Wine and Spirits Quest: a more shiney Select

It has been a dry week and looks like that week will continue. Luckily, before Thanksgiving, I tried the second Chairman’s Select wine in my wine rack the Post-Gazette had recommended. After the first one, I was a bit worried (and hey, it may actually be too late for you to pick it up!).

Pillar Box White wine was a better choice then the previous one. I felt even better (and educated) about it after reading the lovely, sappy story on the back.

The nose was a light but inviting sweet peach, citrus, tropical fruit and some cream. Very similar, the mouth brought a bit more to the table – canned peaches, lime, orange and a grassy aftertaste. The acid is bright and lovely. The hollow midpalate is a bit disappointing, but its a nice fresh wine.

Pillar Box White, 2007

Price: $6.99

Alcohol: 12.5%

Rating: B-

Stingy Samplings: a Thanksgiving duo

I have arrived home from Thanksgiving vacation and I know you missed me. Or more accurately, I missed you (I’m a sap, what can I say). So, I’m going to open this week with a personal favorite and end with another personal favorite. Today’s favorite? The Stingy Sampling!

I was meeting a friend to help him pick out his Thanksgiving wines, a daunting task especially since I have only tried a small fraction of the constantly rotating wines out there. But, as an ode to the experience, I’ll give some recs on what to eat with the wines.

Anyway, while waiting, who was there but my favorite person, the tasting lady! She now sees me, sighs and says, “Oh, you’re the blog lady” and holds the bottles ready for a picture. Adorable and personally hilarious.

The first tasting was ReNoto from Feudo Maccari in Sicily. “Sicily?” you say? One of the oldest wine growing locations in the world. It just doesn’t have a great publicist. Its 85% Nero d’Avola, the hard working, blood sweat and tears grape of Sicily, and some Syrah to smooth it out. This being the scrappiness that is Stingy Samplings, I have no idea what year it is, just that its the one that’s out and looks like this:

From my plastic cup, I smelled bright sour cherry and some pleasant earth. The mouth embodied the bright cherry flavor and the earth with a nice tannin grip on the tongue so you don’t forget it – like one of those hard handshakes by a macho man. But bright and fun! Eat with pork with fruit sauce and particularly tart cranberry sauce.

Next up is a St. Francis Old Vines zinfandel. Always a sucker for the dark fruits, I looked forward to it.

Lately, however, I will admit I have had one too many jammy wines. It seems the current style but, frankly, I find it to be boring. Here is an example of when someone’s palate or particular tastes that day will affect how they feel about a wine. Remember, even experts have variables!

On the nose, you can smell the dark, bramble fruits (black and raspberries, maybe a hint of boysenberry? That’s right, boysenberry). The mouth carried those fruits and some spice but it had some of that jamminess. Not Bad! Just took away from a fresh fruit thing that could have been delicious. As it is, the tannins are gripping and uncomfortable. I think it could use a couple more years in the cellar. Good, not super duper. It would be equally good with some of that leftover turkey (especially the dark meat) or a grilled steak.

Feudo Maccari ReNoto, 2006 (I think)

Price: $13.99

Rating: B

St. Francis Old Vines Zinfandel, 2006 (I think, again)

Price: $16.99

Rating: B-

Flavored Gold: a Long Awaited Tasting, part II

You may remember several weeks ago, I did an interview that made me pine for beaches and sunshine. I very recently received the discussed rum I ordered through the PLCB to have a taste of the sunshiny thoughts.

Having spent several weeks talking about, then ordering and then waiting for this, I was really hoping for something lovely. Lovely it is! A strong vanilla smell, the flavor is smooth and, you guessed it, vanilla. Mostly it tastes like a really good quality vanilla coke. Like a really delicious one. In fact, you can’t even taste the alcohol, so a little ice is all you need to enjoy it. If you feel like getting 6 bottles of really good, vanilla, sweet rum, order some Brinley!

Brinley Gold Vanilla Rum

Price: $18

Alcohol: 35%

Rating: B+/A-

Whiskey Festival: a hazy ending, Part II

I have far too much to do today to write a blog. But, I have left you high and dry too many time my friends, so I shall power through (while watching the hotness that is the Mentalist)!

First, a Rant:

I’d like to point out that scotch is not my favorite whiskey. And there was a multitude of bourbon I was unable to taste as My Man obsessed over scotch. I probably have tasted more scotch in one night then in the rest of my life.

So, get ready Highland Park!

Very peaty and tons of smoke with sour lemonade flavors. An okay scotch, but really not my style. My Man wants it to be known that he HIGHLY disagrees. This was his favorite of the night. So go through these two posts and see who you agree with on ratings and follow them a bit more.

From here we moved on to a very different spirit. Root, the liquor that wants to taste like old school sarsaparilla. My mother, being southern, got me hooked on sarsaparilla at a young age (how is sarsaparilla used enough in common vocabulary to be in the spell check?). I wouldn’t say that Root tastes like sarsaparilla; it is far more interesting. Ginger beer is more accurate with cloves and cinnamon. With nothing to compare it to, I think it was still quite good. A definite must try for anyone interested in new types of spirits.

It seems that, throughout the night, we came to the more high end scotches. On My Man’s request, I tried two Balvenies, for some reason. The 15 year was sweeter then many, smooth and tasted like campfire. I was not quite as impressed. The 12 year was less impressive. Again, smoky and sweet, but shier, harder to smell. When drinking, however, it tasted harsh and basically like a s’more. While I am never one to say no to a good s’more, the harsh alcohol was too overwhelming.

Buffalo Trace makes an array of bourbon. As a small sample, I tried he George T Stagg. Tasting of maple syrup and mint and rye, it was a bit bitter but very intense. My Man’s second favorite, I thought it was good.

Lets be honest, having tried 15 different spirits, my already horrible handwriting becomes a bit unclear. I have very clear ratings, but not so clear descriptions. Please bear with me.

Mutineer Magazine recently rated Red Stag, a new bourbon from Jim Beam infused with natural black cherry flavor. Touted as a great bourbon for those who don’t like bourbon, My Man called it a good girls bourbon. Being a girl who likes girly things, I was excited to try it. Tinged a bit red, the bourbon mostly tasted like, well, cherry Jolly Ranchers but without the tart kick. My Man mentioned that perhaps this is what they were going for, but I’d like more then a hint of bourbon in my bourbon. I think it could be delicious without being overpoweringly sweet. But, those who enjoy candy drinks, this one’s for you!

Back to the more serious drinks. When walking up to Laphroaig, I asked the man in the dashing kilt which I should try. He offered peaty or sweet and I felt I should continue with the sweet. The Quarter Cask was offered. It was smokey without being overly peaty, sweet and yeasty. I happen to love yeast and found the classic Laphroaig to be right up my ally.

Here are where things get more or less useless on my part. I have some notes and do recognize I loved the Basil Hayden (subtly smokey, sweet and wheaty) and enjoyed the Baker’s bourbon (sweeter, fruity and smokey). Both classics, but I wouldn’t base future purchases or even judgements on my taste based on these.

All round, I’ve written about 19. So close to the goal! Overall, a fun event where you can compare your tastes throughout a bunch of different spirits and expand your palate dramatically.

Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whiskey 18 yr

Price: $99.99

Me: A  My Man: C+

Root

Price: $32.99

Me: B/B+  My Man: B

Balvenie 15 yr Single Malt Scotch Whiskey

Price: $53.99

Me: B-  My Man: C+

Balvenie 12 yr Single Malt Scotch Whiskey

Price: $46.99

Me: C   My Man: C

George T. Stagg Bourbon Whiskey

Price: $51.79

Me: A  My Man: B

Red Stag Bourbon Whiskey

Price: $17.99

Me: B-  My Man: C+

Laphroaig Quarter Cask Scotch Whiskey

Price: $48.99

Me: B+  My Man: B+

Baker’s Bourbon Whiskey

Price: $42.99

Me: B  My Man: B

Basil Hayden Bourbon Whiskey

Price: $36.99

Me: B  My Man: A

Whiskey Festival: The beginning, Part I

While the name may be misleading, you may have noticed I don’t do a whole lot about whiskey. Its not that I don’t love it. I do! And just to show you how much, I felt it extremely important to attend the Pittsburgh Whiskey and Fine Spirits Festival this past weekend. A whirlwind of whiskey, rum, gin, tequila, even absinthe.

To get a good representation or the multitude of liquors, My Man and I made a goal of trying 20 liquors within the three hour limit. It seems a little crazy, but trust me, we made good use of the dump buckets. Well, I made a good use of the dump buckets. My Man is a trooper, even through the worst of the bunch.

Here we go..

First off, we started with a classic: Jameson.

So, here we are with some of the highest quality liquors, so I go for the Gold. A good first choice! A turpentine smell, tasting of oak, smoke, tangy and smooth. My Man said it tasted of “salt spray,” to which I agreed. I said it had a vegetal aftertaste. He did not agree.

Next we tried the Feckin Irish Whiskey.

Even though the t-shirt was appreciated (hear that, Jameson?), the whiskey did not live up. While smelling of maple syrup and brown sugar, the mouth did not match. Mostly I tasted wheat and bile. Moving on to Tomatin.

The Tomatin Highland scotch whiskey 15 year ripped my mouth apart. Lemon pith and turpentine. Seriously, it hurt.

Rebel Reserve. Who can resist that name? Smoke and brown sugar and the nose and mouth with flowers and herbs. My Man pointed out it tasted like carnations (ain’t he swell?) and I definitely agree. Not bad, not great. Staying loyal to the fun name.

Moving to a new fine spirit. A love of my life, a component to the favorite mixed drink. Tequila. Patron Reposado. Perhaps one of the finest tequilas I’ve had. It tasted of salt and pepper and fresh grass. Very delicious.

A comparison must be had. A friend recommended the El Mayor as one of the best tequilas he’s ever had. In the interest of tequila fairness, we tried the reposado as well. More salt, pepper and some lemon and lime. It was fine, but really… no comparison.

Yes. I’m a sucker for awesome names. Don’t pretend you aren’t! And the pink hair sells it. The Kraken Spiced Rum: Sweet with hints of vanilla and spice. It was pretty alcoholy. When they said its made to mix, they were right. Much better with coke and pretty enjoyable!

So, the next guy from Philadelphia Distilling promised me an interview, so you don’t get his dashing picture yet. He makes three of wonderful liquors, all in Pennsylvania, and I dutifully tried two. The first? Bluecoat gin!

It deserves an exclamation point! Evergreen, tons of juniper, a splash of citrus and extremely smooth. I’m in love.

The Vieux Carre absinthe. Well, seriously. I’ve only tried about 3 or 4. So here are my not so expert opinions. I tasted citrus, liquorish and.. Kraft Mac & Cheese. Who doesn’t love Mac and Cheese? Pretty good, would have actually liked less water added in (here’s how you prepare absinthe).

Back to the Whiskey Festival basics. Macallan 18.

Subtle peat, grapefruit, milk chocolate and caramel. Lovely and what you would expect out of a quality scotch.

Yes…. Its still going. As far as I can tell, we are on track for 20. And, as there are 10 spirits tried here, I write this blog, so I will break for sleep and write up the rest tomorrow.

Jameson Irish Whiskey Gold

Price: $62.99

Me: B/B+  My Man: B

Feckin Irish Whiskey

Price: $23.99

Me: C-  My Man: F

Tomatin Highland Scotch Whiskey

Price: $62.99

Me: D  My Man: D

Rebel Yell Reserve Bourbon Whiskey

Price: $24.99

Me: C   My Man: C

Patron Reposado Tequila

Price: $49.99

Me: A-  My Man: A

El Mayor Reposado Tequila

Price: $36.49

Me: B-  My Man: C

The Kraken Black Spice Rum

Price: $15.99

Me: B-  My Man: B-

Bluecoat Gin

Price: $26.99

Me: A-  My Man: A

Vieux Carre absinthe

Price: $54.99

Me: B  My Man: C

Macallan Highland Scotch Whiskey

Price: $139.99

Me: B+  My Man: B