Review: Christian Brothers Brandy with a Whiskey Element

Christian Brothers is the top selling Brandy in the United States.  Brandy sales rank for behind Whiskey, Rum, and Tequila, which is a shame because there is some top notch inexpensive Brandies made right here in the USA.

Christian Brothers VS Brandy is like and sweet, nice color.  Aromas of fruit and oak, and hazelnut.  Not very flavorful and young at two years old.

Christian Brother VS Brandy

The first step with the Signature Whiskey Element at 24 hours produced light oak notes, flavors of pepper.  The brandy is smoother, but the fruit flavors start to disappear.

Step two at 48 hours makes the Brandy super smooth, with a forward tannic oak flavor that is a bit funky similar to the Tequila I reviewed.

The final step at 72 hours brings in a refined oakiness, ever more pepper with the light heat on the finish.  This Brandy tastes like a light corn whiskey at this point as the fruit flavor is nonexistent.

The product at all three stages made for a great Manhattan.  This experiment was fun, but, the results overall were mixed; you may be better off buying a slightly older three years Brandy like Paul Masson.

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Recipe: Make your own Maple Whiskey

Crown Royal Maple Whiskey

I am not a flavored whiskey fan, but I will say that maple and whiskey do go together.  You don't have to stretch your imagination too far to understand how the sweet maple flavor is quite similar to the barrel aging flavor of whiskey; both flavors come from a tree.

There are several excellent products already out there Crown Royal Maple, and Knob Creek Smoked Maple being my favorites.

Why would you want to make your own?  You can set the maple flavor to whatever level you want, use whatever whiskey you want, and amaze your friends!  The recipe is simple, 4 to 8 ounces of maple syrup to a 750ml bottle of whiskey.  Let sit for a few days for the flavors to meld and presto!  Not long ago I would have suggested Grade B syrup as it is darker with more flavor, but the grading system has changed.  Now there are three classifications of Grade A, look here for more info.

I would suggest trying these combinations.  A smooth Canadian like Crown Royal or Pendleton with the light fancy maple syrup or bourbons such as Knob Creek or Evan Williams Black with the more robust flavor maple syrup.  I used a Whiskey Element in my Crown Royal then added the robustly flavored syrup to create a flavor profile quite different than the commercial product.

Have fun and enjoy!

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Review: Evan Williams Green Label Sour Mash Bourbon paired with a Whiskey Element

Evan Williams is one of the oldest most prestigious distilleries in Kentucky. My first choice in their line of products to try with a signature whiskey element is their Evan Williams green label straight bourbon whiskey.  This is a lower priced product at around $8 - $12 a bottle.  It is a straight bourbon whiskey with no age statement so by law it must be at least 4 years old.  The green label is their sour mash bourbon at 80 proof.  The taste is both sweet and sour with hints of charcoal.  Not exceptionally complex, but this is a value bourbon.

At the 12 hour mark, the element is already adding flavors of sweet candy corn, with a build of spice and a bit smoother finish.

24 hours in, we see even more spices, cayenne and black pepper, licorice, toffee with some oak hints.

Evan Williams Green Label Sour Mash

2 full days with the whiskey element this bourbon now has a bold flavor of sweet corn, vanilla charcoal, with a lovely lingering oak finish and light heat.

Now I won't kid you, we did not get a top shelf bourbon with the Evan Williams Green Label.  This is a simple inexpensive sour mash bourbon that the signature whiskey element does improve considerably but not as drastically as other brands.  However, this is the least expensive whiskey we have tried so far and I am very pleased with the results.  My assumption is the Evan Williams Black Label will be even better after 48 hours with a whiskey element.  Stay tuned!

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Review: Bulleit Bourbon with a Whiskey Element

Bulleit Bourbon is generally assumed to be a blend of 4 to 6 years. A high (28%) rye bourbon, that is as versatile as it is reasonable in price. This is one of my favorite bourbons, which is of course why we are trying it with a signature whiskey element

The element is just getting started at 12 hours by adding some lovely spice, black pepper, heat, toasted oak, black cherry flavors and light heat on the finish.

Exciting changes at 24 hours, roasted sunflower seeds, clove, and cardamom.  Spice and grassy flavors emerge from the high rye content.

Big finish at 48 hours, fiery, bold, moderate heat, flavors of burnt caramel, sweet corn in the mid-palate with lingering tannic finish.  I haven't tried the Bulleit 10 year Bourbon, but I'm going to make a safe bet say the $7 whiskey element definitely takes it that direction.

This was a great experiment in taking a top quality spirit and making it even better.  Manhattans and Old Fashions were outstanding also neat or with a single ice cube.  Quality plus quality equals top notch quality in this round!

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Recipe: Scottish Highland Liqueur Homemade Drambui Recipe

So we have all probably had Drambui at some point, either in a cocktail or as a shot.  Simply put it is an herbal Scotch liqueur that is light, sweet and spicy.  Why would you want to make your own? Because this recipe is really tasty and will blow your friends minds.  I am that serious.

Drambuie is made with Chivas Regal.  In my many tests, I found using a very bold and smoky Scotch like Johnnie Walker along with a sweeter than usual wildflower honey was definitely the way to go.

I have tried many many recipes, the best is from Classic Liqueurs.

2 750ml Johnnie Walker Red (Black if you can)
3 cups wildflower honey
4 tsp. dried chopped angelica root
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
4 2" strips lemon zest

Scottish Highland Liqueur

Combine all ingredients in a large jar. Cover tightly and shake gently several times during the first 24 hours.  After 24 hours, remove the lemon zest. Cover again and let stand in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks, shaking gently every other day.

Strain through a wire strainer to remove the angelica root and fennel.  Return to container and let stand undisturbed in a cool dark place for 6 months.  I made this a double batch for 2 reasons, first honey tends to leave to leave a murky deposit on the bottom quarter of the batch.  This is completely harmless and absolutely drinkable, so save the pretty bottle with clear liquid for your friends and drink the rest.  Secondly, this is REALLY good, and if you are going wait 6 months you might as well make enough to be worthwhile.

A few more notes about this recipe.  I found the most smokey peaty scotch (not necessarily expensive either) and the sweetest honey made for the best liqueur.  The smoke and sweet and herbal flavors become one in a way you won't understand until you try it.  I gave away 4 bottles as gifts to friends this year, and they all were simply blown away by the flavor combination, especially since you can still taste the Scotch.  Sweet smokey honey with and herbal twist.  I also used local honey from Bee Local.  Lastly angelica root isn't something you might easily find so you may want to order it online.

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