PLCB spirits catalog changes for the week of November 1st:
New in-store and online products:
- Compass Box Asyla Scotch Whiskey 750 ML (#030945, Limit Dist, $44.99)
- Compass Box Oak Cross Scotch 750 ML (#031000, Limit Dist, $45.99)
- Compass Box Orangerie Scotch Whiskey 750 ML (#030946, Limit Dist, $42.99)
- Compass Box Peat Monster Malt Scotch Whisky 750 ML (#005715, Limit Dist, $52.99)
- Creme Yvette Delicieuse Liqueur France 750 ML (#030980, Limit Dist, $45.99)
- Glenkinchie 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch 750 ML (#030947, Limit Dist, $44.99)
- Oronoco Reserve Rum Brazil 750 ML (#030950, Limit Dist, $29.99)
- Pierre Ferrand Cognac Ambre France 750 ML (#030949, Limit Dist, $43.99)
The in-store specialty selection is rolling out in full force now. Distribution is uneven as products are still arriving, but eventually all 32 specialty spirits stores will stock the same items. Check
this Google map to find your nearest store.
Several of the highly-acclaimed Compass Box blended scotches came in this week. The PLCB had to beat up the distributor a bit to get prices down to this level, but the current pricing is pretty competitive with other retailers nationally.
If you're a fan of scotch and you've never tried Compass Box before, you're missing out. Many scotch drinkers dismiss blended scotches out of hand, but in fact the depth and range of flavor that can be achieved through skilfully blending different malts exceeds what a single distillery can produce, at least at any reasonable price.
John Glaser, the master blender, learned the art of blending at Johnnie Walker before founding Compass Box in 2000. John Hansell of Malt Advocate describes Mr. Glaser as one of "a couple individuals who continue to impress me. [...] He, in many ways, created a whole new concept in whiskymaking, producing
artisanal whiskies through the meticulous, passionate marrying of
small-production, high-quality whiskies." As one of the most widely-respected blenders in the scotch world, Mr. Glaser constantly receives awards and good reviews for his blends. Visit
the Compass Box website for descriptions of each of their whiskies.
Oronoco Reserve is a flavorful white rum produced in Brazil. "Brazilian Rum" is generally a euphemism for
cachaça, due to the US government's
failure to recognize cachaça as its own spirit category, but in this case we actually are talking about rum. And delicious rum it is. Oronoco is one of the most flavorful white rums I have ever encountered, with an aroma of vanilla, sugar cane and custard. Diageo initially priced Oronoco a little too high, reaching $35 or $45 in some markets, but $30 is fairly reasonable especially considering the swanky bottle. Check out
Rumdood's review for a picture and more tasting notes.
Pierre Ferrand is one of my two favored cognac lines, the other being Martell. I've always been disappointed that Ferrand wasn't available on the shelf in PA, but fortunately the PLCB agreed that it belonged in stores. Ambre is their entry-level cognac, with a light body and an aroma of flowers and honey.
New-to-store items (previously online-only):
- Caribou Crossing Single Barrel Canadian Whiskey 750 ML (#010559, Limit Dist, $49.99)
- Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth Italy 1 L (#010833, Limit Dist, $36.99)
- Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon 750 ML (#010521, Limit Dist, $32.99)
- Martin Miller's Westbourne Strength Gin England 750 ML (#030997, Limit Dist, $34.99)
- Milagro Silver Select Barrel Reserve Tequila 750 ML (#030982, Limit Dist, $49.99)
I've mentioned Carpano Antica Vermouth in passing before, but it deserves a full treatment now that it's in stores. Its namesake, Antonio Benedetto Carpano, was the first to produce vermouth on a commercial scale in the late 18th century. The Carpano family has made vermouth ever since, with their most well-known product being Punt e Mes, but a few years ago they brought their "Antica formula" vermouth to the US. Supposedly made with the same recipe Antonio used, Carpano Antica is a crushingly flavorful aperitif and something of a secret ingredient in craft-bar Manhattans. Its aroma is spicy and earthy, with citrus and too many herbs to identify. The flavor is explosively botanical, sweet but not overly so, and satisfyingly bitter. To borrow a cliché, Carpano Antica will challenge your preconceptions about vermouth. If you like bitter flavors, buy yourself a bottle. You'll be blown away.
Martin Miller's gin has been around for 10 years or so now, and the brand carefully positions themselves as being an exclusive product. Their production process is a bit gimmicky, involving Icelandic glacier water, but the bottom line is that it's an excellent, well-balanced gin that suits my picky standards for use in Martinis. The "Westbourne Strength" is boosted in proof a bit from the regular bottling, to good effect. With 96 points it ties for top place among BTI's gin reviews.
Delisted SLO products:
- Balvenie 12 Year Old Signature Scotch 86 Proof 750 ML (#506511, SLO, $67.99)
- Sans Rival Ouzo Gold Label 1 L (#062266, SLO, $30.99)
- Scorpion Mezcal Anejo 1 Yr 750 ML (#052828, SLO, $40.79)
- Scorpion Mezcal Silver 750 ML (#056386, SLO, $32.49)
New SLO products:
- Avion Anejo Tequila 80 Proof 750 ML (#507205, SLO, $54.89)
- Avion Reposado Tequila 80 Proof 750 ML (#507203, SLO, $51.89)
- Avion Silver Tequila 80 Proof 750 ML (#507202, SLO, $47.89)
- Belvedere Intense Unfiltered 80 Proof Black and Gold Vodka 750 ML (#507178, SLO, $34.99)
- Chairmans Reserve Rum Silver 80 Proof 1 L (#507033, SLO, $51.79)
- Chairmans Reserve Spiced Rum 80 Proof 750 ML (#507034, SLO, $42.29)
- Chauffe Coeur Rhum Agricole 7 Year 92 Proof 750 ML (#507127, SLO, $49.69)
- Copper Fox Rye Whisky 90 Proof 750 ML (#507078, SLO, $46.89)
- Don Q Rum Anejo 80 Proof 750 ML (#507027, SLO, $18.19)
- Don Q Rum Black Beard 80 Proof 750 ML (#507028, SLO, $21.89)
- Flor de Cana Rum Gold 18 Year 80 Proof 750 ML (#507035, SLO, $56.19)
- La Muse Verte Pastis D'Autrefois 90 Proof 750 ML (#507126, SLO, $43.59)
- Tia Maria Coffee Liqueur 750 ML (#502401, SLO, $25.99)
- Wolfschmidt Vodka 80 Proof 1 L (#507026, SLO, $10.29)
Most people only know Avión tequila from the HBO show Entourage, in which one of the characters spends most of the seventh season starting a tequila company. The story is fiction, but the brand is real--you can read about this interesting new form of product placement at the
New York Post. With that kind of marketing, you'd think the quality of the product would be an afterthought, but Drinkhacker was
very impressed.
Belvedere is taking another stab at the post-vodka world with an unfiltered vodka that
appears to be something like a grain eau-de-vie. In other words, unaged whiskey. Their last attempt at post-vodka was
Belvedere IX, which is grain neutral spirits re-distilled with botanical ingredients, or in other words, gin. I'll give them credit for embracing the future better than other vodka brands, but it remains to be seen whether their loyal customers are interested in branching out, or if non-vodka drinkers can be enticed to the Belvedere brand.
Copper Fox Rye is a young-aged rye made by Rick Wasmund at his distillery in Sperryville, Virginia. Like his Wasmund's Single Malt Whisky, Copper Fox Rye has received mixed reviews and people seem to love it or hate it. Google up some reviews to see if it would be to your liking.
