Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey

It’s been a while. I haven’t been able to update much because of financial reasons, but I am able to post a new review this week.

Review :

So, I have seen this stuff in bars, I have seen it at Bevmo, I have even seen it at the grocery store, but have never bothered to try it. Mostly because I happen to be shopping when it is not on sale. Luckily, my roommate happened to be shopping when it was one day, and picked up a bottle. From what I had gathered from the bottle, I guess it is supposed to be whiskey, but flavored like the old atomic fireball candies that I used to enjoy when I was a kid. I will have to say, wow. The initial mouth feel was amazingly smooth, and the aftertaste was a clear cinnamon, almost the potent level of a stick of Big Red chewing gum. I was knocking back shot after shot. It might have to do with the fact that it is only 33% alcohol or 66 Proof, but it can also be attributed to the cinnamon flavor. My roommate mixed his with some coke, and it was good, but this is probably something you’d probably want to keep to shots with to truly appreciate. My roommate only paid about $15 for the bottle he got, but this stuff usually retails for about $17 to $18. He got his at Rite Aid, but like I said, I have seen it at BevMo and most grocery stores as well, so it should be easy to find.


Breakdown :

The Bottle : Pretty lackluster bottle. However, I can’t expect everyone to really notice the glass, so this rating will have to be about the label. Yellow label, with a cool little Chimera type creature on it. It definitely stands out.

Score : 10

The Taste : It tastes great. There isn’t so much of a whiskey flavor at all, you pretty much get all cinnamon. I could have polished off the entire bottle without issue. Definitely stick it in the freezer though, it makes a world of difference.

Score : 25

The Buzz : I didn’t have to finish the bottle by myself to be able to catch a buzz. I think it might have been because I had finished about 10 shots in a 20 minute time frame. Definitely pace yourself.

Score : 20

The Cost : The sale price on this stuff being about $15 is a pretty good deal. You’ll want to drink a lot of it, so I would probably get the larger 1.5 Liter bottle, but that is up to you.

Score : 15

Total Score : 70

I am not sure of any other stuff to mix this with, I’m sure there are recipes online that some people might like.

Cheers.

Jose Cuervo Especial Gold

Since it is technically still cold and flu season, I figured, I’d just be lazy and review my cure-all this week.

If you need any proof to the effectiveness of this product, I have not had a cold or the flu in nearly six years. Every other ailment I have ever actually contracted, like food poisoning, have all cleared up in a single night. Tequila, according to my Grandma who is more awesome than yours, is an old Mexican remedy. She drinks it to cure everything, and so do I. So why Cuervo Gold you ask? I have no clue. It’s just what I grew up with. I’m sure if you want to be a complete snob, you can go with a top shelf tequila, but for me it will always be the Cuervo. If you go to the Cuervo website, it says that this is supposed be sweet, with hints of agave, and some vanilla and oak. I call BS. Except for the agave obviously, but there are no hints of vanilla or oak, nor is it particularly smooth. I am able to chug this stuff because I have developed a taste for it. For everyone else, it is basically just the stuff that you mix into a margarita. I usually just drink it with orange juice or coke. This does come in at 80 proof or 40% alcohol by volume, and is probably one of the most readily available product I have reviewed here because damn near everyone that sells liquor carries it. The standard 750ML bottle ranges in price from $20 to $12 depending on where you buy it and whether it is on sale.


Breakdown

The Bottle : This is the gold variety of the “Especial” line of Jose Cuervo, so the bottle looks identical to the silver, but these two have some fairly subtle differences from the rest of the Cuervo family of products. So for not doing the exact same thing over and over again like Smirnoff, I’m going to give some extra points.

Score : 15

The Taste : Like I said, it’s kind of an acquired taste to be drinking it straight up. If you mix it with other stuff, it’s pretty enjoyable, but most people only really get this stuff in a margarita.

Score : 20

The Buzz : I usually polish off an entire bottle in a night, so getting a buzz is no problem. One thing I do notice from this brand of tequila is that I do have more of a tendency to black out, so that may be something to keep in mind if you ever want to try and get on my level.

Score : 20

The Cost : Depending on where you go, it can be either way overpriced or extremely cheap. So keep an eye out.

Score : 15

Total Score : 70

As for it’s ability to speed up my recovery time, I usually get a 750ML bottle, 2 bottles of Fruit Punch Powerade or Gatorade, and a big bottle of water. I’ll usually drink about half of the bottle of water, wait about a half hour, start drinking the Cuervo with the Powerade as a chaser, and once the bottle is finished, drink the rest of the water periodically. It also helps if you have a really thick blanket and a hoodie to sleep in. You’ll be right as rain in the morning.

Cheers

Pearl Vodka

Yes another vodka. I can’t help it, I love Vodka.

Review :


So this was actually a recommendation from the guy at the liquor store. I have to say that I was a little surprised by it. There was not real initial taste to it. Which you would think would mean that it’s smooth, but there is a very distinct aftertaste that I can’t put my finger on. Either way, it did make for a good mixing vodka. I found that it went great with orange juice, as well as those carbonated cranberry juice deal you can get at the grocery store. Pearl comes in at 80 proof, or 40 percent alcohol by volume and is distilled five times to create that clean mouth feel I described. It should be noted that since this is a Canadian vodka,  I guess that means that it is distilled from wheat as opposed to potatoes or rye. It has a cork top instead of a screw top which is cool. I have pretty much only seen this stuff at the liquor store by my house, and Rite Aid. I have only had the 1.75 liter bottles, but they do have 750ml bottles available. At the time that I got mine, the size that I had was only about $18, but prices have gone up recently. They also used to attach a set of bottle shaped earrings to the larger bottles, so this may or may not be an indicator of it being a more feminine vodka.


Breakdown

The Bottle : Pearl has a standard and very plain bottle. Basically the only thing that changes is the label depending on the flavor. Oh, and they do have an interesting variety of flavors. They also do have the cork top, which is always a winner in my book, and the earrings were kinda cool.

Score : 10

The Taste : I am only able to handle about 2 to 3 shots of this stuff straight up before I start getting that weird taste I was talking about. However, it is a great mixer, so I think that kind of makes up for it.

Score : 20

The Buzz : I get a fairly good buzz from this stuff. When I was getting it more often, I was usually able to knock back about half a handle in two hours or so, and just coast the rest of the night.

Score : 20

The Cost : Where I get mine from, it is only about $18 a bottle. I haven’t seen any places recently where you could get it for less that $22. So I would shop around.

Score : 10

Total Score : 60

I’d say to at least give this a try, I am going to look for their Apple Pie flavor, because that sounded pretty interesting.

Pinnacle Vodka

I already reviewed a bunch of the flavors, so why not review the original?

Review :

I’ve found myself drinking a lot of this vodka lately. Mostly because of financial reasons, but luckily price doesn’t always dictate quality. I am obviously a big fan of the flavors of Pinnacle, but hadn’t really had too much of the unflavored variety. Luckily, the liquor store by my house started carrying it, so I was able to try it. As far as plain vodkas go, I have to say that this is quality stuff. Fairly smooth, no real burning sensation as you drink it, and decent finish. The store that I get it from also happens to sell my favorite line of lemonades, so I found that it pairs extremely well with black cherry lemonade, and Hawaiian Punch. Since it is not flavored it does come in at 80 proof, or 40 percent alcohol by volume. I have found this one at damn near everywhere I’ve shopped for liquor, so there should be no problem finding it.


Breakdown :

The Bottle : Pinnacle has a standard bottle, so there isn’t much going on there.

Score : 5

Taste : I like the way it tastes. Like I said, it tastes great with a number of mixers, but its not to harsh that I would even need a chaser.

Score : 25

The Buzz : Since it pairs so well, I found myself drinking it fairly quick, so getting a buzz was not a problem. I’m usually a happy drunk when it comes to vodka buzzes, this is no different. I don’t get hangovers, so that’s not really a problem in my case.

Score : 25

The Cost : Again, price is no real indication of quality. If you look this up on the BevMo website, the average price for a 750ml bottle is only about $10. The liquor store I frequent sells it for about $11, so you’re getting a good product for a decent price.

Score : 25

Total Score : 80

So now I think I’ve gone through every Pinnacle product I can find within a 5 mile radius.

Cheers.

Jim Beam Red Stag Honey Tea

I really try not to review similar products back to back, but I haven’t been shopping in a while.

Review :

I was a little worried about another honey flavored liquor, because I have such a love hate relationship with the Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey. My worries were soon laid to rest as soon as I poured a shot. The aroma alone is amazing. Not too sweet, but distinctively honey. The taste was surprising, as it was not very overpowering either. You get a fairly subtle honey taste, but it’s mostly just bourbon. I am not sure where the “tea” portion of the name is coming from, but if it what they used to mellow out the honey, then I’m for it. I wound up drinking nearly the entire bottle in the course of an hour. Word of advice, do not turn the Royal Rumble into a drinking game. With this being 80 proof (40% alcohol by volume) it wasn’t very hard to get hammered. I got this for $16 just like the spiced Red Stag, it usually retails for about $18. Either way it’s a good value in my book. I got mine at Bevmo, but have seen this one at a bunch of grocery stores.


Breakdown :

The Bottle : Standard Jim Beam bottle. Not expecting it to look like a bumble bee or a honey comb, but a little variation other than a label change would get some extra points.

Score : 5

The Taste : This type tasted great. I would even say that I liked it better than the Spiced one, just because I really didn’t need a chaser. I enjoy cinnamon, but after a certain amount of time it got to be too much. The way that I knew I was getting to the end point with this one was that I passed out on the couch for a while.

Score : 25

The Buzz : Granted, my buzz was the result of knocking back an insane amount of shots in a short amount of time. It was a great buzz though. I was still able to walk, which is a good sign, and as far as I know I didn’t spill anything, puke, nor did I piss myself. So A+++.

Score : 25

The Cost : I know that for the Spiced variety I only gave 20 points. Like I said, for both of these, the price that I paid was a good value for their quality. I am giving this one the full 25 points because I did like it better than the Spiced one.

Score : 25

Total Score : 80

I would seriously recommend this stuff highly, even if people aren’t huge fans of bourbon. I am getting it again.

Jim Beam Red Stag Spiced

I was all set to try the new Crown Royal Maple, but when I got the liquor I noticed that I could get the two newer flavors of Red Stag for the same price.

Review :

Being a fan of Jim Beam in general, I always worry when products like these come out with new flavors. Of course I was surprised with how much I enjoyed their “Devil’s Cut”, so I had to try this one. The bottle lists it as being spiced with cinnamon, and you do get a good cinnamon flavor, but nothing overwhelming like a handful of Big Red bubble gum. The sweetness and initial mouth feel make this a very smooth shot. As usual, I tried it mixed with coke, cherry coke to be exact. I have to say that the cinnamon undertones paired well with the cherry flavor. And since the Red Stag was not too sweet, mixing didn’t make the coke taste like a cup of sugar. This flavor comes in at 80 proof or 40% alcohol by volume. I got mine for $16, but it looks like the standard retail price for it is about $18, but given that the alcohol content doesn’t get lowered because it is a flavored line, I think it ends up being entirely worth it.


Breakdown :

The Bottle : All Jim Beam products have the same standard bottle. The only thing that really changes depending on the type that you are buying is the label. At least the Devil’s Cut had a pretty cool looking label. The only thing that looks like it changes with the Red Stag is the color of the label.

Score : 5

The Taste : This stuff tastes great. I happen to love cinnamon, and the cinnamon flavor is there, but also fairly subtle. It has some sweetness to it, but not too sweet. The thing I liked the most was how smooth it was, but with a slight bite at the end, and the warmth in your throat that I usually get with some vodkas.

Score : 25

The Buzz : I got smashed. Being 40% alcohol and easy to drink made for me killing this bottle quick. You may want to pace yourself if you try it out.

Score : 20

The Cost : Like I said, I got two bottles of Red Stag for the price I would have paid for just one Crown Royal Maple, so in that sense it was a deal. However, on the same shelf there was the regular Jim Beam for about $4 less that what this cost. I personally think it was worth it for the drink ability and the alcohol content. So you will have to judge for yourself, but for me……

Score : 20

Total Score : 70

The only thing really holding this back from being one of the higher rated products on this blog was the absence of a really cool bottle. If it had a cork instead of being a screw on cap, that would have been an easy 5 points. Just saying.

Cheers.

Sailor Jerry's Rum

Was low on stuff to review this week. Finances and all. Plus nobody has really had any suggestions for me that I could have grabbed in time, nor have any readers or alcohol companies sent me stuff to try.

Review :

I first tried Sailor Jerry after visiting the grocery store and noticing that they didn’t have Bacardi Oakheart or Captain Morgan. For some reason I decided to try it with Orange Juice. Have to say, the combo wasn’t too bad. I tried it again a few weeks later with coke, and it paired fairly well with that too. The taste of Sailor Jerry’s is a pretty sweet, almost caramel flavor, and given its slightly elevated alcohol content. This stuff comes in at 92 proof or 46% alcohol by volume. I liked the bite at the end because it keeps me from completely chugging this like I would other spiced rums, so I was able to enjoy my buzz. The bottle I got was about $17, but it was on sale at the grocery store I was at, so you may be paying a bit more, or might be able to find it cheaper than what I paid. Since I did find it at a grocery store, and know that they do have it at BevMo, you should have no problem finding it.


Breakdown :

The Bottle : Pretty standard bottle. The only real draw is the label, if you are into cartoon pirate chicks. It’s a screw top, which I think kills some of the whimsy of a pirate related drink. A cork would have bumped up the points for me in this category.

Score : 5

The Taste : I actually enjoyed the taste. Mixing with a fresh bottle of coke almost made it taste like Root Beer. Like I said before though, there is a slight bite in the finish, and I know that isn’t for everyone. It made it so that I would sip my drink as opposed to just downing it.

Score : 20

The Buzz : I had a great buzz. Mostly because I was sipping it. I did get that sugar crash feeling the next day, but nothing hangover-esque.

Score : 20

The Cost : The downside was the price on it. I think if its standard retail price was about $14 a bottle, I probably would have bought it more often. For about the price of the 750ML bottle, I probably could have gotten a Liter of Oakheart.

Score : 10

Total Score : 55

I liked this stuff, but had to be a little harsh on some of the scoring. If it had a cooler looking bottle, and was a little cheaper, it probably could have been the highest rated rum on here.

Cheers.

Bacardi Torched Cherry

So now I am trying out flavored Rums. Just because there isn’t very much other new stuff out there.

Review :

I pretty much only picked this up because it was suggested to me by a coworker. The name sounded like this was going to be a rum that tasted cherries that were scorched, like Cherries Jubilee. For some reason, I didn’t like it much. There was distinct cherry flavor, but I couldn’t get over the burnt taste in the back of my throat every time I took a shot. It made it almost like cough medicine for me. It does pair well with coke though. I would almost say that it is the ideal way to drink it. I got the bottle I used for this review at BevMo, but have seen it in some grocery stores, so it should be readily available if you want to try it out. It rings in at 70 proof or 35% alcohol by volume,  and costs about $14.


Breakdown :

The Bottle : This one seems to be a bit different from the other standard Bacardi bottles. It still had a screw top, and was kind of a rounded oval shape, so that hadn’t changed. This one seemed taller for some reason. Either way, it wasn’t anything special.

Score : 10

The Taste : When mixed with coke, it tastes great. On it’s own, I didn’t like it very much. It’s probably more of an acquired taste.

Score : 15

The Buzz : I actually finished the entire bottle, and it didn’t give me much of a buzz. And this was after a 40 of Bud. I don’t know if it is an issue of Rum sneaking up on me, so by the time I went to bed it was starting to take effect, but I didn’t feel much.

Score : 15

The Cost : It’s pretty cheap, so that is a plus. However, with the lack of a buzz, and not being a big fan of the way it tasted, I would probably take the Cherry Pinnacle over this one, again.

Score : 20

Total Score : 60

Like I said, it’s probably an acquired taste, so if you try it and disagree, go ahead and let me know.

Cheers.

Bushmills Black Bush Whiskey

I’ve always preferred Jameson over Bushmills, but this one caught my eye.

Review :

First and foremost, this is not a whiskey that you want to drink in shot form. I would classify this strictly as a sipping whiskey. I had mine on the rocks, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The smell was very pleasant, and the drink itself was very smooth, and had a great mouth feel. There weren’t very many distinctive flavors like some whiskey is known to have, but the finish was fairly sweet. This bottle comes in at 80 proof or 40% alcohol by volume, so it is pretty standard in that arena. I got my bottle for $30 at BevMo, but it was on sale, so expect to pay around $35 if you want to pick up a bottle for yourself.


The Breakdown :

The Bottle : The Bushmills products have a standard bottle for all their products. It is a pretty simplistic look, but the label is fairly eye catching.

Score : 10

The Taste : I liked the way that this tasted. Since it was more of a sipping whiskey, I didn’t fly through it like I probably would have with Jameson, or even Jack Daniels. Like I said, very smooth, and great finish, with a hint of sweetness at the end. Definitely good for entertaining.

Score : 20

The Buzz : The downside of a sipping whiskey, virtually no buzz. It’s supposed to be something you drink slowly and enjoy, so knock back shots. So of course I didn’t get much of a buzz. I do have to imagine though, if I were to white trash it up and mix it with a bunch of Dr. Pepper, I could probably get pretty smashed.

Score : 10

The Cost : This is another example of whether you prefer quality over quantity. For the price I paid for this I could have bought an equivalent sized bottle of Jack, or depending on where I went, I probably could have gotten 2. However, given the occasions in which I might be drinking this stuff or serving it to others, it would probably go over better than something cheaper.

Score : 15

Total Score : 55

Granted it’s a fairly low score for a product that I actually enjoyed, but keep in min the factors that go into the rating. The bottle itself is not too visually appealing, and you wouldn’t play any drinking games with it. It tasted great, but given the price and the limited occasions that I would probably have it, I had to lower the rating. I would try it if you are into the idea of sipping a whiskey, but for your average binge drinkers, you probably wont bother.

Cheers.

Korbel Brandy XS

So I didn’t know that Korbel made Brandy as well as sparkling white wine. And yes, I will be an ass about the distinction between Champagne and Sparkling White Wine because I can. Anyways, it’s a bit of a step outside of my comfort zone, but I tried it.

Review :

I am not a huge fan of Brandy, the drink, not the singer. I hate the singer. I was mainly drawn to this stuff because of the brand. I’m sure damn near everyone has tried Korbel Sparkling White Wine is some celebratory facet or another. If not, I’m not going to bother reviewing it. As for the Brandy, I have to say that I was utterly surprised. Being subjected to Hennessey and E&J for years now, I have not developed a taste for Brandy. This was a whole new monster for me. There are subtle hints of vanilla, but it’s not too sweet. Has a great mouth feel, and is extremely smooth, with no real after taste. I could easily see myself sipping this stuff, but in all fairness, it was so good that I just knocked back shots. No chaser needed, in fact I was eating some M&Ms at the time and the two paired amazingly. This stuff rings in at 40% alcohol by volume, or 80 proof. I have only seen it so far at BevMo, but I’m sure with a little research, you can find it elsewhere. My bottle only cost around $11, which for the quality, was well worth it.


Breakdown :

The Bottle : The bottle is pretty lackluster. Aside from the label itself, I did like that this stuff had a cork instead of being a screw on cap. The major plus about the bottle being clear though is that it showcases the color of the Brandy very well, and that in itself was fairly appealing.

Score : 15

The Taste : The flavor is amazing. Easily one of, if not my only favorite Brandy. Sweet, smooth, and pairs well with candy? What more do you need?

Score : 25

The Buzz : I actually did not finish off my bottle in one sitting. It’s alcohol content paired with it’s taste made it easy to polish off a lot fairly quick, which wound up hitting me like a bus, and I knocked out. The buzz I got was mellow, but I was only awake for about an hour before crashing.

Score : 20

The Cost : $11 per bottle for a product of this quality is a steal. I even managed to get it on sale the other day for only $9. I haven’t paid so little for a product I like so much since I thought Smirnoff Ice was the greatest thing ever.

Score : 25

Total Score : 85

I kind of lucked out and managed to get a Brandy I thoroughly enjoyed my first step out my comfort zone, but I don’t expect everything to knock my socks off. So we’ll see what the future holds in this area of the liquor store.

Cheers.