Review 179: Rittenhouse Rye

Review 179

9/21/13

Rittenhouse Rye: 50% abv

Background: Rittenhouse is a rye whiskey distilled by Heaven Hill distillery. This rye whiskey is made in the traditional Pennsylvania style of rye whiskey. We are still in the process of understanding what that means, but now you know it is in that style. Rye whiskies are made from a mash of 51% rye grain, and the other 49% can be a mixture of other grain types. Although Rittenhouse doesn’t have a great amount of information regarding it, it is known to be quite an eccentric rye, and it is bottled at bond at 50% abv. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time to dig deeper into the details, but I will review it for you!

Straight

Nose: This rye whiskey starts off with a heavy nose, with nice grainy overtones and some immediate ginger coming through. This very unique nose displays aromas of cocoa and dark chocolate brownies, some cedar and oak coming through. There is a hint of wood polish in the nose, with rich corn and rye aromas. Vanilla, oolong tea, and honey come at the top of the glass, with cloves, cinnamon and molasses in the backdrop. There is a slight dry apple smell in the top of the glass as well.

Arrival: The arrival is intense and bold. It is certainly not holding any punches. There is a spicy character up front, with hot cinnamon and allspice coming up strong. There is vanilla, barley, oak, and saltiness noticed right up front. Some milk chocolate is present here as well. There is some mint late in the arrival. There is a taste that very much resembles the smell of wood polish in the arrival as well, which is hard to articulate, but I just tried.

Body: Along with the mint carrying over from the arrival, there is a subtle chocolate character that goes along with it. The body is equally spicy and salty, with a subtle grape-like fruitiness. The body is substantially woody, with no shortage of rye character. The body is probably the spiciest event in the whisky. 

           

Finish: The finish is intensely salty, with a hot character. There is some oak that comes through in the finish, with vanilla, coffee beans, and chocolate. It is hot and spicy all the way through, which helps add to the intensity of the rye character. There is a taste that resembles artificial sweetness, sort of like a jolly rancher (I know it’s obscure). It is also oddly malty in the end as well.

With Water

Nose: After adding quite a bit of water (to settle down this beast), the nose becomes more grain forward. There is more soft oak up front, with banana coming through as well. There is a bit of spice still, but it isn’t nearly as intense as it was before. There is a bigger presence of wheat now, which attributes to a softer, creamier nose. Also, an unfamiliar straw-like character is involved here.

Arrival: With vanilla, cream, and slightly soft grain character in the arrival, there is much less intensity up front. The arrival has an interesting fruity sweetness to it as well. This is much different than before. It almost reminds us of melons and berries.

Body: The body retains the sweetness, the fruitiness, and the soft grain flavors as well. The body is still spicy, but keeps the vanilla and creamy notes strong. There is subtle citrus and even some molasses that comes out more, now that the alcohol has died down more.

           

Finish: The finish is still the most intense, but has shortened up a bit. The artificial sweetness is much more dominant here, with some molasses and a lot of grain coming through. The balance is a little different, with a little more coffee coming through as well. There is a complex blend of new fruit notes that is more dominant here. There is even some black pepper becomes noticeable after water.

Final Comments: Rittenhouse is a pretty eventful whiskey. We hear that the 25 Year Old is quite a brute itself. This is not what I would call a casual sipper. Rye whiskies tend to be a little bit more overbearing than your bourbons, but this was definitely turned up to 11. The flavor is intense and relentless, and I would not recommend this to a novice. Rittenhouse is a whiskey I love to drink one night and hate to drink another. Without a shadow of a doubt, it is worth trying more than once. It is complex, and more than anything, a unique whiskey to try. If you can find it at a bar, try it there first.

 

Why you’d buy it: You are the adventurous type.

Why you wouldn’t: You are stuck with Jim Beam.

Score: 8.75/10

Review 178: Stone Vertical Epic Series 121212 Ale

Review 178

9/18/13

Stone Vertical Epic Series 12 Ale: 9% abv

Background: The final chapter! There won’t be a sequel? Or will this be like Star War and start all over again? Well, without ruining the surprise, I sure as Hell hope so. This is a series of experimental beers produced by our bitter friends, Stone. The project started in 2002, when the first beer was brewed. The idea was to make aging-friendly beers that could be compared year after year. So every year, a new beer has been produced. This one, produced on 12/12/12 was the last batch to be made in the Vertical Epic series. The bottle impressively states that the beer is an “Ale brewed with spices”. Sounds very simple, if you ask me. Well it isn’t. The spices in this beer are incredible, and before this beer disappears, you should try it.

Nose: The nose is immediately greeting you with spiced notes of allspice, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, and gingerbread. There are some molasses and apple flavors that come out early on, with a small hint of fresh mint. There is vanilla and caramel present in the nose, with some cocoa as well. As the beer opens up, there are more dynamic notes of caramel apple and spices. There is an old oaky flavor that becomes prevalent the more you dig into the nose. There is some orange and a little bit of wood lacquer that shows up in the smell. This is absolutely a master class on what balance should be. We are really going crazy for this nose. Let’s hope the rest of the beer doesn’t disappoint.

Arrival: The arrival is favorably spicy, with features of apple, vanilla and allspice being major components. There is also some clove and nutmeg that comes through. The clove becomes more present in the body, but starts making its feature here. There is a slight instance of pear present, with fruitiness present. There is also a good pumpkin and pumpkin spice note blending into the body.

Body: The body is dominant in cloves, with dry pepper bitterness and some hoppiness. The apple and pear are still present, with wood and vanilla taking the center stage not shortly after. The cadence is great in the body, and builds from the arrival with not too much effort. The pumpkin spice comes through strong here, and lasts through the finish. The body has a great medium mouth-feel.

Finish: In the finish, there are dark chocolate notes, spicy notes of allspice and clove, and vanilla present right. Pumpkin, apple, pear and other brilliant notes are still apparent in this rarely epic finish, and it isn’t failing to entertain us more and more. The spiciness, with some subtle bitterness comes through on the finish and tapers off at the right pace, without losing balance at any point.

Final Comments:  Well I hope I didn’t give away too much in the background section (I’m usually better about that then I was today). This beer is incredible. It isn’t an easy task to throw a bunch of spices into a brew and expect something good to come out of it. The spices can either over-dominate the beer or underwhelm your expectations. This one didn’t do either of those. The balance of spice complexity and character with different sweetness and earthy tones really contributed to a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I don’t normally swoon over a beer, but I just have never tasted anything like this to date. I don’t think this is a Friday-night at college kind of beer, mind you, but for an experience, it is almost unsurpassable at a reasonable price.

Why you’d buy it: Because you read my review.

Why you wouldn’t: You hate things that taste good.

Score: 9.75/10

Review 177: Lunazul Reposado

Review 177

9/5/13

Lunazul Reposado: 40% abv

Background: Well before doing any research on this, I’d just like to make the statement that I don’t plan on being able to find much information on Lunazul. And hey, I’m right. At least we get a few facts to go off of. First fact: Lunazul is a pretty young product, being introduced in 2002. They are made by the Tierra de Agave distillery in Tequila, Mexico. This tequila is made from 100% pure blue agave, resting in old bourbon barrels for 6 months. Their Anejo tequila sits in the barrel for 12-18 months. Lunazul sits among some of the more reasonably priced tequilas in the world, and do not take much effort in identifying themselves as unique. But maybe the only thing they need to say is in the bottle. Let’s find out.

Straight

Nose:  The first thing to notice about the nose is there is a distinctive note of fruitiness that comes through, with a hint of vanilla complimenting it. There is some blueberry and strawberry present with a small aroma of melon layered on top. Among some of the other fruit flavors, banana and orange balance in the glass as subtle additions to the nose. There is a very interesting note of tobacco coming through, with some moderate brininess. There are intense notes of lemon and lime that come through fresh and crisp, bringing liveliness to the nose. In addition, a mild since of white wine comes to mind. There is clearly some agave that comes through, but it isn’t over-dominant. There is a slightly solventy note to the end.

Arrival: This is certainly dynamic, but I’ll reserve myself to the arrival for the arrival section of the review. We noticed a mellow, dry, vanilla-like arrival, with slight hints of fruit and agave creeping into the beginning. Lime shows up, not much to our surprise, in the arrival. There is a bit of strawberry as a lingering taste in the arrival, but almost like a strawberry yogurt.

Body: The body, after letting the arrival set in, is explosive to say the least. A hot sense of black pepper and spiciness come through in the body, still being very dry and intense. There is a bitter, earthy flavor that becomes dominant in the later part of the body. There is something of a pineapple flavor that sits in this part of the tequila.

           

Finish: The finish is surprising, like young, fresh grainy spirit, unaged. There is some mint and herbal notes. The finish is peppery, with some creaminess and lime. The finish is not particularly long when it comes to full flavor, but it lingers for a while on just a suggestion of its former self. The finish seems to be the least complex in the event.

With Water

Nose: The nose reflects a lot more alcohol coming through the smell, but does smell a bit sweeter as well. The prominence of the alcohol is blocking off some of the other smells, which makes for not a whole lot of brilliant observations. There is a bit of confectionary sugar and dry wood that becomes evident later in the nose.

Arrival: There is a sense of apple showing up in the arrival, followed by some bitterness and earthiness.

Body: The body is still relatively spicy, although shorter and not as intense. There is some sense of cayenne that comes through, but builds more into the finish. The agave in the body is still pretty intense, but fades off quickly.

           

Finish: The finish is hotter than before, probably due to the taste of cayenne. It is not to say that this is because of rough alcohol, it is simply a taste profile that’s becoming prevalent. There is some graininess that resides within the finish, but it tastes a little bit different than before.

Final Comments: This is definitely a solid tequila, but it was by no means revolutionary. We liked the fact that it offered some intense notes, a little bit of variety, but not a whole lot of complexity or depth. So without much analysis, this is an easy one to disposition. For not very much money, it’s drinkable. Going back to the statement at the beginning of the review about if they’ve made a statement about themselves in the bottle, I don’t really think they have. Like many tequilas, this one just sits on the shelf next to the twenty five other brands at the same price with the same advertising: “So smooth, you don’t even know you aren’t drinking water”. It’s a shame we don’t do more to encourage uniqueness and intensity of flavor.

 

Why you’d buy it: You were looking for tequila

Why you wouldn’t: You weren’t looking for tequila

Score: 7.75/10

Review 176: Milagro Silver

Review 176

9/3/13

Milagro Silver: 40% abv

Background: One of the struggles I have with tequila is that it seems to lack any sort of published information in a lot of cases. Brands are the only sources of information, and we all know how reliable those are. Milagro doesn’t seem to be much different. The story is about two college kids who love tequila and a master distiller who is tired of being told to cut corners. That sounds pretty good right off the bat; but it doesn’t have many facts for us. They talk about traditional processing, but who knows what they mean by that. We do know that Milagro Silver is produced at the Jalisco highlands and is 100% blue agave, which we like. Milagro Silver is triple distilled and is not aged, and that’s about all we care about. Among the rest of their range, they have a reposado, an anejo, and a “select barrel” series of tequilas for each of their different ages. Now, with no further ado, let’s work on some notes.

Straight

Nose:  There is an initial sweetness that comes through in the nose, with definite aromas of agave, fresh lime, and a little lemon. There are some greens notes, as the tequila smells slightly grassy and there is some fresh mint that comes through as well. A bit of vanilla comes through on the nose, complimented by a mild cranberry scent and some light champagne. There is a little bit of a star fruit and orange aroma that comes out, which I can’t say is too common. Also, quite surprisingly, there is a little bit of saltiness that comes through in the nose. Finally, there was a bit of floral smell from the glass.

Arrival: The arrival some strong vanilla and agave coming through. There was a slight brininess in the beginning. There is a bit of cinnamon and clove that creep in. There is a sense of youngness to the arrival, with a pretty prominent alcohol flavor and burn. It is not to the fault of this tequila, and it shows promising character for their aged spirits, but it becomes noticeable in the arrival. The arrival is a little earthy, but it misses on complexity.

Body: The agave and vanilla become so prominent in the body, making sure you know this is a tequila. In our last review of Hornitos, you could have questioned what you were drinking, but here you cannot mistake it, and that’s exactly what you’ll find. There is a lime-like flavor that comes through in the body. 

                                                            

Finish: The obvious happens in the finish. There is a lot of agave that carries over from the body, but to mix things up, eccentric notes of pine and mint come through as well. There is a shadow of green apple that can be found with some digging. Somewhat of a metallic flavor, albeit not a strong one, but certainly a noticeable one, comes forward in the finish. There is a floral, bitter note that comes through in the finish with a bit of tea tree oil to boot. There is an intense earthiness that comes through, with a green note to it. There is also a slight bit of pineapple that comes through.

With Water

Nose: The sweetness on the nose, after adding some water, really comes forward. The agave becomes very prominent and sticks out, with some of the alcohol edginess coming to the front.

Arrival: The arrival feels very much the same, but it feels mellower than before. There is a bit of pear that comes through in addition to the original flavors. This is not a good start to the addition of water, which can be well expected with a 40% liquor.

Body: In the body, the addition of water actually kills off the sense of agave, with some dry spice and vanilla sticking out, but it becomes almost drown in the water addition. Granted, this is not very much water that’s being added.

           

Finish: The finish is almost completely obliterated by the addition of water. Although a bit of the vanilla sticks around, as well as a bit of bitterness and some additional graininess, most of it goes away, and the finish dies away quickly.

Final Comments: This starts off as a good, clean un-aged tequila. It is simple, which we expect from something in this context. There is a little bit of a bite to it, aside from the alcohol presence. It is crisp and light. This silver does not handle water very well, which is not a surprise for the alcohol content and the lack of age. What is this saying? Where does this fit in the tequila market? Well in my opinion, if you are going to mix some margaritas but don’t want the thick, woody taste profile of an anejo tequila, a silver tequila is your best bet, and although I don’t think this is THE best for drinking straight, it would make a good tequila for a solid mixed drink.

 

Why you’d buy it: It is good value for money, plus the bottle is pretty sexy

Why you wouldn’t: You don’t like the color blue, or you NEED to be drinking Patron to show your class.

Score: 8.0/10