PLCB spirits catalog changes for the week of July 25th:
New in-store and online products:
Karlsson's Gold Vodka was created by Börje Karlsson, the same distiller who, many years ago, created Absolut. Don't hold that against him, though. Karlsson's Gold is so different from Absolut that it's arguably in a different category--Jim Meehan of PDT calls it "potato eau-de-vie." Unlike every other vodka, Karlsson's Gold is distilled only a single time with minimal filtering, because the goal is to show off the flavor of the seven varieties of "virgin" Swedish potatoes from which it is made.
The result is, judging from most reviews, exceptional. A Jigger Of Blog calls it "a vodka meant for people who enjoy complex base spirits." DrinkBoston.com muses, "vodka lovers and vodka haters might just be able to come together over a rocks glass full of this stuff." Even Dave Wondrich weighs in: "A high-quality vodka that's got the one thing so many vodkas are missing these days: taste." You can bet I'll be picking up a bottle as soon as it hits store shelves on this side of the state.
John L. Sullivan was the most famous pugilist of the 19th century. He was an icon of both the "sporting life" and heavy drinking, which inevitably resulted in his portrait becoming the second-most-common article of decoration in turn-of-the-century American saloons. (Most common was a print of Custer's Last Stand, courtesy of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association.)
Naturally, this made him the perfect figure to adorn a bottle of whiskey. And not just any whiskey, but Irish Whiskey: the spirit category most widely associated with hard drinking, not only in common practice but in ethnic stereotypes, too. Who would turn down a shot of Irish Whiskey named after a man who rose to fame by beating the crap out of people better than anyone else?
Later in life, Mr. Sullivan renounced drink and became a leading proponent of Prohibition. He'd be spinning in his grave if he knew that a whiskey named after him was being stocked in state-owned liquor stores born from the ashes of the 18th Amendment.
All that stuff aside, (but let's be honest, that stuff is what sells the product,) the whiskey itself is excellent. DrinkHacker gave it an unreserved A, William M. Dowd praised its "bourbon-like character," and Wine Enthusiast rated it 93 points. Another new product that I'll be picking up as soon as I see it.
On a more mundane note, Luxardo Maraschino was added to the online store, for those who do not live within a convenient distance of a specialty spirits store.
Products back in stock online:
Delisted SLO products:
Reactivated SLO products:
New SLO products:
New in-store and online products:
- John L. Sullivan Irish Whiskey 750 ML (#003932, Regular, $23.99)
- Jose Cuervo Light Margarita 750 ML (#003883, Regular, $15.99)
- Karlson's Gold Vodka 750 ML (#003944, Regular, $29.99)
- Luxardo Marachino 750ML (#030549, Online, $26.99)
- Skinnygirl Sangria 750 ML (#003915, Regular, $14.99)
Karlsson's Gold Vodka was created by Börje Karlsson, the same distiller who, many years ago, created Absolut. Don't hold that against him, though. Karlsson's Gold is so different from Absolut that it's arguably in a different category--Jim Meehan of PDT calls it "potato eau-de-vie." Unlike every other vodka, Karlsson's Gold is distilled only a single time with minimal filtering, because the goal is to show off the flavor of the seven varieties of "virgin" Swedish potatoes from which it is made.
The result is, judging from most reviews, exceptional. A Jigger Of Blog calls it "a vodka meant for people who enjoy complex base spirits." DrinkBoston.com muses, "vodka lovers and vodka haters might just be able to come together over a rocks glass full of this stuff." Even Dave Wondrich weighs in: "A high-quality vodka that's got the one thing so many vodkas are missing these days: taste." You can bet I'll be picking up a bottle as soon as it hits store shelves on this side of the state.
John L. Sullivan was the most famous pugilist of the 19th century. He was an icon of both the "sporting life" and heavy drinking, which inevitably resulted in his portrait becoming the second-most-common article of decoration in turn-of-the-century American saloons. (Most common was a print of Custer's Last Stand, courtesy of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Association.)
Naturally, this made him the perfect figure to adorn a bottle of whiskey. And not just any whiskey, but Irish Whiskey: the spirit category most widely associated with hard drinking, not only in common practice but in ethnic stereotypes, too. Who would turn down a shot of Irish Whiskey named after a man who rose to fame by beating the crap out of people better than anyone else?
Later in life, Mr. Sullivan renounced drink and became a leading proponent of Prohibition. He'd be spinning in his grave if he knew that a whiskey named after him was being stocked in state-owned liquor stores born from the ashes of the 18th Amendment.
All that stuff aside, (but let's be honest, that stuff is what sells the product,) the whiskey itself is excellent. DrinkHacker gave it an unreserved A, William M. Dowd praised its "bourbon-like character," and Wine Enthusiast rated it 93 points. Another new product that I'll be picking up as soon as I see it.
On a more mundane note, Luxardo Maraschino was added to the online store, for those who do not live within a convenient distance of a specialty spirits store.
Products back in stock online:
- Appleton 12 Year Old Rum Jamaica 750ML (#030991, Online, $31.99)
Delisted SLO products:
- Chieftain's Rare Single Malt Scotch Port Ellen 25yr 750 ML (#505368, SLO, $265.39)
- Danny Devitos Lemoncello 750 ML (#513470, SLO, $26.69)
- Douglas Laing Bunnahabhain 12 Yr Single Barrel 750 ML (#042400, SLO, $115.09)
- Douglas Laing Single Barrel Port Ellen 25 Yr 750 ML (#042403, SLO, $299.79)
- Everglo Liquor 750 ML (#056063, SLO, $23.29)
- Murray McDavid Single Malt Bunnahabhain Port Cask 750 ML (#071649, SLO, $84.99)
- Sabra Gin Passover Only 750 ML (#073143, SLO, $8.99)
- Sabra Vodka Passover Only 750 ML (#073145, SLO, $8.99)
Reactivated SLO products:
- Hiram Walker Triple Sec 1.75 L (#503011, SLO, $14.49)
New SLO products:
- Belle de Brillet Poire Williams Liqueur 750 ML (#514399, SLO, $47.99)
