The Tasting Panel magazine

December 2013

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PHOTO: ROB BROWN SPIRITS Blue Chair Bay White Rum, Barbados ($18) White cake sidles up to a vanilla sweetness on the nose. A surprising delivery of cayenne greets the palate but evens out to a caramel mellow. A brush of sagebrush lifts up the sweetness for a complex finish. 91 FISHBOWL SPIRITS Astral Tequila, Mexico ($35) Richard Betts, MS developed this 92-proof blanco, sourced from a single mountain-based estate. The nose is warm: clay, lime, just-juiced agave and white flowers sing to the nose. The liquid is meltingly pleasurable, that warmth stays in place while brownies, peaches and pineapples appear in a ghostlike presence on the palate. 94 SOMBRA Midnight Caye Silver, USA ($39) Each bottle hand-numbered, signed and dated, this 100% Weber agave spirit has dignity: from its cinnamon/baking spice pungent aromatics to its teasingly black-peppered tongue nipping start. Think jalapeno on lime, olive brine on caramel and peppercorns on marshmallow. Pretty interesting. 92 On a recent trip to Paso Robles Winery Villa San Juliette: Winemaker Matt Ortman; SWS VP/District Manager Jerome Crannell; TASTING PANEL MAGAZINE Publisher Meridith May; and Villa San Juliette President/COO Hillary Trout. Bainbridge Heritage Organic Doug Fir Gin, USA ($35) Douglas fir trees from Fruitland, WA are the stars of this distinctively holiday-spirited aromatic, small-batch gin. Sweet lilacs line the path to the forest, where oils from the fir tree coat the tongue. Figs and chestnuts really do appear mid-palate in a juniper-inspired dream sequence. The finish is dry and teems with spiced mint. 93 BAINBRIDGE ORGANIC DISTILLERS TAILWINDS DISTILLING CO. John DeKuyper & Sons Crave Chocolate Truffle Liqueur, USA ($18) "Only 30-proof," I said to myself as I snuck another sip—and another. The dark fudge nose is not oversweet, so temptation does not come into full play until you taste it. With a generously spreading wash that reminds me of homemade brownies, the liquid is a nice surprise with no cloying aftertaste. 89 BEAM INC. december 2013  /  the tasting panel  /  73 TP1213_064-103.indd 73 11/23/13 8:34 PM

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