Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/97133
The Canadian Import Most Infectious Caribou Crossing Single Barrel Whisky, Canada ($50) Christian Drouin Calvados Pays d���Auge 1982, France ($240) This whisky is here to change your mind about our northern neighbor. The makers of the ���rst single-barrel Canadian whisky set their minds to produce the highest-quality whisky available. Drawing the absolute best from their inventory of over 300,000 barrels, Caribou Crossing was created by The Sazerac Company���s Canadian Whisky Maker Drew Mayville and aged in oak to give it that amazing complex yet smooth ���avor and great depth. Packaged with a solid maple leaf topper and blue wax seal, it is hard to deny this whisky the attention that it deserves, eh? Fragrant with vanilla and honey; smooth and silky, with toasty oak and mellow notes of caramel and spice; lovely depth on a long, balanced ���nish. ���My father transmitted me the calvados virus,��� says Christian Drouin, son of the distillery���s founder, whose calvados passion has, in turn, been passed on to consumers who love a well-crafted apple brandy. Like a well-preserved grande dame, the vintage calvados offerings from the famed Drouin family are intense, complex and just keep getting better as time goes by. Thirty years after distillation, the 1982 vintage is no exception, with mature ���avors that will continue to develop in bottle and ���infect��� future generations. Smooth and lush with toasted apple, oak, vanilla and spice; complex and mellow with lovely creamy texture and long, rich ���avors; balanced, complex and deep. ANCHOR DISTILLERS THE SAZERAC COMPANY Member of the Clique Best Family Elder El Cartel Blanco Tequila, Mexico ($39) Uncle Val���s Botanical Gin, USA ($40) What happens when several tequila connoisseurs, fondly known as the Tequila Cartel, get together and take a trip from their Southern California home to a small town named Jes��s Mar��a, in the Highlands of Jalisco? El Cartel happens! With their re���ned palates and vast knowledge of the product, the Tequila Cartel decided to make the most unique, smooth and ���avorful tequila out there. El Cartel Blanco is one member of their familia, twice-distilled from 100% Weber agave hearts and produced in the age-old tradition still in effect in Jes��s Mar��a. With this tantalizing cooked agave/lime/ chocolate powder nose, you are certain to want to dive in for your ���rst sip. Unctuous and weighty, the liquid almost glides across the tongue, while the upper palate is sparked with cayenne and white pepper. Green tea and spearmint appear on second pass, and the stony minerality, edged with a pinch of salt, also lines up in this layered white spirit. Not just any uncle is cool enough to have an artisan gin named after him! Proving that there���s more to family connections than awkward chats over a Thanksgiving bird, Uncle Val���s Botanical Gin was inspired by the garden-loving uncle of 35 Maple Street���s President, August Sebastiani. The result is a small-batch gin that highlights Tuscan botanicals���which also happen to be Uncle Val���s favorite cooking ingredients. This is an artisan spirit that���s made with serious familial love. Tangerine, lemon blossoms and blue ���owers sing the praises of gin! Made from lemon, juniper, cucumber, sage and lavender, but we pick up a lovely weight and a syrup of white-peppered marshmallow that made these all the more appealing. 35 MAPLE STREET THE TEQUILA CARTEL december 2012 / the tasting panel / 147