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Tasting Notes
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©2011 F. Paul Pacult
The following story first appeared in the June 2011 issue of F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal.
Announcing F. Paul Pacult’s Spirit Journal HALL OF FAME:
To honor on a permanent basis the handful of distillates that go well beyond a five-star rating or, for that matter, an annual favorite spirits list, we're instituting the F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal Hall of Fame. These extraordinary spirits are point-of-reference distillates that have displayed admirable consistency and category excellence for many years. The F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal Hall of Fame will recognize that small coterie of transcendent, beyond-price-influence spirits that rise above ratings, reviews and lists and come out year after year to set the quality standard for their category.
Each year, Sue and I will choose no more than five new inductees to the F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal Hall of Fame. These spirits will be retired from the yearly rigors of our TOP SPIRITS list. They will be honored and recognized as exclusive life members of the most prestigious pantheon of distilled spirits in the world. The first inductees will come as no surprise to long-time Spirit Journal subscribers
 F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal Hall of Fame Inductee No. 1/Class of 2011:
HIGHLAND PARK 18 ORKNEY ISLANDS SINGLE MALT WHISKY (Scotland)
No big surprise here. Since 2005, I've called this whisky the Best Spirit in the World for good reason. It is. HP 18 is without any doubt in my mind or my experience the finest distillate I've ever tasted, and time and time again it unfailingly proves it. The quintessential whisky; to me, the ultimate expression of the distiller's art and magic. The greatest distillate of the current generation.
 F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal Hall of Fame Inductee No. 2/Class of 2011:
COINTREAU LIQUEUR (France)
The perfect liqueur in every sense of the word. Delicious served on its own in a small glass and the indispensable ingredient in scores of legendary (Sidecar, Margarita) and contempary cocktails (Cosmopolitan). Has weathered hundreds of imitators over the decades and when tasted side-by-side with its wannabes, it trounces all with startling conviction. A hallmark spirit of universal appeal.
 F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal Hall of Fame Inductee No. 3/Class of 2011:
MIDLETON VERY RARE BLENDED IRISH WHISKEY (Ireland)
Snugly positioned next to HP 18 as a whiskey that I would never turn down under any circumstances because of its inherent, reliable grace, majesty and lusciousness. A titan of a spirit that demonstrates how distilling in Ireland is at the top of the heap. A soaring triumph of the combination of water, yeast, grain, wood and genius, Master Distiller Barry Crockett's finest moment.
 F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal Hall of Fame Inductee No. 4/Class of 2011:
NONINO CRU GRAPPA DI MONOVITIGNO PIC0LIT, COLLI ORIENTALI DE FRUILI (Italy)
Still sends chills down my spine when I taste it. The prototypical grappa of this generation and probably of one to two generations to come. The most harmonious unaged grape-based spirit that I know. Perfection from the alluringly nuanced bouquet to the firm, tight-as-a-drum but bountiful taste that lasts and lasts. Superlative; an elixir of the top echelon.
 F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal Hall of Fame Inductee No. 5/Class of 2011:
COGNAC FRAPIN EXTRA GRANDE CHAMPAGNE COGNAC (France)
I admire all the cognacs of Frapin, including the intense, award-winning Chateau de Fontpinot, but for me the Frapin Extra is the best cognac in the marketplace, bar none. The one descriptor that lingers is "majestic". The depth of character is off-the-charts and the presence of rancio makes for astounding drinking. An ancient classic by my standard. My standing definition of Grande Champagne Cognac Congratulations to them all!
© F. Paul Pacult
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