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Spirits
Loveland, Colorado. Here's yet another super-small batch craft spirit from a new (seriously, they started in August 2011) family distillery. Using whole ingredients (instead of extracts/concentrated flavors or derivatives), Dancing Pines has created what may be the world's first perfect nut liqueur. Decidedly walnut-y with a gentle sweetness and a not-at-all-shy dose of bourbon richness and spice (and heat—this is 51% alc., BTW) to balance it out. —Armin Black Forest Devil $22.99/750ml Germany. A perfect winter spirit. 42 herbs come together to make a 102 proof spirit that is so easy to drink it is really dangerous. Smooth and sweet on the front-palate showing clove, anise and an impossible to pin down melange of flavors. Finishes with a citrusy fade slipping into a spicy-hot cinnamon burn going down. Far better balanced than you would think. —Armin Compass Box "Great King St." Artist's Blend Scotch Whisky $42.49/750ml Edinburgh, Scotland. I suppose I could tell you all about how this John Glasser effort is marks a return to exceptionally well-made, easy-drinking blends. Or I could talk about how the carefully selected grains, malts and barrels along with the non-chill filtration and no additives or colors makes this better than much of the other blends out there. But all that really matters is what's in the bottle. Damn' fine whisky is what. Apple, dried fruits, toffee, vanilla, baking spices make it tasty as a sipper or a cocktail spirit. —Armin High West "The 36th Vote" Barreled Manhattan $51.99/750ml Park City, Utah. You've got to give High West props for sourcing great stuff for everything they make. Getting the rye was the easy part...it's the vermouth that must have been tough. Whatever they ended up getting was perfect. The classic recipe of two parts rye, one part sweet vermouth and two dashes of bitters is aged for 120 days in the American white oak barrels in which the rye originally aged. The bottled product is a robustly spicy, gently herbaceous and sweetly cherried cocktail with no rough edges. —Armin Kilchoman Islay Single Malt Spring 20111 Release $67.99/750ml Rockside Farm, Bruchladdich, Scotland. A fairly new distillery (est. 2005), Kilchoman has been making some interesting experiments with their young whiskys. This release blends two whiskys that each get three years in a mix of first and second-use Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels and a portion of which then is finished in Miguel Martin olorosso sherry butts. That kind of aging room algebra requires a lot of forethought and diligence and it shows in a sweet, dried-fruit dominated front-end with a salty and peaty back-end. —Armin John L. Sullivan $25.49/750ml Cooley, Ireland. Bare-knuckle boxer name-dropping pretensions aside, this is an awesome whiskey for the money. A seemingly already rich Irish whiskey is then aged in old bourbon barrels producing a soft, sweet and spicy and remarkably smooth "bad-ass Irishman in Bardstown". So easy to drink, you may end up wanting to take on the world like John L. Sullivan. Ypioca Cachaça Prata $27.99/1L Fortaleza, Brazil. It's Caipirinha season and this is what will be in my glass. Distinctive on the shelf with its raffia-wrapped bottle, but it's what's inside that counts. Aged for two years in balsam casks, but light and clean in the glass with typical delicate sweetness but a slight spiciness imparted by the wood-ageing. This is beautiful, old-school cachaça. —Armin hum Botanical Spirit $39.99/750 mlLake Bluff, IL. Quite possibly the most fascinating and beautiful completely new liqueur to hit the market in...well...at least my lifetime. Blends hibiscus, ginger, cardamom, cane sugar and kaffir lime into a fairly dense magenta glass-coater that is best cut with soda water or ginger ale or mixed with bubbly or into any of the nearly one-zillion brilliant cocktails that appear on their website: http://www.humspirits.com/ —Armin Corsair Spiced Rum $29.99/750 mlBowling Green, KY. Small batch, artisan distiller Corsair has consistently impressed with all of their spirits that have recently entered the market. As Spring gets into full-swing, Spiced Rum starts to find it's way into warm-weather cocktails and this is the one in my home bar right now. Light and not particularly sweet with the expected cinammon and nutmeg popping up on the finish, but it's the melange of orange and lemon peel and sweet, soft vanilla that make this special. —Armin Smooth Ambler Whitewater Vodka, Greenbrier Gin $34.99, Exceptional White Whiskey $32.99/750 ml. Maxweltown, WV. This is another awesome recent addition to our growing selection of fun and under-the-radar artisanal craft spirits. The vodka (made largely from locally sourced grains) is soft, with a creamy texture and a cereal sweetness that makes it a fine sipper or a more flavorful mixer than most. The gin (from the vodka base) is among my favorites—the botanicals are subtle but distinct (juniper and cardamom being most apparent to me) woven into the same mouthfeel as the vodka. The white whiskey (the base for a barrel-aged whiskey to be released in time) is like liquid Corn Pops showing sweet yellow corn flavors laced with light caramel—endlessly versatile. —Armin Douglas Laing "Big Peat" Small Batch Islay Vatted Scotch $66.99/750 mlIslay, Scotland. What's not to like here? A non-chill filtered "marriage of malts" from Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore and Port Ellen(!) that brings all the best elements of those great whiskies into one awesome package. Lighter and leaner than you would expect but layered with seaweed, salt, peat smoke, tea and citrus. A new favorite that will, hopefully, be an ongoing classic. —Armin Calvados Morin $19.99/750 mlI don't want to seem unduly hyperbolic about this, so...this is calvados...for $20. Light, dry and crisp apple brandy for half of what you'd pay from another producer and it's just plain good. —Armin High West Silver Western Oat Whiskey $37.99/750 mlI realize that I've been bringing in a lot of clear whiskeys of late, but these distillers keep making such good product that they can't be ignored. This smells like a banana split with a raspberry syrup on a hot Summer day and those aromas carry through on the palate along with vanilla and a hint of dusty leather (presumably from the very short time in barrel). Just sip it straight or use instead of vodka. —Armin Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye $37.99/750 mlThe confluence of several "too good to be true" elements: organic, kosher and (fairly) local, micro-distilled rye whisky—where else are you gonna find that?!? But that's not all...it's an awesome drink, too. Soft, chewy toasted marshmallow with a touch of woody spice on the back end and just plain easy to drink. —Armin Esprit Classique $39.99/750 ml Orange infused cognac is nothing new (see: Grand Marnier), but Hardy's take is refreshing. Lighter and far less sweet than most orange liqueurs with a more natural orange zest flavor to boot. The elegance on display here is akin to their Belle de Brillet pear liqueur and is reflected by the very pretty bottle. —Armin Death's Door Whisky $37.99/750 mlOrganic Wisconsin wheat and barley is used to make this singular "moonshine" (that gets just under 72 hours in Minnesota oak barrels to facilitate legally calling it "whisky".) The result is a spirit with intensity of flavor but a soft and drinkable character. Decidedly wheat-driven sweetness is accompanied by light flavors of apple, honey, cardamom and cinnamon. Surprisingly drinkable on its own with a chill, but you can mix this with nearly anything and get satisfying results. —Armin CapRock Organic Gin $32.99/750 ml Peak Spirits is the spirits arm of Jack Rabbit Hill Biodynamic Farms and Winery in Hotchkiss, CO and, as such, sees through the distillation process of their CapRock Organic Gin from planting of the fruit to the bottle. This organic apple based gin is no fad product—it is one serious and beautiful gin. Lavender and rose buds are the prevalent botanicals here with juniper taking a (welcome, by my estimation) back seat. The result is just plain pretty to drink on its own and a more versatile mixer than most gins. We carry their lovely organic/gluten-free vodka distilled from Chambourcin grapes, as well. —Armin Amarula Cream Liqueur $17.99/750 ml Cream liqueurs are being made with everything these days, but this South African classic remains my favorite. One would expect "fruity" but that is not the case as the spirit base for this is made from a "wine" made of fermented Marula fruit which is then distilled and then aged in oak barrels for two years and then blended with cream creating a flavor that is more toasty toffee and caramel. Smoother than Bailey's, too. —Armin Tomatin 12 Year Highland Single Malt $36.99/750 ml Good quality and (relatively) affordable single malt Scotches are hard to come by and decidedly preferable to most blends. This one gives you everything one looks for in a Highland malt for well less than $50. Easy-drinking straight with minimal alcohol heat and a satisfying mix of toasty grain, light smoke, clove and cinnamon. Just plain good for everyday drinking. —Armin Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur $34.99/750 ml Technically, this is eau de vie, VSOP and XO cognacs blended with Vietnamese baby ginger macerated with Tahitian vanilla, Provençal honey and Tunisian ginseng. Usually, I am obsessed with the technical but one taste of this envelops me in the sensual and ethereal. Almost too tasty for mortals with the perfect balance of peppery heat, exotic spice, mild sweetness and unicorns dancing on twilight rainbows. No, really. Great by itself, but mixable with just about anything. —Armin Jewel of Russia Classic Vodka $35.99/1L I suppose that if I had to pick one vodka to drink for the rest of my life it would be this one. Richer-bodied and more viscous than most but very soft and clean this makes for a vodka that is amazingly drinkable chilled in the freezer and served neat (as intended). Perhaps it is the power of suggestion, but I think I can taste the final apricot/peach-pit charcoal filtration step coming through on the finish as a slight fruitiness. There is no coarseness or unpleasant alcohol evidence here, just pure, classic Russian vodka. —Armin Wasmund's Rye Spirits $21.99/750 ml A few disclaimers on this product to get out of the way first: 1. this is unaged rye spirits so that's why it's clear 2. this is comprised of a remarkable 67% rye and only 33% malted barley making this by far the most rye-heavy spirit I've ever seen 3. this comes in at 124 proof! Those things being said, this is absolutely wonderful stuff. Yes, it's hot and a little rough-around-the-edges, but the rye sweetness, apple and cherrywood malted grains and touches of spice are gorgeous. Serve on the rocks; mixed into your favorite cocktail instead of rum, vodka or tequila; or aged at home in one of Wasmund's 2L charred aging barrels. Wasmund's has a really interesting ideology about making spirits fun for the consumer but they make mean whisky, too. —Armin Cadenhead's Old Raj Dry Gin $65.99/750 ml Yes, I realize that it's a pricey gin. But take into account that it is (a dangerously soft and drinkable) 55% alcohol, is infused impeccably with rare and costly saffron (which gives it its curious yellow color) and is unlike anything you have ever tasted before, the price is well justified. You will not find a juniper-bomb here as gentle orange peel and subtly spicy saffron make this so distinct and pleasurable. Beautiful on its own but readily mixable, too. —Armin Jefferson's Reserve Bourbon $56.99/ 750 ml Small batch bourbons have been popping up all over the place and most are very good if, oftentimes, a bit pricey. However, a select few—like the 15-year-barrel-aged Jefferson's Reserve—are actually exceptional for the money. This has a beautiful nose of stone fruits and caramel popcorn with vanilla that carries into the palate accompanying rich, dried fruits like raisins and figs with a touch of orange. The caramel that often shows in excess with other bourbons just helps add balance to this one. All of that with an exceptionally smooth finish makes this 90.2 proof beauty dangerously drinkable. —Armin Vizcaya VXOP Cuban Formula Dominican Rum $40.99/750 ml Wow! Simply one of the finest examples of what rum can be when made with the same exacting care as the best single-malt Scotch or Bourbon. Actually, not far from Bourbon in character with a touch caramel richness (not the cloying sweetness expected in most rums of mixer quality) but also a bit of spice and nuttiness. And the finish ... oh, the finish -- so soft, and warming you'll have illusions of sitting by a roaring fire. —Armin We carry many of the expected standards like Absolut, Johnnie Walker, Southern Comfort, Jim Beam and Bailey's Irish Cream, but we specialize in more off-the-beaten-path products like those listed below. Some of our other spirits currently in stock:
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