Review: Gran Centenario Tenampa Azul Resposado Tequila

Gran Centenario is mostly known for their high-end tequilas, but they also make a line that's much more affordable - the Tenampa Azul tequilas. They have a silver and a resposado on this label - both are 100% blue agave, and taken from plants that are 10-12 years of age, supposedly the sweet spot for making tequila. In the resposado's case, it's then aged for a minimum of two months in oak barrels.

Tenampa Azul resposado is a golden straw color. Agave is rich on the nose, almost as raw and powerful as a blanco. The taste, however, is much more muted. Agave still dominates, but not in an overpowering way. The oak provides a lot of flavor too, and there's a hint of sweetness, particularly in the finish. Faint vanilla and citrus notes are also there. It's not too complex, but it's surprisingly sippable. Every bit as good, in my opinion, as Patron's resposado, and about a third as expensive.

This is a good tequila, and a phenomenal value. It's great in cocktails, good on its own, and only a couple bucks more than a bottle of Cuervo. Recommended for budget-conscious tequila lovers, and for anyone who's stocking a bar and wants a good tequila.

Price: ~$20

Value: 19/20
Overall Quality: 16/20

Review: Gosling's Black Seal Rum

Gosling's might be a bit of a regional thing. I had never even heard of it until I moved out to Boston, but it's everywhere here. And that's not a bad thing - it's a very respectable rum. It's one of the two ingredients in a perfect Dark and Stormy cocktail (the other being Barrett's - not Gosling's - ginger beer). If you haven't tried one, get on it! And it's not bad on its own either.

Gosling's bills itself as a black rum, but it pours out closer to a dark maroon. The aroma is, well, rummy, with molasses, spices, and quite a bit of alcohol bite. The alcohol, however, is thankfully much more muted on the palate. It's a very sweet rum, but with a reasonable degree of complexity - molasses, caramel, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and other spices. It's a bit thin on mouthfeel, but it's still not half bad to sip on neat.

It's nothing earth-shattering, but Gosling's is very solid. It works well on its own, and it's a must-have for making Dark and Stormies. And, for the price, it can't be beat.

Price: ~$15

Value: 19/20
Overall Quality: 16/20

Review: Tito's Handmade Vodka

I'll admit it - I tend towards the opinion that the best vodka doesn't get any better than neutral and non-offensive, and that super-premium vodkas are far more about image than taste. So maybe I'm less than qualified to write a vodka review. But, I was impressed enough by Tito's high quality and low price that I feel compelled to write about it.

Tito's is made from corn rather than grain, then distilled six times in pot stills in Austin, Texas. It's then filtered through activated carbon to remove impurities. Despite its fairly humble presentation (no frosted glass bottles, or celebrity advertising campaigns), it's been garnering rave reviews from a number of different sources - the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Drinkhacker, Spirits Journal, etc. Even as a non-fan of vodka, I figured that I had to try it!

Tito's comes in a standard glass bottle, with a simple brown label, and a neat copper-colored (albeit plastic) cap. It's a simple, plain look, with none of the flair of, say, Grey Goose, or most other high-end vodkas. But isn't it what's on the inside that counts?

Tito's pours a nice crystal clear color (it's vodka, so no surprises there). The aroma is subtle - medicinal, but with a rich sweetness. That also holds for the flavor - it's definitely got that vodka medicinalness to it, but not in an unpleasant way. It's rich on the palate, sweet, and you can sip it without much of a burn, even neat. The finish is sweet and clean. Not complex in terms of flavors, but very nice.

I think that Tito's is every bit as good as the Grey Gooses and Belvederes of the world (if not even better), yet it's priced like Smirnoff or Skyy. Whether you like vodka as a drink in its own right, or if you just want to stock your bar with something solid, Tito's is a great choice. Highly recommended.

Price: ~$18

Value: 20/20
Overall Quality: 18/20

Review: Old Monk 7 Years Old XXX Rum

I feel like Chris Hansen is going to show up at my door for having a blog post with "7 years old XXX" in the title. But thankfully for everyone, this post is just about rum.

When I think of the quintessential rum-producing countries, I can't say that India is the first one to come to mind. Or the tenth. But that's exactly where Old Monk hails from. It's a vatted (blended) rum with a seven year age statement. I imagine that seven years is the age of the oldest rum in the blend, rather than the youngest, given that this seems to be the standard for most rums, and that Old Monk is quite inexpensive. But is it good? Let's find out.

Old Monk comes in a squat little bottle, with a snakeskin-like texture to the glass, and hastily glued-on labels. It's an interesting effect, adding to the uniqueness of this spirit. It pours a deep amber brown, similar in color to a dark rum like Gosling or Myers. Its aroma is strong: butterscotch dominates the nose, with sweet caramel and alcohol also in the mix. The flavor is similar - butterscotch is still dominant, with hints of molasses and cherry coming into play in the background. Old Monk is also unusually sweet, and quite easy to drink, though not much for complexity. It's very nice neat, but probably lacks in versatility; I haven't tried it in any cocktails, but I imagine that its distinctive and strong flavor would make it hard to mix with, and tough to substitute for a more conventional dark rum in most drinks.

But, the price is definitely right. If you like butterscotch, and want a new sipping rum that's a bit off the beaten path, then you can't go wrong with Old Monk.

Price: ~$16

Value: 18/20
Overall Quality: 15/20