The Tasting Panel magazine

December 2014

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december 2014  /  the tasting panel  /  101 Grand Leyenda Organic Tequila Aged in lightly charred, brand-new French oak barrels, ultra-premium Grand Leyenda was one of the first 100 percent organic, estate-grown, 100 percent agave tequilas in the market. The land, the agave and the distillery itself are all certified organic. While some producers may use hormones to accelerate agave growth, no chemicals or pesticides touch the crop used for Grand Leyenda, resulting in full, rich flavors. The agave is cooked in an adobe brick oven for 38 to 46 hours—and no yeast is added to fermentation (a local citrus orchard no doubt offers up the natural yeast). The liquid is double-distilled with only a 20 percent yield; only the heart of the agave is used. The by-product of the tails are used to maintain and clean the distillery, making the brand both labor- intensive and labor-efficient. Grand Leyenda Resposado, aged 11 months and 28 days, offers up smoky, oaky notes with a distinguished array of savory notes. Our Panelists' Critique: "Smooth and delicate, this tequila is bright with notes of green peppers and butterscotch. Almost acting as a gateway tequila, its clean attributes make for a great base to add complex layers to in a cocktail, such as the smoke from today's cocktail." —Joe Keeper "A tequila of subtle complexity—it is very soft and feminine with notes of tangerines, honey, white pepper and green beans. And the delicate Vieux Carré variation was very juicy and caramel forward—savory to the core." —Zahra Bates The Smoke and Oak ◗ 2 oz. Grand Leyenda Reposado, infused and smoked with apple wood ◗ ½ oz. Carpano Bianco, infused and smoked with cherry wood ◗ ½ oz. Stolen Coffee and Cigarettes Spiced Rum ◗ ½ oz. Rémy Martin Cognac VSOP ◗ ¼ oz. Bénédictine ◗ 2 dashes Peychaud's Bitters ◗ 2 dashes cherry bark vanilla bitters ◗ Torched grapefruit peel for garnish Cory Alberto, Bar Manager at Table No. 10 in San Diego, CA. Tequila in a Champagne-Style Bottle Made from Scratch in the Midwest Koval Rye Grain-forward, rich and bright, Koval whiskeys are produced at Chicago's first legal distillery since the mid-1800s, where founders Robert and Sonat Birnecker chose to leave their academic careers in order to bring the distilling traditions of Robert's Austrian family to America and produce whiskies from five ancient grains: millet, spelt, wheat, rye and oats. For Koval Rye, Robert uses rye sourced from a local Midwest organic farm collective. Only the heart cut of the distillate is used and the spirit is aged in new American oak from Minnesota. Here's something of interest: In some Eastern European countries, the name Koval means "blacksmith," but the word in Yiddish also refers to a "black sheep," or someone who forges ahead or does something new or out of the ordinary. Coincidentally, the surname of Robert's grand- father (at whose side Robert learned the art of distilling) is Schmid—German for "smith." Our Panelists' Critique: "Such a complex set of flavors happening in this spirit—wood, banana, apricot, rose, butterscotch and tons of vanilla and caramel. The cocktail was unlike anything I have ever had; it was light and tasted like carrots and parsnip. Very cool and different!" —Brad Fry "So special! Nice nutty and mild spice expressions of the small grain shine in the whiskey. It is a luscious springboard the very skillfully composed drink that reminded me of rye toast with butter and apricot jam." —Tricia Carr Brooklyn Bound B Train ◗ 1½ oz. Koval Rye Whiskey ◗ ½ oz. vermouth ◗ ¼ oz. Luxardo Apricot Liqueur ◗ ½ oz. Torani Amer ◗ 3 dashes grapefruit bitters ◗ Brandied cherry for garnish Kelly Nyikes, Marketing Manager for Koval.

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