Drink

Ron Matusalem prides itself on being a Cuban style of rum with a history in Cuba they trace back to 1872 when two brothers, Benjamin and Eduardo Camp, together with a partner, Evaristo Álvarez opened a distillery in Santiago de Cuba. According to the Matusalem website, the rum they were producing began to win acclaim by the first quarter of the 20th century. The distillery apparently operated until the 1960?s when due to the Cuban Revolution the Álvarez family was exiled, and the rum they made disappeared from the landscape. The brand was resurrected by Claudio Álvarez Salazar, who is the great-grandson of Evaristo Álvarez. Of course, it was not possible given the political situation in Cuba to produce or bottle the rum in Cuba. Apparently, it is produced (presumably by a third-party as Ron Matusalem does not own a distillery) and bottled in the Dominican Republic. I recently revisited this rum and you may read my newest review by clicking on the following excerpt: Review: Ron Matusalum Gran Reserva 15 Rum “… The initial aroma carries more oak than I remember from my past experiences with the Matusalem Gran Reserva 15. It is a sort of honeyed oak scent full of spice and vanilla. As the glass sits, the oak spices build in the air and they are joined by scents of  banana and orange peel …” Please enjoy my revisitation to the Matusalem Gran Reserva, and of course my cocktail suggestion which follows, the Sloe Lime Daiquiri. Tagged: Cocktails, Dark Rum, Matusalem Rum, Rum, Rum Review, Sloe Lime Daiquiri

Nice golden hued Chard with an awesome bouquet sporting loads of honeysuckle on the rim and orange blossom mixed in. Creme Brulee, ripe pineapple and tropical fruit compote. Very nice!Palate-Racy acidity with mouth filling flavors of honey, ripe citrus, tropical fruit salad, and a finish that hangs on with Chardonnay goodness.This wine is the last of the wines I was sent from the good folks at Holman Ranch and somehow I unwittingly saved their best for last. This is their $28 offering and since I commented on their previous wines that I thought they were a bit overpriced, this Chardonnay is under priced--if anything--for what you get.It is crisp, and will pair well with food which I shall do in a few minutes coupling it with steamed little neck Clams and sauteed bay scallops. But it is also the kind of wine that would be great with a chill on it (not too much) and enjoyed on the porch enjoying a nice summer day so raise a glass or a case of this value Chardonnay from Carmel Valley!--A Review from The Wine Cask Blog. Creative Commons: Attribution - ShareAlike 2.5 applies

Last weekend, the 2013 Manhattan Cocktail Classic roared into town like a well-dressed, well-fueled, steam train.  Second in scope only to Tales of the Cocktail (held every year in New Orleans), it is New York’s stamp on the spirits world.  Now in its third year, the MCC kicked off the four-day festivities by holding its Gala at the New York Public Library (yes, Ghostbusters fans, that library.  And yes, at night). But this year, the Gala was ratcheted up to a new level of greatness by the addition of one aspect: the NY Spirits Room.  For the first time, amongst what is an inevitable crush of huge liquor brands, the state of NY paid for a room to feature 24 established, as well as newly launched, New York craft distillers.  To read more, check out my piece for The New York Cork Report:  ”New York Spirits Steal the Show at the 2013 Manhattan Cocktail Classic Gala.” Below are some pics I took from the gala.  Unfortunately, I was not able to document the Library Ghost floating amongst the stacks…but don’t you doubt, she’s there…

Another Louisiana rum hits the market, win a trip to the DR, booze 101 and more in this week’s news. ________________________________________ “A couple of doctors in the business of making people well have a new venture aimed at simply making people feel good. One-of-a-kind rum made from the natural bounty of Louisiana are distilled right next to rows and rows of sugarcane.” Donner Peltier Distillers enters the growing local spirits scene. Fox 8 has the details. Stephen Spark discovers one of Seychelles fastest-growing exports – Takamaka Bay rum. He talks to Richard d’Offay who, with his brother Bernard, founded the Trois Frères Distillery on Mahé island. Check it out at DrinksReport.com. Bartlett Winery and Spirits of Maine Distillery has launched a fine rum, made from organic molasses sourced in South America. Get the scoop right here. From our friends at Nooga. “Over the years, it seems that rum has gotten a bad rap. Maybe some of us drank way too much of the flavored stuff in high school, but whatever the reason, people rarely come into a bar seeking a delightful rum to sip on. So my question is: What isn’t there to like about rum?” Have you ever been to the Dominican Republic?  Well, this may be your chance.  Our friends at Uncommon Caribbean are giving away a week’s stay at a luxury vacation home along with kiteboarding lessons, island excursions and more.  Hop over to their site to register. The post Week 21 in Review appeared first on Rum Connection.

Fèis Ìle 2013. Here. We. Come. We set off for the Islay whisky festival on Thursday morning with Benedict and myself in one car, Cat and Monsieur Vachon in the Malt Mobile and a rendezvous set for that evening in Edinburgh, our port of call for the night. Successfully avoiding Ben’s extensive heavy metal collection, we were free to discuss vital musical questions such as “Exactly how many years have the ladies loved cool James for now?”. Vital, pressing questions. James Todd Smith: Rockin’ the Bells since 1985 Having travelled 450 miles from Kent, and spent a little time settling in, one of the first things we did was order a drink from... Kent. A 2007 Brut Reserve from Gusbourne Estate, utterly, utterly delicious sparkling wine. With the News Master of Malt team successfully assembled, we headed to The Bon Vivant, a superb bar and restaurant with adjoining wine and spirits store on Thistle Street. We can attest that every single one of their starters are gooood (#nomnom) and that the Negronis we ordered, made with our very own Bathtub Gin, were truly fantastic. We also enjoyed a bottle of 2008 Amon-Ra, a masterpiece of a Shiraz from Ben Glaetzer and possibly my new favourite wine. One of the best photo-bombing attempts ever, this guy flew into shot but was just too slow. By this point we were running a tad late, having agreed to meet the chaps from the Edinburgh Whisky Blog at The Last Word at around 9:30 (ish). This didn’t leave us time to visit Bramble Bar, which frankly, would have been unacceptable. We’re not big on ‘compromise’ or ‘missing out’ so we sped off to Bramble for a swift barrel and bottle aged Affinity Cocktail, their “potable zeigeist”! Potable Zeitgeist ...and so on to Bramble’s sister bar: The Last Word Saloon! Funnily enough, our friends from the Edinburgh Whisky Blog were already there when we arrived (sorry guys!), but we let them try a little preview of an upcoming release, which makes up for it, right? Good, lovely. The Last Word cocktail is a classic made with gin, Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur and fresh lime juice and they also have a chainsaw that’s powered by Hendrick’s Gin (honestly!). The Last Word cocktail Chartreuse on tap: unspeakably cool BrewDog Edinburgh would be our next stop for a couple of Dead Pony Clubs and what turned into a tasting of their limited edition Abstrakt concept beers. A handsome bunch: Chris, Lukasz, Tiger, Ben, Cat and Leighton Jake Here are my briefly scribbled tasting notes, along with what google has since told me each one actually is – happily they seem to coincide quite nicely! AB:13 – Cherry imperial stout aged in sherry barrels: “Black cherries, dog biscuits, slightly smoky, stout, biscuity finish.” AB:12 – Black Belgian IPA, Scottish Berries aged in oak casks “Fresh summer berries, raspberry, jam on the palate.” AB:11 – Black Barley Wine with ginger, black raspberries and chipotle “Gingernut biscuits, blackberries.” AB:10 – Imperial brown ale aged in Spanish red wine barrels “...” (Perhaps this one was less memorable?) The rest of the evening involved Space Invaders, some Maker’s Mark and an impromptu blind tasting of Lagavulin 16 for Tiger. He did, of course, successfully guess the expression (eventually ;-). Awaking naturally the next day and with daylight flooding into the room I had a brief panic before realising that the massive clock on the wall simply told completely the wrong time! A portion of Eggs Benedict later and we were back on the road to catch the ferry to Islay from Kennacraig. All aboard Finlaggan! (more on boats and ‘Finlaggan’ later this week) I’m on a boat and, it’s going fast and... where did I put that nautical-themed Pashmina afghan? Hello Islay... Jak

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Just one of the many videos available at the Tetley Tea Folk's YouTube channel. Adagio Teas - Best Tea Online

43% My Tasting Notes: Colour: Bright gold Nose: Stewed apples, toasted nuts, vanilla, polished wood, just faint hints of mild spices. Palate: Fruit and nut cereals, custard, toasted nuts, a little honey, hints of nutmeg. Finish: Medium long, fruity and slighly spicy. Overall: A nice malt that needs some time to open up, the mix of fruit and nuts is quite pleasant. Rating: 82/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$ Buy Glenrothes 1995/2011 at The Whisky Exchange Scored blind for the Malt Maniacs Awards 2012 where it won a bronze medal, re-tasted for notes

Our collection of Agatha Christie paperbacks isn’t complete but is sizable and, sadly, unread. So, I decided to plow through them all with the help of tea. Not in one sitting, of course.Read the rest of the article on The English Tea Store Blog.© 2013 A.C. Cargill photos and text

40% My Tasting Notes: Colour: Dark gold Nose: Fresh apples, vanilla, breakfast muesli, lemon, hints of nutmeg and pepper. Palate: Raisins, stewed apples, porridge, sugar, vanilla, hints of toffee, nutmeg and pepper. Finish: Medium long, sweet and fruity. Overall: The fruity part of this blend is quite nice, but the sweetness and the roughness of young grain are still dominating. Rating: 69/100 – Price Tag $$$$$ – Value for your Money $$$$$ Buy Cutty Sark Storm at Master of Malt Scored blind for the Malt Maniacs Awards 2012, re-tasted for notes