Review: Don Julio Anejo Tequila

I'm back after a bit of a hiatus (lousy real-life obligations that don't involve drinking!), and today I'll be reviewing Don Julio's anejo tequila. Anejo refers to the age of the tequila - 100% agave tequilas (and why would you want to drink anything else?) are classified as blanco, resposado, anejo, or extra anejo, in order of increasing age. This particular anejo has been aged for 18 months in oak barrels, which gives it a nicely mellow yet flavorful character.

The tequila pours out a light straw color. It's a little bit light for an anejo, but this is probably a testament to the lack of any added caramel color to make it look like it was aged for longer. Oak and agave are dominant in the aroma, but lime works its way in there too. These are also present on the palate, but the flavor is substantially more complex than the aroma. Vanilla, grapefruit, and nougat all come to mind, with sweetness balancing out the sharp flavors from the agave. Salt and a bit of woody bitterness show up in the finish, the latter of which mars the flavor slightly.

In all, though, this is an excellent sipping tequila, and it also works very well in the couple of cocktails that I've tried it in - check out the Tequila Manhattan at Oh Gosh. Like most premium tequilas, it's expensive, but (in my admittedly somewhat limited experience in the tequila world) I haven't come across a better one.

Price: ~$55

Value: 16/20
Overall Quality: 17/20

Review: Vieux Carre Absinthe

Ever since its U.S. re-legalization in 2007, absinthe has enjoyed a surge of popularity, with a number of brands flooding the market. These run the gamut in quality from artificially colored and flavored monstrosities trying to capitalize on absinthe's mystique, to authentic, artfully made spirits from small craft distilleries. Thankfully, Vieux Carre falls into the latter category - it's a fairly new offering from Philadelphia Distilling (which also makes Bluecoat Gin, most likely a subject of a future review).

Vieux Carre comes in an elegant decanter, fitted with a glass top. The bottle is overlaid with a dark green pattern, which has the effect of making the absinthe look substantially darker than it actually is. The bottom of the bottle contains a fine sediment. It's not the most attractive effect, but it's a testament to the fact that the absinthe is macerated with real herbs, as it should be. When poured into a glass (carefully, to avoid disturbing the sediment), it's a dark olive color, with an amber undertone.

Vieux Carre has a powerful aroma - anise and fennel are the main constituents, but wormwood and mint are also detectable. Despite being 120-proof, it has a nice sweetness that almost makes it drinkable neat. Almost, but not quite - the flavors are just too overpowering. As water is added, the absinthe gradually becomes opaque. This is called "louche," and it's due to components of the absinthe being more soluble in alcohol than they are in water - as water is added, they precipitate out, forming an opaque suspension. It's a neat effect, though Vieux Carre's louche is somewhat understated - it's gradual, with none of the oil trails seen with many other absinthes.

At a 3:1 water-to-absinthe ratio (I wouldn't recommend going higher than that with this one), Vieux Carre is quite pleasant. Wormwood and anise are the primary flavors, with fennel, hyssop, spearmint, and citrus also present. Complex, yet highly drinkable. The finish is mint and wormwood-dominated, though a bit too bitter for my liking.

Vieux Carre is one of the better absinthes that I've tried. I will caution that it's somewhat overpowering in cocktails - I've used it in recipes that call for just a dash of absinthe, and it's still a bit too much. But really, absinthe is a spirit for drinking, and Vieux Carre does the job well. At about $60 a bottle, it's by no means cheap, but is still less expensive than most other (often inferior) brands of absinthe. Whether you're a fan of absinthe, or just someone who wants to discover what a good absinthe is like, Vieux Carre is a very solid choice.

Price: ~$60

Value: 17/20
Overall Quality: 17/20

Review: Aberlour 16 Years Old

Up for review today is Aberlour's 16 year old scotch. Aberlour is known for its bold, strongly sherried whiskys, somewhat akin to other Speysides such as Macallan and Glenfarclas. This particular expression is double cask matured - aged first in an oak cask, and then finished in a sherry cask, for a total of 16 years.

The time spent in sherry casks is clearly evident from the whisky's color, which is a very nice deep amber, with long, thin legs upon swirling. The aroma is powerful - honey sweetness, sherry, earth, and apples. The flavor is similarly rich, and quite complex. It's sweet throughout, with flavors of vanilla and sherry soon giving way to honey, apple, and peaches. Nice long finish, with hints of wood and tobacco. The mouthfeel is very smooth and pleasant, with the 43% alcohol content providing considerable warmth, but little bite.

This is an excellent scotch - it's pleasant enough to sip on for quite a while, and complex enough not to get boring while you do. If you enjoy big, flavorful sherried scotches, then this is not one to miss.

Price: ~$50

Value: 19/20
Overall Quality: 18/20

Review: Lagavulin 16 Years Old

Starting this site on a high note, I'm reviewing one of my favorite spirits - the excellent 16 year old scotch whisky from Lagavulin. The Lagavulin distillery, for the uninitiated, lies on the island of Islay, known for its strongly peated whiskys. Like its neighbors on the Southern coast of Islay, Laphroig and Ardbeg, Lagavulin makes a particularly peaty whisky, with phenol levels weighing in at a reported 40 parts per million, imparting a richly smoky flavor. The 16 year old is Lagavulin's core expression, and it's widely regarded as one of the premier single-malt whiskys. But does it live up to the hype?

Well, the first sentence was probably a bit of a spoiler, but let's take a closer look. The whisky comes in an attractive bottle, similar to the other members of Diageo's "Classic Malts" line, but tinted an olive green, making the whiskey inside look strikingly dark. This isn't much of a stretch - when poured out into a glass, it's a deep brown, with hints of orange and red, likely indicative of its time in sherry casks (and perhaps a bit of caramel color to help matters along). Legs are thick and slow to develop. But enough about looks - let's get to the more important stuff.

Lagavulin has a rich aroma of smoke and sea salt, with a touch of spice and vanilla sweetness. These components are also present on the palate - the whiskey starts off with a rich, salty smokiness that is powerful without being harshly medicinal. A note on the bottle attributes this to the aging process, which "takes out the fire, but leaves in the warmth." More than just good advertising copy, this is a pretty apt metaphor. The sweetness of sherry remains detectable in the background, but complements the smoky flavor, rather than rising to the forefront. The finish is quite long, with a sweet honey fruitiness coming into play along with the smoke. The blend of flavors is fantastic - each complements the other, making the whisky complex yet exceptionally well-balanced. A rich mouthfeel adds to Lagavulin's charm.

Bottom line - Lagavulin's excellent reputation is well-deserved. If you like strongly peated whiskeys but don't want something one-dimensional, then this whisky is a must have.

Price: ~$70

Value: 19/20
Overall Quality: 20/20