Tag: flavored whiskey

Duke & Dame whiskey

Duke & Dame Salted Caramel Whiskey

2 Comments

When asked at a dinner party what flavor whiskey he would create if given a chance, Chima Burey, co-founder of Duke & Dame, responded with a whiskey that tastes like Sugar Daddy candy or Werther’s Original caramels.

Whiskey mixed with a hint of salted caramel—what could go wrong? Absolutely nothing. Caramel is a familiar note in many whiskeys, so the mix is a match made in heaven, or in this case, barrels.

The founders of Duke & Dame, Amani Macaulay and Chima Burey, have created a smooth spirit that blends whiskeys (including bourbon and corn whiskies) with 100% natural salted caramel flavor. You won’t find a chemical-type caramel flavoring in Duke & Dame. Imagine biting into a salted caramel and then taking a sip of whiskey. The combo is perfection, and Duke & Dame nailed it.

Here are the notes you’ll enjoy in Duke & Dame Salted Caramel Whiskey:

Nose: Butterscotch, vanilla, caramel

Palate: Caramel, oak, toffee

Finish: buttery, sweet, a long, satisfying finish

Duke & Dame Salted Caramel Whiskey is an excellent choice if you are looking for a sipping whiskey. It’s lovely served neat or over ice. It’s also a great sipper if you’re new to whiskey or do not enjoy the heat of peppery ryes and other high-proof whiskeys. At only 70 proof, Duke & Dame packs in plenty of flavor without the burn.

After enjoying some slow sipping of our Duke & Dame Salted Caramel Whiskey, we decided to put it to the “Old-Fashioned” test. The distillery offers its own Old Fashioned recipe; however, we used our classic recipe with the Duke & Dame whiskey. The result: we have a winner. I LOVED it. I do recommend leaving out the simple syrup in the recipe. The whiskey is sweet enough.

As mentioned, caramel and whiskey pair fabulously together, each complementing the other. Unsurprisingly, salted caramel whiskey makes a beautiful Old Fashioned (I do recommend leaving out the simple syrup in the recipe. The whiskey is sweet enough). Duke & Dame has some other magical cocktail recipes you can try at home. How about a little Caramel Pumpkin Pie, or Caramel Apple Sangria? I know…it’s distracting.

As bourbon collectors, I can’t help but wonder if we will ever get tired of it or if, eventually, nothing new and unique will come along. Labels like Duke & Dame remind us that there will always be a new whiskey adventure to look forward to. As long as creative and passionate people like Amani Macaulay and Chima Burey are willing to turn dreams into reality, whiskey will never get boring, and we will never have too many bottles. Check out Duke & Dame, where you can purchase a bottle and stock up on holiday gifts.

Chattanooga whiskey batch 036

CHATTANOOGA WHISKEY RELEASES BATCH 036: HERBAL INFUSED

Leave a comment

The following is a press release from Chattanooga Whiskey:

Chattanooga whiskey

Chattanooga, TN (January 2024) – Chattanooga Whiskey today announced the newest release in their
award-winning Experimental Single Batch Series: Batch 036: Herbal Infused. Inspired by the traditional kräuterlikörs of Germany, this experimental bourbon liqueur combines a German-malt-laden mash bill with an infusion of über-traditional botanicals, including star anise, ginseng, bilberry, and sarsaparilla.

“Since it began in 2017, our Experimental Series has been a playground for our distilling
team – allowing them to explore traditional and lesser-known spirit styles from around the world. Batch 036: Herbal Infused explores a very underappreciated German liqueur style and reimagines it through our Tennessee High Malt lens. The result beautifully balances both tradition and experimentation, taking a world-class style to another level.” – Grant McCracken, Chief Product Officer.

As with their previous liqueurs, Batch 036 was crafted from a base of the company’s trademarked Tennessee High Malt Whiskey – which in this case contained a variety of German specialty malts, including pale wheat malt and chocolate malt – infused with 100% natural botanical ingredients. After aging in single-use bourbon barrels for an entire year, dark candi syrup was blended into the spirit before being bottled in a green bottle, symbolic of the German herbal liqueur style.

“Every one of our liqueurs uses 100% real whiskey and real ingredients, but Herbal Infused takes this
approach to another level – infusing 14 different botanicals in multiple “waves,” each one for different periods of time. This approach pulls the best characteristics from every ingredient – carefully layering each botanical flavor on top of the next.” – Grant McCracken, Chief Product Officer.

Batch 036: Herbal Infused will be available at the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery at $49.99 for a 750ml bottle and online for shipping to select states on Seelbachs.com. Bottled at 81 proof, expect notes of root beer float, black licorice, blueberry preserves, and chocolate mint, with a woody ginseng finish. Enjoy chilled alongside a traditional German beer or as a digestif.

About Chattanooga Whiskey:
In 2011, Chattanooga Whiskey challenged the laws and won the right to distill whiskey in Chattanooga
for the first time in 100 years. The Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery now hosts over 40,000 visitors per year and serves as a hub of innovation and creativity to push the boundaries of craft whiskey.

The Riverfront Distillery is the production home to Chattanooga Whiskey’s signature expressions, Chattanooga Whiskey 91, Cask 111, and 99 Rye, as well as their Bottled in Bond Vintage Series and Barrel Finishing Series. More recently, Chattanooga Whiskey won the Icons of Whisky – Craft Producer of the Year award (American & Global) at Whisky Magazine’s 2023 World Whiskies Awards.

Chattanooga Whiskey: http://www.chattanoogawhiskey.com
Experimental Distillery 1439 Market Street, Chattanooga, TN
Riverfront Distillery 890 Riverfront Parkway, Chattanooga, TN

Bucha Colada

3 Comments

If you dig piña coladas, you’ll appreciate this one. Buchanan’s Pineapple puts a new twist on the classic, and truly, it was made for this tropical drink.

Bucha Colada drink

Over crushed ice or frozen

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Buchanan’s Pineapple

• 2 oz Pineapple Juice

• 1 oz Coconut Cream

• 0.75 oz Fresh Lime Juice

Glassware: Highball Glass

Garnish: Lime Wheel, Angostura Bitters Float

Instructions: Add Buchanan’s Pineapple, pineapple juice, coconut cream, lime juice, and ice

into a shaker and shake until cold. Pour into a highball glass filled with crushed ice, and

top with a float of Angostura bitters. Garnish with a lime wheel.

Alternatively, you can make this frozen in a blender.

Pina fizz drink

Piña Fizz

1 Comment
Pina fizz drink

Feeling tropical, or even worse, feeling winter? Here’s what you need to do…grab some Buchanan’s Pineapple, mineral water, a little Tajin, and a lime. That’s all you need, though a spray tan and some sunglasses wouldn’t hurt.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz Buchanan’s Pineapple

• 4 oz mineral water

Glassware: Highball Glass

Garnish: Tajin rime, Lime Wedge

Instructions: Squeeze a little lime juice onto a plate and then some Tajin seasoning on another plate. Dip the rim of the highball glass in the lime juice and then coat the rim with Tajin. Pour Buchannan’s Pineapple into the glass, over ice, and top with mineral water. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Buchanan's Pineapple

Buchanan’s Pineapple

Leave a comment

Buchanan’s Pineapple is tropical sunshine in a bottle.

Buchanan's Pineapple

Buchanan’s Whisky is well known for its blended Scotch whisky, but are you aware of one of the most popular ways to mix it? In the Hispanic American community, Buchanan’s whisky is often mixed with pineapple juice as a refreshing cocktail (The Buchanita). So, Buchanan’s made it even easier by combining pineapple and whisky in one bottle. Buchanan’s Pineapple is the first of its kind in the Buchanan portfolio, and you’ll be glad they finally did it. The company was generous enough to send me a sample, and here’s what I found…

The Nose:

The aroma is pineapple-forward with other citrus.

The Palate:

I have to repeat pineapple-forward, but it’s not overkill. This is a sweet-flavored whisky; when they say pineapple, they mean pineapple. On the palate, there is a light note of caramel and vanilla.

The Finish:

At the finish, you’ll remember you’re drinking a blended Scotch whisky. The slightest taste of iodine lingers on the tongue along with tropical fruit.

I know there are skeptics out there regarding flavored whisky; however, perhaps that’s because they had to cut their teeth on the hard stuff back in the day. Today, with a whisky like Buchanan’s Pineapple, a newbie can try whisky without getting “burned.” At only 70 proof, it goes down easy and reveals the slightest taste of Scotch. For old pros, Buchanan’s shakes things up a bit and makes drinking Scotch fun. The pineapple is surprisingly refreshing, and well, to tell you the truth, it was a welcome change for someone currently living through a northern winter. It took me to a tropical paradise, which is what Buchanan wants to do.

Buchanan’s Pineapple is running a campaign on social media for those 21 and older called “It’s Piña,” and it’s all about encouraging a tropical state of mind, whether at home or out on the town. James Buchanan, the founder of Buchanan’s whisky, believed in community and sharing, which led to the 200% concept: 100% American identity + 100% Hispanic identity = 200% life. How beautiful is that?

I don’t see Buchanan’s Pineapple as a Scotch to sip neat but rather on the rocks. Even better, it’s perfect for cocktails. Check out the recipes for Piña Fizz and Bucha Colada.

Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey

1 Comment

Hear me out. I am fairly new to the bourbon whiskey scene but came in fast as a writer who does research on topics I know little about. My love for bourbon is born not only out of taste but also out of respect for its history and stories. I’m full of random facts and constantly learning more. One thing I learned early on when studying bourbon is that you don’t mess with the way things are done. It makes those of us who believe in the rich traditions of Kentucky bourbon, nervous. After tasting a bourbon with the added flavor of chocolate, I see that tradition can remain as whiskey evolves.

Ballotin is created by Saloon Spirits, LLC, in Louisville, Kentucky, and was founded by Paul Tuell. Paul is a Kentucky boy himself and didn’t go into this half-hazard. He understands bourbon and has created a drink that brings out the beautiful bourbon notes we love rather than covering them up. It’s like pairing the right chocolate with the perfect bourbon, all in one bottle.

My husband and I sat down to finally taste our bottle of Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey the other night. It had been torture opening the bottle each day just to get a sniff and maybe steal a tiny sip here and there. I felt it was best we do not drink it on a weeknight in case we couldn’t resist overindulging. I have to say, this drink is tough to put down.

The notes in Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey

I recommend you allow the Ballotin to open up before beginning your taste. You can do this by allowing it to sit in the glass for a while or adding a couple of drops of water.

Here are the notes we found:

The color

The gorgeous color changes depending on the lighting. At first, I saw a deep, golden amber and then near a different light, the whiskey was a garnet red.

On the nose

*Very vanilla forward with sweet dark cherry.

*A slight hint of oak

*Pipe tobacco

*After it opened up we noted a nuttiness as well

The Palate

*On the tongue, dark chocolate as well as vanilla and mocha

*Spicey notes (slightly cinnamon) mingling with tobacco

The Finish

*caramel finish that lingers on the tongue for quite some time

What surprised us is the layers of this chocolate whiskey. I wasn’t expecting it. We were giddy with excitement (you understand I’m sure) as it continued to open up and we continued to taste new notes, including butterscotch and a subtle hint of orange.

Add Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey to your collection

Ballotin Chocolate Whiskey feels and tastes like a luxurious dessert. There’s a sweetness that is far from overbearing and it lessens the burn often felt by whiskey. I think those new to bourbon might like to give it a try for that reason alone; however, the taste is the best reason.

Seasoned bourbon whiskey drinkers will enjoy something new and different and be amazed at how this does taste like bourbon — like a rare and unique one. Ballotin Chocolate whiskey isn’t a bottle of whiskey with some chocolate thrown in. It’s well thought out, just as if one were pairing the right chocolate with the right bourbon.

Mr. Tuell has no intentions of turning out as many flavors as possible. He tells Kentucky Living, “I never want to see a day when there is Cotton-Candy whiskey, believe me,” he says. “However, people have become more accustomed to drinks and foods that infuse flavors that they never would have thought of before. Plus, what we are infusing into our mix are all off the bourbon flavor wheel.”

I say it is perfection and a welcome surprise.