Review: El Ladrón Reposado Blue Agave Spirit

View fullsize

Photo by Chen Design Associates

Free sample bottle received as a gift from 3rd party.

El Ladrón Reposado Blue Agave Spirit, distilled by Venus Spirits and bottled at 47% ABV. 

Price Range: $40-$60

Founded by Sean Venus, Venus Spirits is a new craft distillery located in Santa Cruz, California. Sean has an extensive background in brewing and fermentation. He worked for a number of microbreweries while attending the University of Oregon and spent six years with Gordon Biersh. Sean was kind enough to share a small sample of his reposado while we were attending the American Distilling Institute's 2015 Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Like the Blanco, El Ladrón Reposado Blue Agave Spirit is made from organic blue agave syrup imported from Mexico, fermented and double distilled in a 600-liter copper alembic still. However, after distillation the agave spirit is matured for three to six months in new and used whiskey barrels.

Tasting Notes

Nose: The reposado has a pungent green agave aroma that is intermingled with caramel and baking spice. The reposado also has a bright and light fruity aroma similar to a white wine like chardonnay. 

Palate: The palate is smooth, medium bodied with a little heat. The reposado taste lightly sweet with notes of caramel, oak and roasted vegetables. Initially the sensation on the tongue is warm and smooth which, transitions to semi-dry with a hint of astringency from the wood.

Finish: The finish is long and flavors of lemon, caramel, oak and roasted asparagus. The lingering sensation of agave is a pleasant reminder to return to the glass for another drink. 

Conclusion: My initial reaction was that this is a much more woody reposado than others I have had. Once I looked past the comparison to reposado tequilas, Venus Spirits's blue agave reposado is a lovely spirit. With a little water, the heat mellows and the pleasant flavors are preserved. This reposado has a lot to think about and it is likely to appeal to whiskey drinkers and those who love anejo tequila. Besides drinking it neat or with water, Venus Spirits' reposado would also work well in a margarita and make an interesting replacement in an Old Fashioned.

Review: G.E. Massenez Lequeur de Poir Williams

View fullsize

Free sample bottle received as a gift from 3rd party.

G.E. Massenez Lequeur de Poir Williams, distilled by Distillery Massenez and bottled at 25% ABV. 

Price Range: $35-$55

Established in the 1870s by Jean-Baptiste Massenez, this family run distillery focused on making high quality French eau da vies from Alsace. After WWII Gabriel Eugene Massenez grew the business in France and internationally . In 2010, Grandes Distilleries Peureux bought a majority stake in Massenez.

The G.E Massenze Williams pear liqueur is created by combining williams pear eau da vie (unaged brandy) with sweetened pear juice.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: The aroma is incredibly powerful, full of ripe pear aromas from both the skin and the flesh. As it sits in the glass the notes of caramel and grape lollipop are carried up to the nose on waves of ethanol.

Palate: The liqueur is intensely sweet like a pear flavored jolly rancher coating the tongue. The liqueur is very viscous and has a surprising amount of heat for only being 50 proof. Unfortunately the aromas have a very artificial character to them.

Finish: The sweetness continues to linger long after swallowing and the residual flavor has a more realistic pear character with a bit of dryness from the skins. 

Conclusion: The G.E. Massenez Williams Pear Liqueur is ideal for a sweet-tooth how wants a light dessert. Pour it over vanilla ice cream and drift off into a decadent wonderland of sweet pears and cream.

Review: El Ladrón Blanco Blue Agave Spirit

View fullsize

Photo by Chen Design Associates

Free sample bottle received as a gift from 3rd party.

El Ladron Blanco Blue Agave Spirit, distilled by Venus Spirits and bottled at 47% ABV. 

Price Range: $40-$50

Founded by Sean Venus, Venus Spirits is a new craft distillery located in Santa Cruz, California. I met Sean at a K&L tasting event in San Francisco where he was pouring El Ladron (The Thief) blue agave spiritand his gin . Sean has an extensive background in brewing and fermentation. He worked for a number of microbreweries while attending the University of Oregon and spent six years with Gordon Biersh. 

El Ladron Blanco Blue Agave Spirit is made from organic blue agave syrup imported from Mexico, fermented and double distilled in a 600-liter copper alembic still. 

Tasting Notes

Nose: The aroma is has interesting notes of cranberry and raspberry with a hint of sweetness. There is also an underlying green vegetal aroma commonly found in blanco tequilas. Let the spirit sit for a little bit and the aromas open up revealing dried tarragon and more earthy agave notes.

Palate: In the mouth El Ladron blanco is smooth; it is big and round on the tongue and tastes sweet with a light caramel flavor. As it sits the flavor reveals a dry mineral character that thins out. There are notes of black pepper, and cayenne combined with a smokey vegetal note like barbecued asparagus. 

Finish: The finish has a slight sting that mellows out into a pleasant warmth. Sweetness lingers on the tongue almost like caramelized onions. 

Conclusion: El Ladron blanco is an excellent agave spirit. It shows very well neat and it also makes a really tasty margarita. At 47% the agave spirit shines through and adds an solid earthy character that balances against the citrus and sweetness of the other ingredients. This is by far one of the best US agave spirits I have had the pleasure to taste.

Review: Venus Spirits Gin Blend No. 01

Gin Blend No. 01 is distilled by Venus Spirits and and bottled at 46% ABV.

Price Range: $30-$40

Venus Spirit is owned and operated by Sean Venus who worked for 14 years in the craft brewing and organic food industries before opening his distillery. Venus Spirits is located in Santa Cruz, three blocks from the coast and just 2 miles from the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. 

View fullsize

Free sample bottle received as a gift from 3rd party.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: Smells of lavender and bright citrus with a low malt note in the background.

Palate: Tastes strongly of citrus and lavender.

Finish: The finish is smooth with little heat and a pleasant floral character.

Conclusion: Venus Spirits' Gin Blend No. 1 is a good example of a contemporary gin. In general I prefer more juniper forward gins so my rating has more to do with my own personal preference than the quality of the spirit. Blend No. 1 hits all the right notes for gin drinkers who like like more citrus and floral gins.  This would also work really well in a Corps Reviver #2.

Review: E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bottled In Bond Bourbon

View fullsize

Bottle purchased by EZdrinking.

Colonel E. H. Taylor Small Batch Bottled in Bond Kentucky Bourbon is distilled by Buffalo Trace Distillery and and bottled at 50% ABV.

Price Range: $40-$50

Buffalo Trace is located in Frankfurt, Kentucky and owned by  Sazerac, a privately held company, headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1992, Sazerac purchased what was then called the George T. Stagg Distillery and after completing renovations in 1999, they renamed it Buffalo Trace Distillery. 

The E.H. Taylor bourbon line consists of four standard variations all of which come in a lovely canister and are labeled bottled in bond except for the barrel proof bottling. The E.H. Taylor Small Batch is distilled from Buffalo Trace's Mash Bill #1, a high corn mash bill which is believed to have 10% or less, rye as a flavoring grain. E.H. Taylor has no age statement so it is legally required to be at least 4 years old, however, most estimates place it between 7 and 12 years old.

E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bourbon was one of nine whiskeys I included in a blind tasting of bourbons less than $50.

TASTING NOTES

Nose: Smells of light vanilla and rose petals with milk chocolate, and a hint of orange zest.

Palate: Tastes slightly sweet, with a smooth texture. The heat from the 100 proof is noticeable on the first sip but it mellows as you continue to drink.

Finish: Full of warm spice notes like clove and ground ginger.  It has a woody character like young pine with medium tannins that leaves the palate dry waiting for the next sip. This wood flavor is non-traditional for a Kentucky Bourbon so it may not appeal those who prefer a more pronounced oak character.

Conclusion: This bottling of Colonel Taylor is very floral and has a light nose, with its young woodiness it is a fun and different kind of bourbon that doesn't taste like everything else. While a solid bourbon, at its price point, I'm not sure it would make it into my regular rotation or that I would buy a second bottle. However, at 100 proof it will hold up well in any bourbon cocktail especially a Manhattan.