Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/57654
88 88 Liberty School 2009 Cuvée, Central Coast ($14) Clean and meaty with dense, dark, full-bodied style; rich blackberry, blueberry and spice; supple and balanced with good acid structure and a long fi nish. 85% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petite Sirah, 3% Grenache, 2% Viognier. HOPE FAMILY WINES Tapeña 2010 Verdejo, Tierra de Castilla, Spain ($10) Clean, fresh and smooth with minerals, tangy quince and citrus; smooth, balanced and dry with juicy style. FREIXENET USA SPIRITS 89 93 89 93 Breckenridge Vodka, USA ($30) Fresh grain nose; silky, edgy and hot with dry, fresh, bracing fl avors; clean, classic style. Made with snowmelt from Rocky Mountains. BRECKINRIDGE DISTILLERY Pristine Vodka, Ukraine ($27) Lush vanilla nose; creamy, sweet vanilla and lovely crème anglaise fl avors; long and smooth, seductive with a nice hit of alcohol on the fi nish; extreme and quite beguiling. TOVTRY IMPORTING INC. Sobieski Cynamon Vodka, Poland ($11) Bright cinnamon nose and creamy texture; showing sweet, bright cinnamon and a nice kick of heat. IMPERIAL BRANDS 92 Alchemia Czekoladawa Chocolate-Infused Vodka, Poland ($31) Deep amber color; smooth cocoa nose; silky texture and clean, intense fl avors of cocoa and sweet chocolate; creamy and rich with true fl avors and long, lush fi nish. PANACHE BEVERAGES 93 90 92 Kansas Clean Distilled Whiskey, USA ($30) Pale amber color; fragrant, very smooth with creamy vanilla and smooth oak; mellow grain with toasty notes; quite lovely. FABULOUS AMERICAN BEVERAGES Glenglassaugh 37 Year Old Scotch Whisky, Scotland ($600) A North American exclusive. Medium amber color; nice bready nose; grass, hay and sweet oak with lovely elegant, creamy texture and a long, dry fi nish; lush and balanced with lovely style and graceful attack; long, smooth and concentrated with depth and breeding. Made in 1974 during this distillery's second life. Glenglassaugh was shut down again in 1986, but after being re-sold and extensively refurbished, it began producing again in 2009. We eagerly anticipate the results of the new production. PURPLE VALLEY IMPORTS 94 Suntory The Hakushu Single Malt Whisky Aged 12 Years, Japan ($60) Nose of smoke and dried fruits; toasty, masculine and burnished with smoke, spice and notes of creamy caramel; mellow, dry and complex with generous fl avors and great depth. CAMPARI AMERICA Señor Rio Añejo Tequila, Mexico ($85) Amber color; smoky, generous fl avors with toasted agave, fl eshy, complex notes with hints of caramel and vanilla; rich, spicy and loaded with fl avor. JALISCO INTERNATIONAL IMPORTS Southern Comfort Fiery Pepper, USA ($17) Smooth and sweet Southern Comfort with a fi ery overlay of Tabasco; mellow and sweet with intense hot spice and pepper; not for the faint of heart. BROWN-FORMAN Strawberry Cloud: -Fill a glass with ice -Add 2oz Rock Saké Cloud -Add 2oz funkin Strawberry Daiquiri Mix -Stir and garnish with with strawberry You I Spirit I funkin I The Perfect Cocktail www.funkinusa.com march 2012 / the tasting panel / 41