting, I felt like having a cigar, specifically a Partagas Black. After a few puffs, I took another sip of the Riazul Anejo and was hit with the flavors of crème, cake and tiramisu.

I sent the above tasting notes to the president of Riazul, Iñaki Orozco explaining how in love I was with his Anejo offering and asking how they got it so right.

He took it upon himself to educate me slightly on the process behind this phenomenal spirit.
Riazul begins with Blue Agave- browned in the highlands of Jalisco, a region known as Los Altos. Riazul harvests from a private 1600 acre supply of agave, which is grown red volcanic soil rich with minerals and iron.

Moving on to distillation, Riazul produces small batches between 2000-2500 liters out of 5000 liter copper pot stills. After two distillations, Riazul Anejo is aged for 24 months in 180 liter French oak barrels originating from the Citeaux forests of Burgundy. Riazul advised they’ve chosen these barrels in particular to allow the opportunity for further notes of honey, vanilla, dried fruit and spices to develop.

Even with all the background information on how and why, with a spirit this impressive, I still feel that something is left out of the story. Some secret they haven’t revealed as of yet. However they did it, Riazul accomplished this but they’ve managed to produce an anejo tequila that is on par with, if not better than, most extra anejos.

Final Rating- 10/10

Due to the Riazul Anejo’s incredible flavor profile, we decided to see how it worked in cocktails.

The Sweet and Sassy
2oz Riazul Anejo
Los Amantes Joven Mezcal(One Bar Spoon Rinse Coupe Glass)
¼ Line juice
Half spoon agave tequila
1/2 oz Batavia arrack
Egg White

Add all ingredients and dry shake with eggwhite

Then shake with ice

Top with:
3 Dashes Bittermens Xocolatl Mole Bitters
2 Dashes Fee Brothers Cherry Bitters

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So what’s the secret behind Partidas Reposado?

Partida starts their tequilas off by using 100% blue agave grown in the heart of the Tequila Region of Mexico. The land Partida uses lies right outside the village of Amatian, and exists within the grip of a dormant volcano, this enhances the the soil with additional minerals and a richness adding to a better quality agave crop.

Unlike some other tequila producers, Partida draws only from their own fields, allowing for full quality control of each agave plant. This is followed up by the process of slow cooking the pinas for a period of twenty hours in steel ovens prior to distillation.

Once the phase of distillation is begun, Partida is distilled twice. Once to remove purities and then a second time to achieve as close to perfection as is possible.

This entire process from hand picking the agave to distillation demonstrates itself in the impression Partida’s Reposado leaves with you.

After being aged in American Oak Barrels for six months it inherits flavors of mild cocoa, subtle notes of orange marmalade, honey, agave and nuts(possibly almonds?) with a sweet and very smooth finish.

Yet again Partida scores high merit with another one of it’s offerings. First with its Blanco, then with its Anejo, and it’s Extra Anejo and now with its Reposado offering.

A remarkable, flavor rich spirit, Partida Reposado is a must try for any tequila fan.

Final Score: 9.5/10

We decided to see how Partida Reposado worked in cocktails, but wanted to try something other than the traditional margarita and being inspired(very loosely) by several different cocktails such as the Last Word that shouldn’t work together but do, here’s something that somehow just melds together and works. We’re still not sure how and why but the flavors actually do work together.

“Ugh my head hurts”

2 large dashes Bittermens mole bitters
Fernet Branca-1/4 oz
Green Charteuse-1/4oz
1/4 Pineapple Juice
1/4 Bar spoon(or drizzle) of Agave Nectar
Partida Reposado 2oz
Rinse a coupe glass with absinthe(Lucid was used)
A spray bottle was used to apply lightly.

Ugh My Head Hurts-Partida Reposado, Green Chartreuse, Fernet Branca, Pineapple Juice.

Makers Mark. What’s the first thing you think of when you hear that name?

A Makers and Coke?

Incorrectly associated with being a high-end choice at dive bars, Makers Mark doesn’t get the respect it should.

For starters, it’s an impressive product from start to finish.

Makers Mark originates from a winter wheat that’s harvested locally from cooperative farms. This is followed up by using a proprietary in-house yeast that manages to combine both new yeast as well introducing the remnants of yeast left from previous cultures into each new batch, allowing for the possibility of yeast being used that dates back as far as pre-prohibition.

Using white oak barrels, air-dried a minimum of nine months to age Makers Mark you start to wonder about how the spirit is aged once it hits the barrel.

As you hear more about how each bottle is brought to the level the distillery feels is good enough to bottle, you start to get further curious to hear more about this spirit. Rather than stamping a particular age on each bottling, the good people at Makers Mark, age each bottle for a minimum of 5-7 years depending on taste, though if a certain barrel is not ready it will remain until deemed worthy of being bottled.

Once you begin to sample Makers Mark your greeted with a nice yet mellow flavor profile of mild notes of caramel and vanilla, making each sip worth savoring.

From the way Makers Mark goes from crop to barrel, and given it’s unique flavor profile, it’s one of those brown spirits that should be given more credit.

So what if we took this spirit and see what new cocktails we can come up with to help it earn back some of that respect it lost over the years.

First up a riff on the infamous Dark and Stormy, with some minor changes such as replacing the traditionally used dark rum with Makers Mark Bourbon and using a vanilla infused simple syrup.

The Mark and Stormy-

2 oz Makers Mark Kentucky Bourbon
1oz-Vanilla Syrup(Simple Infused with Vanilla Extract)
1/2 oz Lime Juice

Build in ice filled Collins glass and top with Ginger beer
Garnish with Fresh Lime

The Mark and Stormy. Using Makers Mark, Vanilla Syrup, Ginger Beer and Lime Juice.

A Cool Summer Day in Kentucky

2 oz Makers Mark
1 oz Palo Alto Sauvignon Blanc
½ oz Grand Navan
½ oz Yellow Chartreuse
½ Simple Syrup
½ Lemon Juice
2-3 Dashes Regans Orange Bitters
Shake with Ice
Serve in Wine Goblet

A Cool Summer Day in Kentucky. Using Makers Mark, Palo Alto Wine, Chartreuse, and Grand Navan.

A pretty, pretty bottle of Templeton Rye.

Pre-Prohibition Rye made by the same family who made it back then. Do I have your attention yet?

Okay, good. You should probably listen, because these guys know a thing or two about how to make a good rye. After liquor was outlawed in the 1920s due to a little thing called Prohibition, a resourceful town named Templeton decided to take matters into their own hands. Soon after production had started, word had spread and Templeton began to become referred to as “The Good Stuff”, to the point that Al Capone began seeking it out.

Cut to Present Day, and Scott Bush, heard tales of this Rye from his Uncle Gus whose father Frank Schroeder was responsible for the original batches of Templeton Rye. After much searching Scott found one of the original other families responsible for the recipe key to making Templeton what it was.

Partnering with the grandson of one of the original makers, Keith Kerkhoff who happened to have the original recipe, they began the search for a distiller.
Luckily they came across a distiller in nearby Breda, Iowa who was interested in re-starting production on this long forgotten spirit.

Keith Kerkhoff and Meryl Kerkhoff, Keiths Father at the Templeton Distillery.

The first batch of Templeton in 2001 yielded 68 barrels that were aged for four years before hitting shelves. This year they’re looking at an end result of about 600 barrels.

Thankfully the story behind Templeton is followed up with an equally impressive spirit.

With a nose that introduces a combination of rye married with caramel, it intrigues you even before taking that first sip.
That first sip brings tones of sweet honey, followed by caramel and ending with minor tinge of spice on the tongue.

While Templeton is not available in but a few areas, such as Chicago, Michael Killmer, the brand ambassador for Templeton advised me that they hope to hit New York shelves by the end of 2010.

Though here are a few places you can get your hands on bottle sooner than that.

http://www.internetwines.com/

http://www.binnys.com/

Templeton Rye retails between $35.00-$45.-00 per 750ml Bottle.

Final Score: 8.5/10

After releasing Lucid absinthe within the US, Ted Breaux working in conjunction with Viridian Spirits decided to bring another absinthe from the Jade line to the US. Since 2000 Ted has been a part of Jade Liqueurs which has been distilling and distributing several reproductions of Pre-Ban Absinthe throughout France.

A pet project of Ted’s for years, prior to recreating several examples of pre-ban absinthe for Jade Liqueurs , Nouvelle Orleans, named for Ted’s home town is a complex creature unto itself.

Ted, after years of sampling and researching pre-ban absinthes created an example that he felt represented the style of the highest quality absinthe available circa the late 1800’s

While all other Jade Absinthes are reproductions of specific absinthes from that era, Nouvelle Orleans is something that Ted put his own spin on. From sourcing the grande wormwood and majority of other herbs in the foothills of the Swiss Alps to hand making each batch himself, and tweaking the process as he goes including taking into account the way herbs can change with each years crop due to environmental influences.

All of this work shows in the final product which begins with a nose filled with elegant notes of anise and sugar(though none has been added).

Once water has been added, the anise decides to step forward and say hello, while keeping that sweetness hiding in the shadows of each sip.

Nouvelle Orleans as it Louches.

Drinking this somehow makes me think about how it must have been to imbibe among the artists of years past, in France pre-ban. Everything even down to the bottle design fitting the spirit within makes Nouvelle Orleans, a perfect example of a classic interpretation of Swiss absinthe. This should be looked at and tasted by anyone who’s looking for an absinthe with no fault.

As far as Swiss based absinthe goes, it’s as close to a perfect spirit as we’ve come across.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Editors Note: While Ted Breaux did assist with the original article on the history of absinthe, and provide some background on Nouvelle Orleans, this did not impact the score for Nouvelle Orleans.

With only two absinthes left to look at in “Absinthe August” we turn our palates over to the first pre-ban absinthe that was made available within the United States, when the ban was removed in 2007.

After years of poor chemically colored spirits (and I use the term spirits loosely) masquerading themselves as absinthe, finally a true offering of absinthe was available to those of us living in the states.

The story of Lucid can be traced back to one T. A. Breaux , a chemist who after tasting a vintage sample of Pernod Tarragona in 1996, decided to analyze the sample and determine what “made it tick”. This was the first step in how Lucid began, among several reproductions that Ted has produced via Jade Liquors.

Sometime around 1999, after having been working with absinthe for several years, Ted starting working on the recipe of what is known as Lucid, which he played around with and tweaked over time.

While not based on one specific interpretation of pre-ban absinthe, but rather a combination of several of the most interesting aspects of each, Lucid is a standard yet bold interpretation of absinthe. From using the holy trinity of herbs(wom) and being distilled within the Combier Distillery in Saumur, France in copper stills that date back to the 1800’s, Lucid is representative of era’s long since past.

Starting with the nose of heavy fennel that follows through upon tasting with a nice balance of anise interwoven with notes of fennel.

Upon adding sugar, it becomes an even more straightforward absinthe that just hits you right.

A sample of Lucid Louching.

This is yet another example of an absinthe that’s recommended as an introductory absinthe, though slightly more impressive than other introductory absinthes as it’s more of the classical approach. When speaking to Ted about Lucid he summed up the inspiration in one word. Pow!! His goal when creating Lucid was to make an absinthe that would be a definitive example for the first time absinthe drinker. And that is exactly what was accomplished.

Final Score: 8/10

Delaware Phoenix Walton Waters Absinthe

In my opinion, the story behind some of the absinthes we’ve looked at so far, adds something to each offering. While I’m all for imbibing in a product of quality, if it has some sort of interesting tale behind its production, I’m more than likely to go for that offering over one that just comes from a factory and while it could be just as good it has no interesting tale attached to it.

Delaware Phoenix is just one such absinthe. To be honest I had my doubts when I contacted Cheryl Lins for a review sample for this article. I had my concerns of a product coming for a smaller company and what kind of quality and taste I’d be presented with. My concerns were for naught, Cheryl knows how to produce a highly impressive specimen of absinthe.
The story behind how this came to be is as follows.

Lets go back nine years to the year, 2000. Cheryl comes across a photo in an art magazine announcing the return of absinthe. For the next years, she found no further mention of absinthe until 2006 when Cheryl came across an article on Ted Breaux and how he had begun making absinthe in France using alembic pot stills.

A few days later Cheryl set out to obtain a sample of absinthe from Europe. One hundred dollars later, she had obtained a bottle to taste.

After falling in love with absinthe, and realizing that each bottle was around one hundred dollars shipped from Europe, Cheryl began to research the proper methods of creating the substance herself.

After studying the how’s and whys of distilling absinthe and starting to distill absinthe for her own use she had the opportunity to visit the Tuthilltown Distillery in Upstate NY. It was at this point that Cheryl began small batching what is now known as Delaware Phoenix absinthe for the masses.

Okay so the story behind Delaware Phoenix is interesting, but does it taste as good as you said it did?

Cheryl has managed to create a very well balanced example of absinthe in that each sip has notes of anise, fennel and lemon working in perfect unison.

When you realize that Cheryl and Cheryl alone handles all the entire company from distillation to bottling, labeling and shipping, you appreciate each handmade sip more.

Final Score: 9/10

A bottle of Pernod Absinthe Superior.

“In 1805, Henri-Louis Pernod partnered with Major Dubied to found Pernod Fils and the first commercial absinthe distillery.
After the reinstatement in 2008, Pernod Absinthe returns with handcrafted quality and tradition that transcends time.”

The above was written on a cardboard attachment that came on the bottle of Pernod aux Plantes d’Absinthe Supérieure that we looked at.

Not much to live up to is it? A recreation of one of the first absinthes available in the 1800’s based on the Pernod Fils original recipe.

So does it live up to the legend, or does embarrass itself and fall into that category of absinthe we’d recommend staying away from?
Well luckily Pernod did a nice job with its Absinthe Superior with one minor issue, using food coloring including FD&C Yellow #5. Though I do have to respect their choice to post it right above the front label and not attempt to hide it as some other brands have done. Putting that aside, flavor-wise it’s a good representation of an absinthe.

The nose hits you as soon as you open the bottle with heavy notes of anise, and it continues to impress as you begin to sip it.
After adding water, the scent of anise came out further, and showed how much the Absinthe Superior fits what absinthe should be.

We watched as the Absinthe Superior louched after water was added, so we discovered that the product does contain the correct herbs such as star anise, hyssop ,mint, fennel, and coriander.

The use of these herbs, allowed the Pernod Absinthe Superior to behave itself in front of an audience. After allowing it to louche and sampling it we were greeted with flavors of minor spice, anise, a slight bitterness and vegetal notes.

Adding the traditional sugar cube it became more balanced and the previously slightly bitter flavor was replaced with notes of sweet.
The Pernod Absinthe Superior does louche correctly, so while it does list artificial food coloring as an ingredient, it does use also make use of the correct herbal ingredients as well. If it did not, it would not louche(as demonstrated in earlier reviews of Czech varieties).

The Pernod Absinthe Superior louching.

At first we had our concerns about the Pernod Absinthe Superior, especially with the use of artificial coloring, however after tasting the product and seeing that they do also use a good portion of the correct herbs to allow it properly louche, we can say without a doubt it is what an absinthe should be.

Final Score: 8/10

Note:Recommended with the traditional sugar cube.

Kubler, originates back to 1875 and J. Fritz Kubler who started producing the absinthe that took his namesake, at Blackmint Distillery located in Neuchate, Switzerland From the beginning of production until it ceased in 1910, it won several awards throughout Europe.

Flash-forward to present day, and Kubler is back in all its former glory. The ingredient makeup of Kubler can be summed up in one word: classic. Using Swiss wheat-based neutral spirit as a base, Kubler then adds hyssop, lemon balm, coriander, star anise fennel, roman wormwood and mint along with grand wormwood to create an exquisite example of Swiss absinthe.

Upon opening the bottle of Kubler, I was hit with fragrant notes of sweet anise. At this point, I was intrigued before I had even tasted it.

Unlike most specimens of absinthe we’ve thus far reviewed, Kubler is of the blanche variety, meaning it is clear in color as opposed to the traditional verte(or green) variety of absinthe most people are familiar with.

Kubler, before being louched. The picture demonstrates how its clear as a blanche absinthe should be.

When I took my first sip, I wasn’t let down. The first sip presented itself with notes of anise and fennel; so far, so good. I decided to see how sugar affected this taste. After adding sugar, the expected additional sweetness showed itself. However, additional notes of anise made the flavor even more balanced.

Kubler as it louches.

I wish I had more to write about Kubler, but its back story is nowhere near as interesting as Obsello’s or some other absinthes we’ll be taking a look at later in the week, such as Delaware Phoenix. What Kubler does do, however, is show itself as a great example of what absinthe should be. It plays it safe, but at the same time, it gets the job done..

Final Score 8.5/10