Z Tequila is the product of Jose "Pepe" Zevada. As the story goes, he spent his career in the spirits industry working with brands like Jack Daniels, Sauza and Espolon Tequila, among others. It was during this time that, as he gained experience and refined his palate, he began formulating his own proprietary process for producing tequila. The end result is the 100% agave Z Tequila, available in three expressions - blanco, reposado and anejo. Z Tequila's recipe requires mature agave plants between seven and nine years old. After the agave is fermented, the juice is distilled in short column stills....

Of all the bourbons we’ve been drinking this past year – for the record, there’s a lot of them – Bulleit bottles might be drained the quickest. For a number of reasons: 1) it’s good; 2) it’s moderately priced; and 3) it’s accessible. For an everyday whiskey, that trio’s hard to beat. Bulleit Bourbon traces its roots back to the 1830s, when founder Augustus Bulleit first produced the whiskey in Kentucky. After his untimely disappearance, production ceased, and the market was Bulleit-less until 1987, when great-great-grandson Tom Bulleit stepped in to revive the family legacy. For many years it was only...

One of the biggest product splashes of the past two weeks was the introduction of Captain Morgan Black – a higher proof, bolder take on Captain Morgan’s flagship spiced rum. Spiced rum is a popular market segment, mostly due to its easy-going flavor and mixability – Captain and Coke being a common call at bars. Captain Morgan has enjoyed dominance in this market segment, but has witnessed increased competition from brands like The Kraken and Bacardi Oakheart. Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum clocks in at 94.6 proof, well above the 70 proof original. It’s geared toward those who prefer bolder...

Rum is a fun category. Aside from the differences between aged and unaged, there are spiced rums as well as designations to denote from what the spirit is distilled. Rum is usually, but not always, distilled from molasses, which is a sugarcane byproduct. Rum and rum variants can also be distilled from fermented sugar cane juice or fresh-pressed sugar cane juice. And on top of the production process, there are also geographic differences. Cachaca is made in Brazil (and distilled from fermented sugarcane juice), while Rhum Agricole is distilled from freshly-pressed sugar cane juice in the French West Indies....

Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon is a 10-year-old straight bourbon from Kentucky. It is distilled and distributed by Buffalo Trace. Eagle Rare first hit the market in 1975 as a 101 proof straight bourbon, and since its inception has changed hands a number of times – from Seagram to Old Prentice to The Sazerac Company. The current iterations of Eagle Rare include a 90 proof 10-year-old expression (the focus of this review) and a 90 proof 17-year-old expression. Dive into Eagle Rare Single Barrel for aromas of toasted bread, vanilla, charcoal and almonds. Take a sip to find a very...

Malibu Red is the latest product from Malibu Rum, whose flavored rum portfolio includes the original coconut, plus line extensions like mango, pineapple and banana. But rather than another flavor, Malibu Red adds silver tequila to the rum and coconut mix. And like last year’s Malibu Black, Malibu Red clocks in at 70 proof. Malibu Red was created in partnership with singer/songwriter Ne-Yo. It’s becoming increasingly popular for an entertainer to back a spirits brand. Take Ludacris’ Conjure Cognac, for instance, or Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Tequila. Then of course, there’s Toby Keith’s terrible Wild Shot Mezcal. The good ones...

A lot goes into producing Clase Azul Plata Tequila. First, the agave: the plants are matured for at least nine years before being harvested for distillation. From there, the agave hearts are slow cooked for 72 hours in traditional ovens and then fermented using the company’s proprietary combination of yeasts. The tequila is double distilled in a copper alembic still, and the water goes through a five-step refining process before marrying with the tequila. The spirit is filtered three times before entering a bottle, and those bottles are hand-made by local community artisans. Of course, the intricate production process is...

Nolet’s Silver Dry Gin is crafted in Holland by the same family that brought us Ketel One Vodka. But the Nolet’s are not newcomers to the category, as the Nolet family has been producing gin since 1691. Nolet’s Silver is much different than your standard London Dry Gin, as it eschews a strong juniper base for one that’s very floral and fruit-forward. Some of its unique botanicals include Turkish rose petals, peaches and raspberries. On the nose, it’s lush and perfumy, with the fruit hiding behind that big, brash dose of Turkish rose. Take a sip and you’ll find some...

Greenhook Ginsmiths Distillery is a new Brooklyn-based outfit headed by gin aficionado, Steven DeAngelo. The company launched an American Dry Gin in February and will eventually be releasing a full line of small-batch, handcrafted gins. Greenhook Ginsmiths hopes to offer consumers new, accessible gins with more taste and character than what’s currently on the market. To achieve this, the distillery utilizes a unique method that diminishes the atmospheric pressure in the still. As a result, Greenhook Ginsmiths is able to reduce the temperature of the distillation environment to about 132 degrees, which is nearly 40 degrees below the normal alcohol...

Caorunn Gin (pronounced ka-roon) is a small batch Scottish Gin produced at the Balmenach Distillery in Scotland’s Spey Valley. Caorunn builds on the standard gin botanicals – like juniper berries, coriander seeds, angelica root and citrus peels – with five unique Celtic botanicals. The most prominent is rowan berry, from which Caorunn takes its name (“caorunn” being the Celtic word for the berry). The other Celtic botanicals are bog myrtle, heather, coul blush apple and dandelion leaf. In producing Caurunn Gin, neutral grain spirit is vaporized in a 1920s-era copper berry chamber. The botanicals are infused into the spirit, lending...