Christian Drouin Blanche de Normande Eau-de-Vie-de-Cidre
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. Incredibly fresh with ripe, crisp apple and pear, sweet fresh press juice, and hints of citrus. The palate carries the nose being decidedly sweeter allowing it to fill the mouth with ripe apple and pear flavors and to linger on for minutes. Medium-bodied with rich fruit and crisp acidity that keeps it perfectly balanced. $48.99 – 4.5 Stars
E&J VSOP Superior Reserve American Brandy
Brilliant, crystal clear. The nose is incredibly fragrant with the scents of baked apples and dried red cherries supported by a generous dose of brown baking spices, oak, fruitcake, and vanilla bean. The palate is in full accord with the nose delivering a warming fruit-driven core with loads of flanking brown spices, oak, and a sweet cola nut note rising on the finish. Medium to full-bodied with layers of fruit and spice in perfect balance. $12.99 – 4 Stars
Pierre Croizet VS Cognac
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. The nose is incredibly floral with waves of ripe and baked orchard fruits, wild honey, pale caramel, roasted almonds, vanilla bean, and orange peel. The palate echoes the nose delivering waves of fruit beautifully intertwined with spice, caramel, and wild flowers that linger for minutes and finishes with hints of nutmeg and allspice. Medium-bodied with perfect balance flawlessly marrying mature wood-aged notes with vibrant youthful Cognac notes. $31.99 – 4 Stars
Grand Traverse Distillery Straight Bourbon
Brilliant, crystal clear. The aromatics are complex and pure with scents of toasted grain, caramel, vanilla bean, cigar box, smoky hardwood charcoal notes, nutmeg, and cigar box. The palate is full agreement with the nose offering a silky and zesty marriage of fruit, caramel, pepper, and brown baking spices with a silky blast that coats the palate and lingers for minutes. Medium-bodied and not as dense or assertive as many Bourbons, which is interesting as it's bottled over-proof without showing a hint of being hot. $54 – 4.5 Stars
Christian Drouin VSOP Calvados, Pays d’Auge
Brilliant, crystal clear. The aromatics are full and rich opening with baked apples supported by loads of brown spices with hints of candied ginger, cinnamon, honey comb, cocoa nibs, dried autumn leaves, and white pepper. The palate agrees with rich and drier notes rising to meet the fruit-driven core with flanking notes of mineral, salinity, and rich wine cask accents. Medium to full-bodied offering great density – being assertive while delicate with long, trailing fruit and spice notes. $84.99 – 4.5 Stars
Christian Drouin Vintage 1993 Calvados, Pays d’Auge
Brilliant, crystal clear. The nose is filled with the scents of honey, wild flowers, figs, caramel, and layers of fruit with toffee, apricot, pecan, and brown butter. The palate fully agrees with the nose delivering rich layers of brown butter and baked apple with loads of honey, assertive brown baking spices, and soft oak accents. Medium-bodied with perfect balance and a building warmth from the freshly toasted clove, cinnamon, and allspice. $191.99 – 4 Stars
Christian Drouin Pommeau de Normandie
Brilliant, crystal clear. The aroma of freshly baked apples fills the nose with supporting notes of brown butter, brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, and subtle caramel accents. The palate echoes the nose offering a very vibrant but rich, fruit-driven core with generous butter toffee and soft brown baking spice notes. Medium-bodied and very sprite with the open bottle being in grave danger of being exhausted in one sitting. $34.99 – 4.5 Stars
Clyde May's Special Reserve American Whiskey
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekRich, vibrant burgundy color. The generous aromatics are loaded with rich caramel, dried orchard fruits, toffee, butterscotch, nutmeg, cinnamon, Amaretto, and candied orange peel. The palate is harmonious and seamless being decadent with a spicy edge with loads of viscosity to give the Whiskey length and depth. It finishes with a complex brown spice accent, hints of clove, and toasted oak. Full-bodied and totally hedonistic offering rich, ripe, sweet flavors with great balance and dexterity considering the high proof. $70 – 4.5 Stars
Saint-Vivant VS Armagnac
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. The nose is very pleasing and complex with sweet, honeyed apples and pears, dried fruits (think fruitcake), allspice, mace, vanilla, and orange peel. The palate echoes the nose delivering a lush but very vibrant fruit-driven core with supporting accents of oak, brown baking spices, black pepper, and dried fruit concentrate that lingers with nutmeg, clove, and brown butter. Medium to full-bodied with ideal balance and length offering the full and semi-rustic flavors that Armagnac lovers seek. $28.99 – 4 Stars
Rumson's Rum
See the Full BevX Featured Review & Beverage of the WeekBrilliant, crystal clear. The nose offers a very distinctive blast of Caribbean Rum "hogo" that's found in old, traditional Rums of the region. Behind this comes waves of butterscotch, caramel, wild flowers, nutmeg, and allspice with hints of lime and toffee. The palate is in full agreement with the nose as the sweeter flavors converge on the core giving a silky and buttery mouthfeel with a generous dose of spice and wood to create a crisp finish. Medium to full-bodied with a rich and silky core backed by loads of spice, pepper, and citrus. $32 – 4.5 Stars
