Alcademics.com

New Booze: Ilegal Mezcal

This is a review of Ilegal Mezcal. The product is 100% agave, made in Oaxaca at Destileria Tlacolula. The drink is more widely distributed in New York but should be coming to California this spring.

They make a joven/blanco, a reposado, and an anejo. They sent me the reposado to taste. The nose on this stuff is all sweet olive-lemon brine with the smoky tire fire back typical to mezcal. It smells of the anticipation of biting into a juicy barbecue coal-smoked olive. In the mouth it's not as sweet or as salty as expected, though it is juicy, with a ton of wood char notes coming though. That char remains and on further sips I experience low char mouthfeel and high sweet notes with little middle ground. 

Overall, I like it and look forward to having it mixed into cocktails. Some of the mixing mezcals are too mild, while the great ones are so good I feel guilty covering them up. I don't know the price point on Ilegal Mezcal, but I hope it's somewhere between the two, as there is a lot of middle ground where this would be a good fit.  I look forward to seeing it more on bar shelves in California.

New Booze: Seagram's 7 Dark Honey

I received a bottle of Seagram's 7 Dark Honey for review, so here goes.

The product is described not as a liqueur but as "blended whiskey with real honey and natural flavors." On the nose it's dark honey. On the palate, too, but to me it tastes more like "honey flavor" than honey. The whiskey flavor I find elusive if not absent. I think this is meant to be mixed with Coke.

New Booze: Agwa De Bolivia Liqueur

Here's a review of Agwa De Bolivia Liqueur. The product has coca leaves from Bolivia, along with guarana and ginseng. From the press website:

AGWA DE Bolivia is a 30% ABV 60 proof Herbal liqueur made with Coca Leaf and 32 other herbs and botanicals that adheres fully to the rules and regulations of the authorities both within the EU and USA.

Agwa De Bolivia Coca Leaf Liquor is made from the finest Bolivian Coca Leaves. The coca leaves are shipped under armed guard from Bolivia and handcrafted in Amsterdam. Agwa is not just renowned for its unique and great taste but more for the secret energy that lies in all its drinks and cocktails.

So, it's an energy liqueur dyed bright green. But how does it taste? On the nose, it's an earthy menthol and not much else that I can detect. On the mouth there is some spiciness, like cinnamon, and with some fruit like pear and chocolate. The spiciness helps alleviate the sweetness of the liqueur and is the dominant flavor. 

I thought this product would be gross, so I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm not in love with it, but if someone handed me a shot at a club (the suggested way of drinking it, along with a lime wedge) I'd probably take it.

New Booze: Love Potion No. 9

I received a sample of Love Potion #9 to try. This is a liqueur (at least I think it's a liqueur; they've filed it in the "distilled spirit specialty" category, which is sort of like "none of the above") with a cane neutral spirit base, artificially flavored and bottled at 30% ABV.

On the nose it's mango, pear, chocolate, cherry, green melon, kiwi, and apple. On the mouth the chocolate pushes forward first, then orange or tangerine zest. It's sweet but not syrupy, and definitely not as thick as typical liqueurs. This isn't a product of the earth or anything, so it's best not to think too hard about it.

Overall, it might mix well with white spirits like rum and vodka, and make an interesting substitute for triple sec.

New Booze: Paul-Marie & Fils Devant La Porte Cognac

I received a sample of Paul-Marie & Fils Cognac, a brand independently bottled by Nicolas Palazzi. Palazzi is buying single casks of cognac  and hand bottling them unfiltered and at full cask strength. He apparently has a few bottlings under different names and this is the first under the Paul-Marie & Fils label.

The one he sent me to try is the Devant La Porte barrel, meaning "the barrel in front of the door". Devant La Porte was distilled in 1951 and bottled in August of 2009. The cask produced 257 bottles at the full 51% alcohol and they retail for a suggested $600 each.

This cognac is a dark copper in color, with an aroma typical of well-aged grapes- a slightly gamey (rancio?) wet redwood with a fresh grape and raisin and slight chocolate backing. On the palate it bursts with dusty fruitcake flavors- dried apricots, pears in syrup, fruit leather, regular leather, bitter tobacco, hot car vinyl, dried oranges. It must be pretty acidic, because my mouth began salivating like crazy- I'm practically drooling. With each successive sip I'm getting more and more flavors and the aftertaste just lingers forever.

In short, this is really freaking delicious cognac.

I was a bit worried when Palazzi said this was bottled at cask strength- thinking that would be good for mixing but not sipping at that high proof- but I was way wrong. This cognac is too good for mixing (at its price point it sure ought to be) and there is nothing too hot about it even at 51% alcohol. I say drink it at full proof and just have fewer sips- it will last longer than way too.

New Booze: Macchu Pisco, Pisco Gran Sierpe, La Diablada Pisco

I have three new-to-me piscos to try. Pisco is grape brandy from Peru and Chile, though most people respect the stuff from Peru more. It can be made from aromatic grapes like Italia, non-aromatic grapes like Quebranta, or a mix of styles which is labeled acholado.

Gran Sierpe Pisco, according to the website, comes in Quebranta, Italia, and Acholado bottlings. I am not sure if these are all available in the United States or just the quebranta that they sent me to try.

Gran Sierpe Quebranta smells grapey, as you'd expect. It's not as musty as some other brands, and has a pretty typical savory orange-vanilla notes as well. Sampled at room temperature, it is quite robust in flavor and power (it is 42% ABV compared with other brands' 40%) of dry green grape skins, finishing hot and slightly tannic. The aftertaste that kicks in after the heat and spice finally dies off is of fresh grape juice.

Macchu Pisco is also a quebranta grape-based pisco. It has a milder and more savory/gamey nose than Gran Sierpe, with more vanilla and less grape skin. On the palate it is similar to its aromas, but with more lime and earthy/soil notes than Gran Sierpe.

Between the two, Gran Sierpe is brighter and more aggressive. Macchu Pisco is more earthy. I prefer the Macchu Pisco for sipping neat but give the slightly higher proof of Gran Sierpe that might possibly show better in cocktails. I'll have to test that later.

Also from Macchu Pisco is La Diablada, an acholado pisco with a more traditional label. Though acholado pisco is  a blend of aromatic and non-aromatic grapes, the floral notes pop out of this one- all sorts of white flowers like elderflower and jasmine, with a good deal of blueberry and below that the grape aroma. In the mouth the same floral flavors dominate but then the finish is quite tight and tannic, fading away to floral aromas in the front of the mouth and not much else on the palate. Again, this is one I'll have to test in cocktails to see if it is too floral without enough oomph.