Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/674905
1 14 / the tasting panel /may 2016 SPEED TASTING REPORT Starting with grain grown in soil free of artificial fertilizers, pesticides and chemicals, Crop Vodka distills this Certified Organic American Grain only until specific impurities have been removed and won't continue past that point. In fact, this process works so well that the no other filtering, such as carbon or charcoal, is needed. To add the round texture and vegetable flavoring, the brand boils cucumbers and adds it back into the vodka—proving that real is always better! Tasting Notes: "The spirit is very savory, clean and flavorful—a nice blend of grain and cucumber. Slightly earthy (in a good way) and super refreshing, I could drink about ten of these cocktails; it would be great on a brunch menu." —Brian Means "Extremely smooth and a natural cucumber taste. I don't usually drink vodka, but I can certainly drink this. The cocktail was gorgeous with bright colors, and the agave brought the balance." —Gabor Rill CROP HARVEST EARTH CO. So Fresh And So Clean: CROP CUCUMBER VODKA Cocumber ◗ 2 oz. Crop Cucumber Vodka ◗ 3¼ oz. fresh lemon juice ◗ 3¼ oz. agave syrup ◗ 3¼ oz. serrano-infused beet juice Shake all ingredients and double-strain into a cordial glass. Garnish with ginger and cucumber foam. Breaking the Rice ◗ 2 oz. Kikori Whiskey ◗ 1 oz. Pedro Ximenez Sherry Cream ◗ 7 kumquats ◗ ¼ oz. lemon ◗ ¾ oz. agave nectar ◗ 1 oz. egg whites Add all ingredients, shake and double-strain in rocks glass. Garnish with sliced kumquats. Unlike its Western coun- terparts, Kikori Whiskey doesn't utilize smoke and peat; it also doesn't add color, sugar or spice. Instead, it uses rice and water from the Japanese island of Kyushu as the grain and distills it using a single column still, before resting in a mix of American oak, French oak and Sherry barrels for three to ten years. It will expand your patrons' idea of what whiskey entails. Tasting Notes: "Lovely melon, apple, tart citrus and spice—a sophisticated and feminine style with a delicate saké mirror effect. Quite unique and sure to garner attention!" —Jerry Cooper "Ooh . . . clear and silky! The rice provides the best kind of saké notes. Japanese whiskey that tastes like it is ready to step out of the loving shadow of its Scottish roots." —Pirate SOH SPIRITS, LLC Greetings From Japan: KIKORI WHISKEY Katarina Balalas, Vice President of Sales for Kikori Whiskey.