Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/430172
december 2014 / the tasting panel / 59 SPIRITS Ménage à Trois Citrus Vodka, USA ($25) Lemon, lime and orange make this a true Ménage à Trois; the nose is sweet and delicate, a fluttering of flavors that you can't tire of sniffing. The string of zingy notes that merge once, twice, thrice on the tongue is insistent with each fruit's personality: tangy, tart-sweet and juicy. 91 TFE WINES & SPIRITS Tigre Blanc Premium Vodka, France ($102) Six-times alembic-distilled, this 80-proof cat shows it claws first, then purrs. Notes of mint and citrus on the nose lead to a palate of peppered wheat bread and anise. Produced in the Charente-Maritime region of France, it possesses a backbone and a fierceness—mixologists should love the challenge. A portion of sales goes to wild cat preservation organization Panthera. 92 TERLATO ARTISAN SPIRITS Hana Gin, USA ($22) Fruity and floral, from lime to violets—this 80-proof spirit in a teardrop-shaped bottle is a modern-tasting, well-crafted product. The balance of botanicals (including Albanian juniper berries) and spice, salinity and sugared passion fruit, should be a wonderful base for cocktailians' creativity. 92 TREASURE ISLAND DISTILLERY/ BRANDED SPIRITS USA Balls Vodka, USA ($25/liter) We can already hear the jokes. This fun, 80-proof vodka is not the big boy you think it should be—but it's not a "Mary" either. The label encourages you to "work hard, stop complaining, speak the truth and don't act like a Mary unless you're name is Mary." Well my name is Meridith and this vodka is worth a . . . 91 Tap Sherry Finished Canadian Rye Whisky 8 Years Old, Canada ($40) The perfume from sun- ripened peaches, honey, dates and musky gardenia are merely the introductory notes offered to the nose. This 83-proof eight-year-old is aged in white oak barrels and finished with a touch amontillado Sherry. Salted hazelnuts and blackberry are fine examples of some of the unique flavors that come through. Luxurious texture. 94 VAN GOGH IMPORTS Middas Cachaça, Brazil Savory brown-sugared nose, dipped in lime and sarsaparilla. As it hits the tongue, the impact is a flavor grenade that spreads out to all sides of the palate, imitating the notes on the nose. The softening effect of the liquid, which is spiced and excited, soon softens and blurs to a lovely oatmeal molasses on the finish. 93 SEEKING U.S. IMPORTER www.middascachaca.com 12345 123Tequila Ad 4.24 x 6.indd 1 07-11-14 14:23 USA ($22) Fruity and floral, from lime to violets—this 80-proof spirit bottle is a modern-tasting, well-crafted pro duct. The juniper berries) and spice, salinity and sugared passion fruit, should be a wonderful