A Muddled Thought

So the story goes, two sisters walk into a bar… err correction two sisters decide to share their love of Pisco with the world and form Macchu Pisco.

According to Elizabeth(Lizzie) da Trindade-Asher it all started with her sister Melanie’s first taste of Pisco around the age of twelve. With that first sip of a Pisco Sour, Melanie was hooked. Peru apparently lacked a drinking age, and it was common place for children to partake in the joys of Pisco. It also didn’t hurt that the secret ingredient in Lizzie and Melanie’s favorite aunt’s apple pie was also Pisco.

After this first experience with Pisco, Melanie continued to think about the spirit, and began to wonder why it hadn’t received the exposure that other imported spirits such as Cognac and Tequila had received. Flash forward to the year 2004, Melanie received a degree from Harvard Business school, the inception of Macchu Pisco soon followed. After dipping into her savings, and with some assistance from Lizzie and their parents, a brand was born.

Staying true to that first sip of that inspired a brand, Macchu Pisco is a true artisanal with Melanie personally overseeing the entire process from harvesting to the bottling. The unaged Quebranta based Puro De Quebranta, results in a limited 3,000 cases a year.

Each bottle of aged La Diablada is made up of a blend of Moscatel, Italia, and Quebranta grapes that have been aged for a period of two years. La Diablada was created by Melanie’s desire to have a product representative of all the different Pisco varieties one would find if they were traveling around Peru. This unique blending of three grape varietals along with adding some age creates a Pisco, unlike anything else I’ve yet to come across.

I found La Diablada to be a very clean forward spirit that hits the palate with flavors reminiscent of what one might come across spending a summers day in a winery. Light touches of grass, followed by nuances of sweetness, pepper rhubarb, and the minute presence of oranges.

Final Score: 9.5/10

The Pink Ranger

1 ¾ oz Macchu Pisco La Diablada
¼ oz Lime Juice
3 bar spoons Green Chartreuse
2 dashes Rhubarb Bitters
¾ oz Cinnamon Syrup
Eggwhite

The Pink Ranger. A combination of Macchu Pisco La Diablada, Lime Juice, Green Chartreuse, Rhubarb bitters and Eggwhite.

The Peruvian Rose

2oz RoseAngel Tequila
1oz Macchu Pisco La Diablada
½ oz Simple Syrup
½ oz Lemon Juice
Egg White
Top with Champagne or Prosecco
Drizzle Cherry Bitters on top

Putting the finishing touches on the Peruvian Rose. A Combination of Macchu Pisco La Diablada , RoseAngel Tequila, Eggwhite and Cherry Bitters

Highland Park recently announced the latest edition to its award-winning family of whiskies, an extremely limited bottling harkening back to the year 1968. Making it just slightly older than the 40 Year Old release that hit shelves in 2008 which we took at earlier this year here.

So why release something that’s only a two years older than its oldest offering? Well as Martin Daraz the US Brand Ambassador for HIghland Park said, “because we can”.

During a presentation that I recently attended to celebrate the release of Highland 1968, Martin mentioned that the spirit was released for the fans of Highland Park, whether that’s a group of whisky loving friends splitting the purchase of one bottle or the avid collector that plans to save it for a special occasion.

Martin also went on to say that while they have a wealth of barrels aging in the Highland Distillery
and thus can keep up the availability of the 40 year old release as part of their portfolio, the 1968 release is limited to a mere 1,550 bottles available globally and will retail for $3,999. Once the 1968 is gone, it’s gone.

During this presentation I had the opportunity to sample a small amount of the extremely limited Highland 1968. The experience of tasting the Highland 1968 could be described as truly remarkable. A spirit that starts off with a nose marrying flavors of baked apples and cinnamon so precisely defined they instantly reminded me of spending a summer’s evening as a child eating candied apples and wandering the local carnival.

Once I began to slowly, and I do mean slowly taste this spirit, my palate instantly recognized flavors of sweet hazelnut and cocoa. As I continued to taste through Highland 1968 I picked up hints of sea salt that combined with those previous notes of cocoa to form a taste reminiscent of fleur de sel chocolates. As it continued to work its way through my palate, flavors of caramel lead into a finish akin to a creme brulee with a sprinkle of smoke.

Martin Daraz closed out his presentation with the statement that Highland 1968 was an experimental release. Well Highland Park, the experiment was a utter success. I’ve got a bit of a smile just wondering when I’ll get to taste it again. Any spirit that can leave a memory of the experience of tasting it, is definitely worth tracking done.

Final Score: 9.5/10

You’re sitting in a bar discussing the beauties and wonders of whisky with your friend, and his reply is that they “all are too smokey”. After you educate him further that only certain whiskies are of that nature, your friend still doesn’t believe you and retorts “I’ll stick with gin, and rum”. “No, no, no you say” as you motion to the barkeep and point to a bottle of Auchentoshan 12 year old . “Just try this” you state as the barkeep pours you both a dram.

Begrudgingly your friend agrees to try Auchentoshan 12 year. As he brings the glass closer to his mouth, he’s hit with light aromas of caramel. Once he begins to take that first sip, he’s greeted with hints of honey so soft and warming that he actually lets his guard down and continues to drink. The spirit washes away all previous hate of whiskies. All of his concerns are drowned away by beautiful warming hints of honey that are followed up flavors of black licorice, soft cocoa, toffee, with layered flavors of allspice and dried figs.

As he ends that first taste, the Auchentoshan 12 says goodbye with a finish illuminated with spice, hints of sweet sherry, and vanilla cream.

Your friend’s final comment, “damn that’s some good stuff”.

With its soft, sweet and seductive notes, Auchentoshan 12 year old is a wonderful introductory whisky to someone looking to take that first step into the world of whiskies.

Final Score 9/10

Passion, in the spirits industry you often find the best spirits come from those who define this term.
My first meeting with Herbie Loebl, was initially via email, then a lengthy phone call and finally in person. The first thing I realized when I began speaking to him, is that he’s incredibly passionate about pisco.

At the time, pisco was one of those spirits I had heard about but never really knew much about. (Apologies to Herbie, this article has been on the back burner for a quite a while.)

As I spoke to Herbie on that initial phone call, I began to understand where his passion came from. Herbie’s family has been in the pisco business for quite a long time. One could say pisco runs through Herbie’s blood. During this initial conversation Herbie, mentioned how Gran Sierpe offers three different types of pisco, based on the grapes used. These include an iItalia bottling(very aromatic), an acholado bottling(Utilizing a blend of three varieties) and a quebranta bottling(a dark non aromatic grape, that is used without blending it with other varietals).

So after my conversation I learned a few things about Gran Sierpe.

The harvesting time for the grapes used runs from August-February. All grapes are harvested from private fields owned by Gran Sierpe. All the grapes used in Gran Sierpe go from vine to being de-stemmed, pressed and then stored in stainless steel tanks for the fermentation process to begin. Depending on the type of grape, this process can take anywhere from 12-20 days to occur.

Once fermentation is completed, the grape remains essentially become a wine. This product of fermentation is then filtered and moved to copper pot stills for the distillation process to begin. Once distillation has been completed, and only the hearts of the spirit remain it’s placed in stainless steel barrels for three to nine months before being bottled. The end result of this process is a flavorful grape based spirit that can run the gambit from sweet to dry depending on which bottling you’ve chosen to sample.

As mentioned above Gran Sierpe offers three types of pisco. I took a look at the Quebranta bottlng.

Keeping in mind that pisco originates from grapes as cognac does, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a playful cognac as I sipped Gran Sierpe. From that first taste I was greeted by the presence of mellowing grapes that were soon joined by hints of sweet dough, the presence of cherries and the occasional hints of cinnamon and allspice.

Final Score: 9/10

One of Herbie’s goals aside from spreading the word (and also selling ) Gran Sierpe, is a much larger undertaking, educating the masses on all the varieties and wonders of Pisco, as it’s quite often misunderstood and just a spirit that’s used in Pisco Sours and Pisco Punch, and like any other spirit, can be used in many other cocktail recipes, with only the imagination to limit us.

Here are a few examples of pisco cocktails, that “stray from the norm”.

Peruvian Gran Prix
1 ¾ Gran Sierpe Pisco
¾ Don Julio Anejo
¾ Coconut Tea Syrup
Muddled Blueberries
Eggwhite

The Peruvian Gran Prix. A combination of Gran Sierpe Pisco, Don Julio Anejo, Coconut Tea Syrup, and Muddled Blueberries.

Some P & S
1 oz Gran Sierpe Pisco
1 oz Plymouth Gin
¾ oz Cinnamon Syrup
½ oz Maraska
½ oz Lime Juice
1 Bar Spoon Lillet Blanc

Some P&S. A combination of Gran Sierpe Pisco, Plymouth Gin, Cinnamon Syrup, Maraska and Lillet Blanc.

Spirits can often be compared to a great meal, or a great work of art. Just like both of these examples, spirits are more often than not a labor of love, that are created with a great deal of artistry and care.

I can’t think of few better examples of this, than Charbay Distilleries Whiskey Release-II, an American Whiskey that’s been distilled from a bottle-ready pilsner hailing from a Northern California micro-brewery.

While all whiskey (and whisky) is essentially distilled from a beer, this is the first time I’ve run into a product that’s used a bottle ready beer.

Miles and Marko Karakasevic , Charbay’s two master distillers, have thirteen generations of distilling knowledge in their blood, which culminates in this masterpiece of brown liquid.

During the course of distillation, Miles and Marko hand cut(or separate) the heart(the quality spirit) of the whiskey from the heads and tails(the undesirable elements) a skill that’s been passed down from one generation to the next.

With their first whiskey offering they started with only 24 barrels, and aged the whisky for a period of three years, at which point they bottled it at cask-strength(124.9) proof, yet the feedback they received was that it was comparable in smoothness to most 15 year old whiskies.

With the second release, dubbed Charbay Whiskey Release II, they started with only 22 barrels, but let it age for a total of six years in custom-made new American White Oak barrels that were charred to #3, and aged at a variety of temperatures to create additional flavor nuances. After about six years, five barrels were selected based on flavor profile and then transferred to stainless steel for another three years.

This artisanal approach results in a whiskey that leads in with a nose of sweet coconut and vanilla that’s followed up by minor hints of smoke.

Upon tasting, flavors of sweet milk chocolate, and nuances of orange greet the palate. As you delve deeper into the whiskey, occasional touches of mint, ginger and apples reveal themselves.

The spirit ends with a warm finish that’s filled with notes of pistachio, cocoa, and flavors of stout, reminding you how Miles and Marko created this magnificent spirit.

Charbay Whiskey Release II retails for $350 per 750ml bottle.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Auchentoshan Three Wood, an interesting name for a whisky. That alone should be enough to catch your attention. Or at least it caught mine. Normally most whiskies are aged in one barrel type, such as American oak, or sherry casks, or if you’re lucky a combination of two barrel types, with the first more often than not being initially aged in the previously mentioned American oak barrels before aging is finished in any number of barrel styles, such as those previously used to age sherry, cognac or Bordeaux.

With their Three Wood offering, Auchentoshan takes this process one step further by first aging its whisky in American oak barrels, and then completing the aging process in a combination of barrels previously used to age Pedro Ximenez, and Spanish Oloroso sherries.

This creates an incredible mellow yet flavorful spirit that welcomes the palate right away with sweet hints of cinnamon, that are followed up by notes of toffee and vanilla bean perfectly balanced. Throughout each sip, mild touches of smoke caress the palate ever so slightly without overpowering the rest of the flavors this spirit hides.

The experience that is Auchentoshan Three Wood ends with touches of allspice, and hints of citrus.

Final Score 9/10

Rasputin’s Wakeup Call
2 oz Auchentoshan Three Wood
Barspoon Aperol
¾ oz Blood Orange Juice
¾ oz St. Germains
1 Dash Fee Brothers West Indian Orange Bitters
Egg White

Rasputin’s Wakeup Call. A combination of Auchentoshan Three Wood, Aperol, St. Germain, and Orange Bitters.

Satan’s Brown Socks

1 ½ oz Auchentoshan Three Wood
¾ Drambuie
¾ Fig Juice
½ Chai Tea Demerera Syrup
¼ lemon juice
Bar Spoon Green Chartreuse
1 dash Whiskey Barrel bitters

Satan’s Brown Socks. A combination of Auchentoshan Three Wood, Drambuie, Fig Juice, Green Chartreuse and Chai Tea Demerera Syrup.

Suntory, the company behind whiskeys such as Yamazaki 12 Year Old, 18 Year Old, Hibiki and other spirits such as Midori Melon Liqueur, recently partnered with Japanese cocktail and bartending consultant, Yuri Kato to distribute a new book on the spirits and cocktail culture, entitled “Japanese Cocktails”.

With more than a decade of experience in the spirits world, Yuri uses her new book to explore the history of spirits in Japan from the early 1900′s until current day.

Using her childhood and experiences with her mother and uncle, whom were both chefs she starts off by telling of her introduction to spirits, and uses this to occasionally reflect on cocktail and spirits throughout the book.

Throughout each chapter, Yuri manages to explain how each Japanese spirit is made, and educates the reader on common cocktails that can be found throughout Japan. With a chapter each dedicated to Sake, Shochu and Japanese Whisky, Yuri both explains the background of how each spirit is made, to how each is utilized in cocktails in a manner that’s both entertaining and educating. While previously familar with Shochu, Sake and Japanese Whiskies, I was amazed at some of the unique ingredients the Japanese utilize in some of their cocktails that American bartenders have not yet tried to work with. Ingredients including shark fin and scallops are featured in some of the cocktails showcased throughout the book. Yuri also manages to explain the differences between types of shochu and sake including shochu’s made from barley, wasabi, and sweet potato.

The last two chapters of the book, cover the history and rise of whisky (including the history of Suntory) in Japan
and display further recipes and vivid photos of Japanese bartending craftsmanship.

Japanese Cocktails will be released in March, retail for $14.95 at Amazon.com

Combier USA, the company responsible for bringing some of France’s finest liquors into America announced that the company will donate 20% of all earnings from January 20 until March 1, 2010 to Doctors Without Border – Emergency Relief Fund in response to last week’s devastating earthquake in Haiti.
Several of Combier’s products source their original orange peels from the nation of Haiti including those used in Combier Liqueur d’Orange and Royal Combier.

So next time you purchase any of Combier’s products you’ll actually be helping out a good cause, while still managing to imbibe in some cocktails.

What better way to toast Combier’s generosity than with some new recipes with two of their products.

First we decided to take a a look at Combier Royale, a combination of their namesake triplesec product, cognac, and a spirit known as elixir(made up aloe, nutmeg, cardamon, cinnamon and saffron).

With a taste on the palate of sweet pristine orange, nuances of cinnamon and cardamon that wraps itself around the taste buds, it makes a great alternative to some of those other cognac and orange liquors that are floating around stores.

The Traveling Circus. A Combination of Boulard Calvados, Batavia Arrack, Combier Royale, and Cinnamon Syrup.

The Traveling Circus
1 ½ oz Boulard Calvados
¾ Batavia Arrack
¾ Combier Royale
¼ oz Lemon Juice
½ oz Cinnamon Syrup

The Golden Fleece
¾ oz Royal Combier
1 ½ oz Bols Genever
2 Dashes Mole Bitters
¾ oz Chai Demerara
Bar spoon Carpano Antica

In addition to offering a both Combier and Combier Royale, a third product has recently hit the market dubbed, Roi Rene Rouge. A cherry liqueur created by blending hand picked guignes and morello cherries, the end result is a subtle never overly sweet liqueur that is filled with notes of vanilla, and soft cherries and spices. Just as Combier Royale did, Roi Rene Rouge lends itself nicely to cocktails.

Red Eyed and Smokey
¾ Sombra
3/4 Lime Juice
¾ Rouge
¾ Benedictine
1 Dash Rhubarb Bitters

Red Eyed and Smokey. A combination of Sombra Mezcal, Combier Rouge, Benedectine and Rhubarb Bitters.

Red Coat of Algeron
2 oz Don Q Anejo Rum
1 oz Rouge
2 Dashes Orange Flower Water
¾ Demerara Syrup

Red Coat of Algeron. A combination of Combier Rouge, Don Q Anejo Rum, Orange Flower Water and Demerara.

Fear the Night Creeper
1 ¾ Beefeater
¾ Rouge
¾ Lillet Blanc
2 Dash Rhubarb Bitters
¼ oz Lemon juice
Garnish with Lemon Zest

Fear the Night Creeper. A combination of Combier Rouge, Lillet Blanc, Rhubarb Bitters, and Lemon Juice.

Our final spirit in this look at all unique things worth imbibing in is PF 1901. Provided to us by absinthe master distiller, Ted Breaux. A pet project of Ted’s for years when he worked in the Combier Distillery is as close as you’ll find to a replication of the original pre-ban Pernod Fils recipe. Using some of the remaining alambic stills that survived a fire that nearly destroyed the original Pernod Fils distillery, as well as the highest quality herbs and original notes he found referencing the classic formula, Ted has created a work of art in the form of Absinthe. The name, PF 1901 makes reference of the year of the fire that nearly wiped out the original Pernod Fils distillery. Had it not been for this, the distillery wouldn’t have felt the need to upgrade the distilling equipment upon reopening the distillery post-fire and thus the original equipment wouldn’t have found its way to the Combier Distillery and Ted Breaux.

Along with the bottle that Ted provided to us for tasting purposes, came a note advising that the sample would be sweeter than most absinthes. Ted stated sweetness of the sample was due to having sat after being bottled for about five years, and any properly created (distilled with the correct herbs) would develop the same characteristics with several years of aging.

PF 1901 comes in fairly strong at 144 proof and hits the palate with hints of vanilla, incredibly sweet almost candy-like anise, and minor touches of fennel that are followed up by touches of cinnamon.

Upon opening the PF 1901 with some water, it began to smooth out slightly and floral notes began to show themselves allowing each sip to create a new and eye opening experience.

PF 1901, is what every absinthe should strive to be. It sets the bar as high as one could possibly ever ask for when tasting an absinthe. If some how the competition manages some day to surpass it, well then kudos. Sadly PF 1901 is not currently within the United States and at this time can only be purchased in Europe.

Tasting spirits can sometimes be compared to that same feeling of opening your final gift Christmas morning as a child. You really want to see what’s in the box, but you know this is it for a while. I received this bottle of Boulard 1985 Calvados as a gift from a good friend. It’s been sitting on my tasting shelf (Don’t give me that look. Doesn’t everyone have one of those?) for the past few months. The more and more I looked at it, the more and more I wanted to open it. What stopped me well, when I first received it , my friend mentioned that there were only about one hundred and forty bottles in the United States and only about a hundred or so more floating around the rest of the world. As a product that’s been aged for twenty-five years, I was really looking forward to trying it, but I also didn’t really want to open it and would have preferred to save it for a special occasion. Funny enough, this one bottle gave birth to this entire article on unique and rare spirits.

After further investigation, I’ve discovered the following on this particular bottling of Boulard Calvados-

It’s been aged in French Limousin casks. It’s also comprised of over 120 varieties of apples.
It has a nose of elegant aromas that conjure what might be the end result of a barrel of fine bourbon and a barrel of apples had a kindred love affair.

So what exactly does a twenty five year old calvados taste like?

Starts off with the taste of sweet vanilla followed up by, sweet baked peaches, the expected notes of baked apples, though the taste of and unexpectedly the feel of crisp and crunchy apples hit the palate. Occasional hints of nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and oak would show themselves. Finishing off this liquid embodiment of fall flavors, were nuances of pistachio and sweet maple syrup.

With each sip of Boulard 1985, the mind constantly would begin to conjure images of the fall apple harvest, and crisp leaves crunching underneath foot.
Boulard 1985 embodies the perfect the spirit that should be sipped during fall or next to a fireplace at winter.

For further information on availability, please contact Palm Bay International.