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From the Vault
All rights reserved
©2012 F. Paul Pacult
The following reviews first appeared in the December 2012 issue of F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal.
Product Reviews
Caña Brava Rum
(Panama; The 86 Co., New York, NY); 43%; $26.
Very pale yellow/greenish color; inconsequential sediment seen that is not a problem. Wow, the juicy fruitiness (tropical) and cocoa bean bitterness in the opening whiffs set my imagination on fire – for good reason, they are intriguing and tangy; another eight minutes of time in glass finds that the fruit aspect fades while the cocoa bean/dark chocolate element ascends. Entry is beany sweet and distinctively cocoa-like, with a medium viscosity level; midpalate is supple, gently sweet, not quite as assertive as the entry and just a touch spicy (nutmeg). Finishes very well as the cocoa bean bitterness starts to be eclipsed by molasses and brown sugar tastes. Fantastic in a Mai Tai cocktail.
Spirit Journal Rating:
 Highly Recommended
Clément Très Vieux Rhum Agricole – Grande Reserve 6 Years Old
(Martinique; Clement USA, Manhasset, NY); 44%; $57.
Very pretty medium amber/honey color; flawless clarity. First whiffs after the pour encounter fruity (tropical) and grassy scents that are perfectly balanced with the spicy oak aspect; secondary inhalations find that the spice element is accentuated by the additional air contact and that adds a tanginess that is highly appealing. Entry is subtle, delicately grassy/earthy/mossy and drier than I thought it would be; midpalate is multilayered, beany (cocoa), mildly grassy/vegetal and peppery. In the finish, there’s a lead pencil dryness that’s tasty, complex and narrowly focused on the cane juice base. Another sophisticated beauty from the illustrious house of Rhum Clément.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highly Recommended
 Clément Très Vieux Rhum Agricole – Grande Reserve 10 Years Old
(Martinique; Clement USA, Manhasset, NY); 44%; $70.
Bronze/burnished orange color; excellent purity. I find butterscotch, light toffee, nougat and mildly grassy/woodsy scents in the initial sniffs after the pour; another seven minutes of air contact brings out more of the charred oak casks in the form of caramelized sugar. Entry is supple, luxuriously textured, smooth as silk and tobacco-like; midpalate is bittersweet, with sterling flavors of caramelized onion, brown butter and vanilla bean. Mesmerizingly deep finish highlights the tobacco and the charred oak barrel aspects to maximum effect. Really delicious
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highest Recommendation
The Pink Pigeon Original
(Mauritius; Anchor Distilling Co., San Francisco, CA); 40%; $35.
Bright goldenrod color; minor floating debris spotted under examination lamp. Chunky upfront aroma is all about vanilla bean and confectioner’s sugar and little else; on later sniffs, the vanilla dominance limits any aromatic expansion so I move on. Entry mirrors the fat aroma, offering a one-note taste of bittersweet vanilla bean and nothing else; midpalate doesn’t bring anything new to the table; ditto aftertaste. Drinkable for vanilla freaks, but unsuitable in cocktails. Just too much vanilla, all the time. Anyone ever hear of a concept called balance? Sheesh.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Not Recommended
Plantation 3 Stars White Rum
(Jamaica/Barbados/Trinidad; Cognac Ferrand, Ars, France); 41.2% abv, $25.
Pale green color; flawless purity. Opening aroma offers delicate scents of brown sugar, honey and cocoa bean; later whiffs following further aeration encounter baking spices, especially, vanilla and clove; a bouquet of delicacy. Entry is pleasingly biscuit yet is bittersweet and light bodied; midpalate features round, supple flavors of dark chocolate, root beer, toasted marshmallow and egg cream. Finishes brief, refined and almost fragile.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highly Recommended
Shellback Caribbean Silver Rum
(Barbados; Grande Antilles Cane Spirits, Modesto, CA); 40%; $17.
Absolutely pure and limpid; sediment free. Lively fruity (grapy, red berries?) notes make this opening aroma interesting and compelling; secondary nosing passes after six minutes of additional aeration discover baking spices, mainly vanilla and allspice. Entry is alluringly fruity, mildly sugary and spicy; midpalate features clean, acidic and mildly sweet flavors of molasses, vanilla, allspice and clove. Great value.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
Shellback Caribbean Spiced Rum
(Barbados; Grande Antilles Cane Spirits, Modesto, CA); 40%; $17.
Pretty amber color; superb clarity. Intriguing smells of molasses, bakery shop, marshmallow and egg cream surface in the initial nosing pass after the pour; later sniffs detect very mild vanilla extract, cream soda, cinnamon and toasted marshmallow. Entry is soft, delicate, gently sweet and just spicy enough – what’s admirable is that the spice aspect doesn’t overshadow the rum element; midpalate is spicy, delicately sweet and honeyed. A spiced rum with a sense of balance. Outstanding value.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
GIN– INTERNATIONAL
 Ford’s Gin
(England; The 86 Co., New York, NY); 45%; $25.
Crystalline and flawlessly pure. Aroma hits my olfactory sense with big-time citrus peel (grapefruit is front and center) in the first sniffs after the pour, then it quickly downshifts to pine/cedar/juniper, angelica, orris, celery leaf and black pepper – this is a busy gin bouquet; another seven minutes of air contact help stabilize the juniper foundation as the satellite botanicals orbit around it in orderly fashion, most notably, cassia, grapefruit and orris; a lovely, sturdy gin bouquet. Entry is pleasingly viscous and silky and the dominant tastes are juniper-pine and citrus, in particular, orange peel; midpalate features a chorus of flavors that meld beautifully into a sophisticated, integrated finish of elegance and harmony. Easily, one of the best new gins I’ve reviewed over the last two years.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highest Recommendation
Gabriel Boudier Dijon Saffron Infused Gin
(France; 21st Century Spirits, Los Angeles, CA); 40%; $30.
The bright orange/new copper appearance is the result I assume in part, of FD&C Yellow #5 coloring agent as stated on the label; no sediment seen; since this gin contains saffron, why artificially bring the color to such an outlandish orange degree? A potential turn-off aspect to bartenders who pay attention and like natural products. Opening sniffs detect plenty of juniper and mild herbal notes upfront; further aeration time doesn’t stimulate more in the way of ginny aromas. Entry is strikingly sweet and seed-like; midpalate focuses on the herbal bittersweet and piney/juniper components but little else. Ends on a pleasant note of coriander, juniper and barely perceptible fennel. The high level of sweetness and the phony looking color might present mixing problems. They should try a hint of color, not the neon approach.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Not Recommended
London 40 Finest London Dry Gin
(England; Niche Wine & Spirits, Cedar Knolls, NJ); 40%; $25.
Clear, colorless and pristine as rainwater. Quite citrusy/lemony in the initial whiffs after the pour then softly pine-like/juniper once the air contact occurs; another six minutes of aeration release pleasantly earthy/dried herb notes that supplement the juniper and citrus headliners. Entry is alluring oily, keenly lemony and cedar-like; midpalate is chewy in texture, medium sweet, herbaceous, earthy and woodsy. Generally, I do not respond well to 40% abv dry gins because they are usually weak-in-the-knees, but this one works and it works well.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highly Recommended
LIQUEURS & SPECIALTIES – INTERNATIONAL
Calisaya Liqueur
(USA; Elixir, Eugene, OR); 35%; $47.
Pretty amber/orange color; flawless purity. Smells upfront of tangy, earthy, woodsy cinchona bark after the pour; another seven minutes of aeration merely maintains the focus on cinchona. Entry is very sweet and syrupy and earthy/root-like/botantical, even medicinal; midpalate is one-note cinchona, but there’s an appetizing element to the taste profile that’s gently sweet and amazingly earthy simultaneously. Concludes quite good and zesty. An able and tasty digestif.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
Courvoisier Gold Cognac & Moscato Wine Liqueur
(France; Beam, Inc., Deerfield, IL); 18%; $25.
Bright topaz/amber color; superb purity. First sniffs encounter alluringly juicy/grapy aromas that expose both the wine aspect as well as the cognac element in a congenial manner that encourages one to take a gulp; secondary nosing passes after six minutes of further aeration add only a jammy component that adds to the overall charm. Entry is simple, light in abv, delectably grapy and therefore highly quaffable; midpalate maintains the simplistic approach which while lightweight is nonetheless easily drinkable and, if chilled, a pleasant Saturday afternoon libation. Sometimes uncomplicated works and it does here.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
Early Times Fire Eater Hot Cinnamon Liqueur
(USA; Early Times Distillery Co., Louisville, KY); 33%; $16.
Pale amber color; perfect purity. I was expecting my head to be snapped back by the initial whiffs, but that did not happen as the opening aroma is more teaser than flamethrower, which I appreciated; next round of sniffing encounters a bit of whiskey that underpins the spiciness. Entry is tasty as the controlled cinnamon flavoring accentuates the whiskey – nice job here; midpalate features more of the cinnamon thrust. Aftertaste is more savory than hot. Very good for its subcategory.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
Gabriel Boudier Dijon Crème de Cassis de Dijon Liqueur (Black Currant)
(France; 21st Century Spirits, Los Angeles, CA); 20%; $25.
Opaque, purple/black color. Gloriously sublime bittersweet opening aroma is all-cassis-all-the-time and wonderfully brambly and leafy and viny and viscous and…utterly beguiling; aroma is so firmly entrenched in concentrated juiciness that even seven more minutes of aeration don’t subvert or alter the path of its mission. Entry is intensely sweet, black curranty and creamy, but also deeply brambly/viny. Delicious, all the way. Think Kir Royales.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highly Recommended
Gabriel Boudier Dijon Crème de Fraises La Fraise des Bois Liqueur (Strawberry)
(France; 21st Century Spirits, Los Angeles, CA); 20%; $25.
Brown/reddish/chestnut color; excellent purity. The slightly over-ripe strawberry fragrance leaps from the sampling glass in graceful, jammy waves in the initial inhalations after the pour; after additional air contact time, the bouquet settles down into a preserves-like profile that is more ripe than flay-out sweet. Entry is intensely strawberry-like, unabashedly sweet but neither syrupy nor cloying. Concludes on a mellow, jammy note that’s harmonious in its sweetness/acidity balance.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highly Recommended
Gabriel Boudier Dijon Crème de Mures Sauvages Liqueur (Blackberry)
(France; 21st Century Spirits, Los Angeles, CA); 20%; $25.
Caramel, cola brown color; excellent clarity. First whiffs detect waxy, viny, leafy scents that aren’t berry- or bramble-like at all but far more dusty, stony, plastic, rubbery and minerally; mineral aspect actually ascends while the leafy/vegetal side descends; what’s sorely missing is much evidence of blackberry. Entry is sweet, sugary and moderately blackberry-like but somehow misses the mark; midpalate is viny and waxy but not fruity enough to convince me that this is recommendable.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Not Recommended
Gabriel Boudier Dijon Crème de Framboises Liqueur (Raspberry)
(France; 21st Century Spirits, Los Angeles, CA); 20%; $25.
Auburn/henna color; flawless purity. This first aromatic burst could only be raspberry due as much to its viny/leafy aspect as to the ripe berry jam component; the preserves quality grows with aeration, making for pleasant sniffing. Entry is fundamentally jammy and incredibly juicy; midpalate shows more than ample acidity to maintain the focus of the fruit source and that’s the winning ticket in the crème liqueur sweepstakes. Ends on a bramble and berry note that closes the circle elegantly.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highly Recommended
 Gabriel Boudier Dijon Crème de Peches Liqueur (Peach)
(France; 21st Century Spirits, Los Angeles, CA); 18%; $25.
Golden honey color; superb clarity. The ripe peach perfume is radiant and vivid in the first nosing passes after the pour; in the second passes after further aeration, the aromatic focus shifts slightly to peach stone bitterness that nicely balances out the ripe peach sweetness. Entry is ideally balanced between acid, fruit and spirit; midpalate features the ripe white peach meat and a juicy backnote that lasts well into the aftertaste. Textbook fruit liqueur.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highest Recommendation
PunZoné Organic Originale Liqueur
(Italy; MHW Ltd, Manhasset, NY); 17%; $38.
Cloudy cherry red/pomegranate red appearance. The fragrant blood orange component is juicily apparent in the first inhalations, essentially blotting out any other aroma; the sangria emerges after seven minutes of further air contact and acts in concert with the blood orange, creating a vividly fruity bouquet of charm. Entry is mildly pleasant but not as stirring as the bouquet; midpalate features flat-tasting juiciness and an awkward taste profile where it seems that the sangria and blood orange get neutralized by the wheat vodka. Something fell apart in the taste phase. I am however giving it some points for the engaging bouquet.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Not Recommended
PunZoné Organic Lemoncino Liqueur
(Italy; MHW Ltd, Manhasset, NY); 17%; $38.
Hazy pale yellow/hay color. Very citrusy/lemony and crisp in the opening whiffs after the pour; another seven minutes of time in glass find the natural citric acid crispness degrading a bit, making the bouquet come off not as fresh in the second passes as in the opening ones. Entry is lightly lemony but the texture is watery and thin; midpalate is wispy, light, nicely acidic, ethereal and citrusy; midpalate highlights the lemon peel, but again the body is so flimsy that I can’t recommend it.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Not Recommended
 Sorel Artisanal Liqueur
(USA; Jackfrombrooklyn, Brooklyn, NY); 15%; $33.
Cassis-like coloring; excellent purity. BOFFO AROMATICO! My goodness, I detect major clove, nutmeg and ginger right out of the aromatic gate; this feisty bouquet is laden with zesty spice that lasts long into the secondary passes. Entry is – to my complete surprise – gently sweet, fruity, floral and spicy; midpalate is succulent, piquant, peppery, zesty and totally beguiling. Aftertaste brings all the various components together in a rush of elegant juiciness. Perfectly rendered in terms of spice, floral aspect, acid freshness and fruitiness. All the flavors are pulling the wagon in unison. Love it. Unlimited cocktail potential.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highest Recommendation
MEZCAL/TEQUILA – MEXICO
Casa Sauza XA, Edición Limitada Extra Añejo 100% Puro de Agave Tequila
(Mexico; Beam, Inc., Deerfield, IL); 40%; $150.
Pretty golden hue; unblemished clarity. I encounter substantial aromas of nougat, almond butter and pine in the opening whiffs following the pour; I give this tequila another seven minutes of air contact before sniffing again and I find additional scents of black pepper, sawdust and dried herbs. Entry is gently sweet, buttery and nicely viscous; midpalate offers nougat/candy bar flavors that I like even though I feel that if the vegetal agave was showing even a bit more it’d be better than it is. Woody/oaky flavors dominate in the swank aftertaste. I think that this tequila tastes good as an oak-aged distillate, but as a tequila I find that it’s one of the Extra Añejos that relies, in my opinion, too much on wood finish and aging tenure for its flavor statement and, in the process, almost all agave identity is eclipsed.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
Gran Patron Platinum 100% Puro de Agave Tequila
(Mexico; The Patron Spirits Co., Las Vegas, NV); 40%; $199.
Flawless pristine appearance; colorless as mineral water. In the initial aromatic pass I detect very subtle traces of agave fiber, white pepper and limestone; another seven minutes of aeration brings out more pronounced fragrances of citrus rind, shale and dried flowers. Entry is remarkably silky and smooth, with upfront flavors of agave syrup and stone which are buttressed by more foundational tastes of vanilla bean and green vegetable; midpalate is graceful in bearing, gently sweet, moderately peppery and long in the throat. Finishes elegantly, firmly and medium viscous. Obviously, great care was taken with this stately silver tequila. My sole concern is that Platinum Silver is so polished, reserved and shiny that for those of us who relish blanco/silver tequila because at its best it bursts with agave a certain rusticity is missing. Can tequila be too refined and upper crust for its own good? The tequila-buying public will decide.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highly Recommended
Sparkle Donkey Silver 100% Puro de Agave Tequila
(Mexico; Black Rock Spirits, Seattle, WA); 40%; $25.
Sparkling clean and colorless. Wow, this opening aroma is tantalizingly peppery and even slightly burnt match/sulphury or even closer to the reality, it’s like when you snuff a candle and smell the residual burning wick and molten wax; another seven minutes of exposure to air only add a pleasant vegetal scent that rounds out the toastiness well. Entry is moderately sweet, seed-like and leafy/vegetal and a touch fibrous; midpalate is drier than the entry, nicely vegetal and peppery. Finish is ashy, toasty and keenly veggie-like. Easily recommendable.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
Sparkle Donkey Reposado 100% Puro de Agave Tequila
(Mexico; Black Rock Spirits, Seattle, WA); 40%; $25.
Very pale straw yellow color; ideal clarity. Huge aromas of vanilla cake frosting and sweetened coconut abound by the truckload in the first whiffs after the pour to the point where it reminds me of coconut flavored vodka; another seven minutes of time in glass see the vanilla frosting aspect settle down, leaving behind mild agave salinity but scads of baking spices, especially clove, cinnamon and nutmeg; the most spice I believe I’ve ever encountered in a tequila. Entry is sweet, peppery and quite tasty in a baked goods manner; midpalate is simple, sweet, fruity and spicy. What makes this reposado recommendable isn’t its complexity or multilayered character, it’s the slam-it-down drinkability. A good shot tequila.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
 Tapatio Blanco 100% Puro de Agave Tequila)
(Mexico; Charbay Distillers, St. Helena, CA); 40%; $34.
Clear as rainwater; flawless purity. First whiffs detect remarkably clean fragrances of dill, green olive and brine; six minutes more of aeration stimulate deeper fragrances, including candle wax, black pepper, sage and textile fibers, an iconic smell of agave piña fibers; a textbook bouquet for blanco tequila. Entry is agave sweet, acutely peppery (green, black and jalapeño) and viscous; midpalate is waxy, highly vegetal, earthy/stony, dry and spicy, with a low-grade salinity. Finishes long, silky textured, spicy/peppery and balanced. A superb, technically perfect blanco that ranks with the great Don Julio.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highest Recommendation
Tres Generaciones Plata (Sauza) Certified Organic 100% de Agave Tequila
(Mexico; Beam, Inc., Deerfield, IL); 40% abv, $35.
Clear and spotless as mineral water; translucent. First sniffs encounter very pleasing notes of dill pickle, olive brine and green vegetable; with further aeration time, the earthy tanginess in the aroma accelerates to black pepper, agave fiber and dry earth/dry desert status; love this bouquet. Entry is sweeter than I thought it might be and as such some of the vegetal notes are eclipsed by the agave syrup-like flavor; midpalate taste profile returns to the dill-like, tangy and briny agave components that highlighted the bouquet and I’m glad for that. Finish is piquant, dry, keenly peppery and nicely vegetal.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
Tres Generaciones Reposado (Sauza) Certified Organic 100% de Agave Tequila
(Mexico; Beam, Inc., Deerfield, IL); 40% abv, $38.
Pale straw tint; perfect purity. Initial whiffs detect a supple toastiness, I believe, from oak that fades quickly, leaving the door open for moderately sweet, slightly salty and dill-like aromas; additional time in glass allows for pleasantly earthy/woodsy aromas of sawdust, dry stone and moss to come through. Entry is clean, off-dry, peppery and fibrous; midpalate phase turns to the oak influence, which manifests in flavors of gentle vanilla, citrus and steamed asparagus. Concludes lean, angular and mildly piquant.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
Vida Blanco 100% de Agave Tequila
(Mexico; Vida Imports, Manhasset, NY); 40% abv, $40.
Crystalline and pure. Lots of peppery, tangy and vegetal aspect here in the opening whiffs, which can only be from agave; aeration brings with it added fragrances such as textile fiber, sage, dill and pickle brine; I like this bouquet. Entry is remarkably salty/saline and fresh and vivid, showing good acidity; midpalate is long, nicely viscous, almost fat and rich, with green vegetables background flavors. Finishes salty, more vegetal than peppery and almost nutty. Lots going for it.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highly Recommended
Vida Añejo 100% de Agave Tequila
(Mexico; Vida Imports, Manhasset, NY); 40% abv, $49.
Bright gold color, but I see a little too much sediment for my liking. I detect some smokiness/toastiness in the first sniffs with this añejo, along with a nutty quality; six more minutes in glass brings out a pleasing agave/dill aspect that mingles well with black pepper and oaky vanilla. Entry is soft, a little fat due to lower acidity, nutty and herbal; midpalate is alluringly spicy, buttery, toasted and akin to dried sage and thyme. Aftertaste is medium long, oaky/resiny and vegetal.
Spirit Journal Rating:
/Recommended
VODKAS – INTERNATIONAL
 Aylesbury Duck Vodka
(Canada; The 86 Co., New York, NY); 40%; $25.
Wheat. Column still. Translucent, but some fibrous sediment seen under the examination lamp. Initial sniffs encounter delightfully dry toasted bread, breakfast cereal and Wheat Thin notes that are fully fleshed out and engaging immediately; further air contact brings out earthy/mineral scents that mesh well with the dry cereal aromas, creating a vodka bouquet of substance. Entry is in line with the roasted aroma, specifically, earthy, minerally and cereally, but is sweeter and more bean-like than the bouquet; midpalate is medium long, pleasantly viscous, coffee bean bittersweet and tangy on the tongue. Aftertaste is moderately extended, beany/kernel-like and satisfying. Well made, comes off more like pot still distilling and an ace for mixing in a Vodka Martini, especially. Impressive debut. A no-nonsense vodka with a firm core flavor.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highly Recommended
Broken Shed Premium Vodka
(New Zealand; Broken Shed Imports, Manhasset, NY); 40%; $35.
Perfect clarity; colorless and sediment free. Whey. Wow, it isn’t often that I smell a completely neutral vodka, but this one is virtually void of all aromatics except for a slight metallic/steely scent in the first inhalations after the pour; more time in glass doesn’t release much more in the way of fragrance so I move on. Entry is clean, crisp and slightly biting (assertive spirit) on the tongue; midpalate is brisk, tightly wound, dry and narrow in focus. Biscuity aftertaste is brief and feather light. No flaws to cite and as a result recommendable for fans of featureless vodka.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
Ice Cloud Vodka
(Holland; WX Imports, Novato, CA); 40%; $12.
Colorless as rainwater; impeccable clarity. Upfront aromas after the pour are crisp, dry yet biscuit and grain snack cracker-like, meaning this aroma is much more than neutral; dusty dry toasted cereal, kernels and popcorn scents are featured in the secondary inhalations. Entry is refreshingly dry and clean and intensely grain-driven; midpalate focuses tightly on the roasted grain base material. Finishes cleanly and ultrasmooth. Finally, a high quality vodka with a realistic retail price. Vodka lovers should purchase by the case. Remarkable value!
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highly Recommended
New Amsterdam Peach Flavored Vodka
(USA; New Amsterdam Spirits Co., Modesto, CA); 35%; $15.
There is a very faint yellowish tinge to this vodka, which is spotlessly pure. Opening aroma is juicy, friendly and peachy in an open, easy manner; secondary sniffs after another six minutes of aeration serve to ratchet up the peach meat presence; all in all, a good bouquet that supplies the goods. Entry is peachy ripe, pleasing and not, to its credit, overly sweet or unctuous; midpalate stage is slightly less alluring than the entry as an unwelcome metallic aspect enters unexpectedly that detracts from the peach element. Finish is okay. The midpalate flavor slip up took away the third star that would have put it into recommended territory. Too bad since all was going well until then.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Not Recommended
New Amsterdam Red Berry Flavored Vodka
(USA; New Amsterdam Spirits Co., Modesto, CA); 35%; $15.
Pale pink coloring is pretty and subtle; sediment free. First whiffs encounter very ripe red berry fragrances that are a touch manufactured, but is not overly sweet or syrupy; added time in glass brings out more of the ripe berry aspect to the point of being true to the source and authentic. Entry is more subtle in its flavoring than the Peach version and is therefore more compelling due to its acid level which keeps the flavoring in check; midpalate is pleasantly berry-like and moderately juicy, but not preserves-like at all. Finish is fresh, ripe and not in the least cloying or ropy. Better job here than with the Peach.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
Pinnacle Pumpkin Pie Vodka
(France; White Rock Distillers, Lewiston, ME); 35%; $13.
Crystalline clear, but with some tendrils of sediment seen. Smells sweet and snappily spiced in the first nosing after the pour; another six minutes of air contact bring out the pumpkin pie asset not, to my surprise, in an overly sweet manner but rather in a spiced-up, jazzy way. Entry is very, very sweet and regrettably cloying in texture; midpalate phase is actually better than the entry because the sweetness aspect settles down, leaving behind the pleasant cinnamon and nutmeg flecked pumpkin pie taste that, yeah, okay is artificial and totally manufactured, but hardly terrible. Admittedly, this type of ersatz, fad-driven vodka is not my cup of cake but to many thousands of unsophisticated American consumers it is nectar…and an easy buzz-maker. For what it is, it is not bad.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Not Recommended
PunZoné Organic Vodka
(Italy; MHW Ltd, Manhasset, NY); 40%; $43.
Colorless, but with minor fibrous sediment seen. Wheat. Smells somewhat grainy in the opening whiffs and is likewise a touch earthy/stony; seven more minutes of air contact release only faint hints of salinity, metal, gunpowder and grain. Entry is off-dry, limply grainy and unfocused; midpalate displays a bit more character as the wheat turns snack cracker-like (Wheat Thins or Triscuit); lightly textured, minimal oiliness. Very neutral in finish. Recommendable due to lack of flaws, but could use deeper texture, oiliness, which would push it into four star territory.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Recommended
Stoli Chocolat Kokonut Vodka
(Latvia; William Grant & Sons, New York, NY); 37.5%; $24.
Ideally pure and sediment free; pristine, colorless appearance. No question right out of the gate what you are smelling since both the chocolate (milk) and sweetened coconut flavorings are everywhere to be found in this pleasantly bittersweet leaning (thankfully) opening aroma; further air contact doesn’t necessarily detonate huge explosions of fragrance but I like the beaniness of the later stage bouquet. Entry is more bittersweet than sweet, in particular, due to the chocolate portion which balances out the sweet coconut aspect firmly enough; midpalate mirrors the entry stage, except that the bittersweet element ascends by half a notch. Finishes cleanly, a little roasted and appreciably beany/bitter. Best when consumed neat straight out of the freezer.
Spirit Journal Rating:
Highly Recommended
© F. Paul Pacult
All rights reserved.
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