Punt e Mes Vermouth
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. The nose is deep and dense with a sweet, fruity wine core with generous supporting notes of bitter herbs, cloves, allspice, orange zest, and anise. The palate confirms the nose while possibly being more robust with a fruity, vinous core that brilliantly merges sweet Vermouth and bitters. Wonderfully intense and full-bodied with robust and assertive fruit and bitters in one ideally balanced package. $18.99 – 4.5 Stars
Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. The nose is incredibly complex and pleasing offering scents of orange marmalade, sour cherries, raspberry, allspice, clove, buckwheat honey, bark, mango chutney, and Earl Grey tea. The palate is in full accord with the nose delivering waves of fruit, spice, and herbs that become more dry and tart on the finish. Rich and full-bodied delivering generous fruit flavors with vibrant spice and citrus notes that provide balance and structure. $29.99 – 5 Stars
Van Gogh Espresso Flavored Vodka
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. The nose is filled with scents of dark roasted coffee with supporting notes of fresh cream, brown sugar, and cocoa nibs, with a hint of vanilla. The palate echoes the nose while offering more lush and intense flavors than the nose suggested. It's just sweet enough to carry the flavors from the fore-palate to the finish with trailing notes of crushed coffee bean. It's medium-bodied with bright and genuine flavors that offer as many subtle notes as assertive flavors. $27.99 – 4.5 Stars
Van Gogh Double Espresso Flavored Vodka
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. Dark roasted coffee, roasted nuts, double cream, and treacle scents with hints of vanilla bean and caramel. The palate is in full agreement with the nose delivering bitter coffee notes and sweet brown sugar flavors in equal measure. Full-bodied and warming with generous coffee and confection notes mingling with subtle spice and bitter bean accents. $27.99 – 4 Stars
Tap Rye Sherry Finished 8 Years Old Canadian Rye Whisky
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. The aromatics are very grain focused with toasted grains and nuts with supporting notes of clove, allspice, cinnamon bark, rancio, vanilla bean, and black pepper. The palate echoes the nose perfectly with a lush, caramel accented sweet grain core with loads of spice, dried fruit, and pepper. Wonderfully intense without being over-the-top showing great balance with a generous dose of acidity that keeps it vibrant. $39.99 – 4 Stars
Michter's Barrel Strength US*1 Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. The nose is beautifully complex with rich, sweet toasted grain in the lead with generous supporting scents of toffee, butterscotch, dried black fruits, charred oak, brown baking spices, and vanilla. The palate is in full accord with the nose delivering a rich, caramel soaked rye core with generous notes of clove, allspice, vanilla, black pepper, and nutmeg. This is absolutely an intense Rye but the ultra balanced flavors perfectly mask the high alcohol levels. $75 – 5 Stars
Grand Traverse Distillery Small Batch Botanical Gin
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. The aromatics are bold and clear rising from the glass well before it's lifted. Scents of juniper with vibrant citrus notes take the lead with accents of angelica and cilantro. The palate echoes the nose while being somehow even more intense with the botanicals becoming nearly chewy. The juniper and citrus have become fruity being framed by vibrant citrus zest and peppery spice notes. This is a bold and intense Gin with generous botanicals delivered on a silky, creamy bed of a beautiful wheat-based spirit. $35 – 5 Stars
Don Q 151 Rum
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. Wow! This is simply amazing and complex offering scents of dried and baked fruits, cigar box, caramel, toffee, vanilla, brown butter, cocoa, fudge, cola nut, and brown baking spices. The palate delivers on the promise of the nose being impossibly rich and creamy despite its obvious strength finishing with notes of black pepper and blast of alcohol. It's as intense as it gets while being surprisingly silky and gentle with a rich and chewy mouthfeel. $24.99 – 5 Stars
Limoncello di Capri Limoncello
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. The nose is alive with the scents of lemon zest and sweetened lemon juice. The palate mirrors the nose while being far more intense delivering a vibrant and generous lemon-focused core with the sugar being balanced by a peppery note in the form of the fresh essential oils. Wonderfully intense and refreshing with fresh, sweet lemon notes bursting on the palate. $25.99 – 5 Stars
Barrow’s Intense Ginger Liqueur
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. The nose reveals vibrant ginger aromas married with brown sugar with hints of citrus. Its aromatics profile is a dead-ringer for my homemade ginger syrup. The palate is in full accord with the nose with a rich, silky entry that soon gives way to flavors of freshly grated ginger. The finish builds in peppery intensity and lingers on for minutes. The Barrow's Intense is truly intense with a fresh and assertive ginger note that delivers the flavors and power that ginger lovers desire. $31 – 4 Stars
