12/2006 BULLDOG GIN
A new gin has hit the market-- hoorah! While dozens upon dozens of vodkas can be found, gins are few. This London dry gin is quite good. It seems a little less piney than, say Beefeater. Its soft in the mouth, a little dry, and has a nice citrus note. It is really enjoyable and at 80 proof it is much gentler than many gins. Well done. (Rating****1/2)

To see if our retailer can send you BULLDOG GIN, click SHOP and type "BULLDOG" in the search engine and click the magnifying glass. Otherwise, surf to http://www.BulldogGin.com.

Labels: Bull Dog, England, Gin

 

11/2006 WYCHWOOD HOBGOBLIN DARK ENGLISH ALE
A fine English-style brew. it seems designed to quench the thirst. It's not particularly viscous, is a little malty, and offers nice fruit and chocolate notes. Yummy. (Rating ****1/4)

To see if our retailer carries WYCHWOOD, click SHOP and type "WYCHWOOD" in the search engine and click the magnifying glass. Otherwise, surf to http://www.Wychwood.co.uk/ or contact the U.S. importer at http://www.EuroBrews.com/.

Labels: England, English Ale, Hobgoblin

 

10/2006 FULLER'S CHISWICK BITTER ALE and FULLER'S LONDON PRIDE ALE
We ordered drafts of each of these at a pub called THE SHIP (68 Borough Rd) near the Castle and Elephant Tube stop and the Imperial War Museum. The CHISWICK BITTER was fair to middling; a bit watery, very flat, and closing dryly. We sipped and shrugged. (Rating ***) The LONDON PRIDE ALE, on the other hand, was much more interesting- thicker, creamy, and a touch sweet. (Rating ****) For further details on FULLER'S ALES, see http://www.fullers.co.uk/.

Labels: Bitter Ale, England, English Ale, Fuller's

 

5/2006 AMARULA MARULA FRUIT CREAM liqueur
We had no idea what to expect- it's not like we grew up eating Marula fruits in Ohio. We poured AMARULA into a rocks glass and it looked a bit like milk spiked with Hershey's syrup. Most perplexing. Waving it under our noses our eyes popped- it was boisterous with a berry note of some sort. Now we were really confounded. Into the hatch it went and the berry note gave way to a cocoa or toffee flavor. Wow- unusual, but we've no doubt that lots of people will go absolutely bananas for this 34 proof cream liqueur. Take it straight or on ice. (Rating ****1/2)

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5/2006 MARTIN MILLER'S REFORMED LONDON DRY GIN AND REFORMED LONDON DRY GIN WESTBOURNE STRENGTH
New gins on the market- hoorah! Compared to vodka, gins are so few! So, here we have two gins by Martin Miller. Now, how's this for multiculturalism: Martin Miller's gins are distilled in London, Blended and bottled in iceland, and imported to the USA by Cantina Italiana LLC of Hollywood, Florida. It reminds us of that old song line, "I met a German girl in England who was going to school in France..."

So, the first of these two gins is 80 proof, the second (the Westbourne Strength) is 90.4 proof. In the former version, the citrus note outshines the juniper one, and it's hard to detect the other botanicals. On the whole, this gin is quite soft. One wonders if this is an effort to do what Baffert's and Reval tried doing- making a gin that would appeal to the vodka lover. Regardless, this is clearly gin, and is enjoyable. (Rating ****) The Westbourne Strength version is much the same, only the extra alcohol actually makes it taste better. It has more crackle to it, a characteristic that gin drinkers seek. (Rating ****1/2)

To see if our retailer can sell you MILLER'S, click SHOP FOR MILLER'S. Type "MILLER" in the search engine and click the SEARCH button. Last we checked, they carried both of these gins. Otherwise, surf to http://www.millersgin.com/.


5/2006 CARNIVO XO
Gadzooks- a green colored liqueur made from "an award winning XO Cognac, premium French Vodka, a luscious tropical fruit juices"! This amalgam just makes no sense to us- why have both vodka and cognac? And how can you have both but only end up with a 40 proof liqueur? And how can the aforementioned ingredients make this stuff taste SO SUGARY? Baffling. It tastes a bit like spiked Gatorade. We're not too fond of this syrupy stuff. Maybe those who like super sweet stuff will want to quaff this on ice. Not us, though. (Rating **1/2)


5/2006 OLD FETTERCAIRN SINGLE HIGHLAND SCOTCH MALT WHISKY 10 YEAR
Although this whisky is only 80 proof, it carries itself like a sturdier malt. It's viscous and gold in color and packs a full punch of white pepper, peat, and pear. It's simple, direct, and enjoyable. (Rating ****)

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5/2006 LOCH LOMOND HIGHLAND SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
Ho-hum. We hadn't tried this malt before; though our hopes were not high, they were, nonetheless, disappointed. This straw tinged with gold malt offers light honey, berry, and barley notes to the nose. In the mouth its limp and its fruity flavor departs quickly. Perhaps a nice place to start for those who fear the robustness of scotch whisky, but all others should take a pass. (Rating ****)


5/2006 DALWHINNIE SINGLE MALT HIGHLAND WHISKY 15 YEAR
This 86 proof malt was rather impressive. It offers up a little honey, pear, and toffee. It's slightly spicy but not especially intense. Well done. (Rating ****)

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6/2006 SAILOR JERRY SPICED NAVY RUM
What a delicious rum! It's a robust (92 proof), deep copper colored, and oozes flavor....Lots of vanilla and berries. A wonderful product- it shows what rum can be. Bourbon lovers would likely enjoy this rum (Rating ****3/4)

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Labels: England, Gin, Liqueur, Rum, Scotch - Single Malt, Scotland, South Africa