Luminar Mezcal

This is bottom shelf- Terrible. Do not buy! Save yourself some money and get an authentic mezcal. It is overpriced but tastes like piss. There is no information about the distiller, which means it is another of Total Wine's in house brand. 

Vital stats- Luminar Anejo Mezcal

Price- $44.99 for 750ml($4.99 for pictured 50ml sampler)

Age- 1 year

ABV- 40%

Country/Region- Mexico

Company- Redemption Spirits, Bridgeport,PA

Awards won- Top 100 spirits for Wine Enthusiast 2019( I seriously doubt this award)

Tasting notes-

Appearance- Light gold

Aroma- It has no smokey aroma, smells like a regular reposado, faint oak nothing else

Flavor- Bland, this is not a mezcal not smokiness at all. Horrible

Body- Light

Finish- Non existant, short finish. No aftertaste

SJ's Rating- Bottom Shelf 

It is not mezcal by any standards. Genuine mezcals are highly smokey with higher than 45% ABV. 

Occasions- None

SJ's pro tip- For quality mezcals, look for these indicators

- Higher ABV of above 40%

- In the label look for the specific village or area in Mexico it is distilled. 

- Look for artisan and traditionally made mezcals rather than mass produced piss like this one. 

This was a bad tasting experience(There is no guarantee every session will be good :-)). Go for some authentic mezcal for an enjoyable experience. Cheers! Enjoy Responsibly!

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Santiago Station Cabernet Sauvignon

Santiago Station Cabernet Sauvignon- In my top shelf. As I have mentioned in my previous blogs, I can barely distinguish between a $10 bottle vs $100 bottle of wine.It all tastes the same to me- like wine. I have, however developed a liking for cabernet sauvignons and marsala wines.. Today , I intend to cover the following-

-Background behind this wine

- Tasting notes

- SJ's Rating

- SJ's Pro tip

There is literally no information about where this wine comes from apart from the broad description "Product of Chile" and bottled by Santiago Station,CA. It left me to my imagination where and how exactly was it produced. Now I am beginning to think this is a big box brand of Total wine. 

Vital Stats- Santiago Cabernet Sauvignon  

Price- $4.99 for 750ml 

Vintage- NAS(No Age Statement)

ABV- 12.5%

Country- Chile 

Region-Central Valley

Bottler- Santiago Station, Livermore & Ripon, California

Awards won- None found but SML gives it a gold medal for quality and value

Tasting notes-

Appearance- Dark

Aroma- Red grapes

Flavor- Typical red wine, grapes. Starts out bland but builds on the tannin feel from red grapes

Body- Full bodied

Finish- Medium, short sweet finish

SJ's Rating- Top Shelf 

A few sips and I felt the smooth velvety texture of this wine. It could easily be sold as a $100 bottle with all the fancy bells and whistles. Pretty good stuff

Occasions- Dinner with friends and family

SJ's Pro tip- Cheap yet great wine if you are on a budget(or not)

I enjoyed sampling this wine, even though I do it very less and incline to my single malts. This one is special I urge you to enjoy it!. Cheers! Enjoy Responsibly!. 

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Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey

Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey- My Rating is Bottom Shelf. Why this rating? Read on below for details on-

1. History behind this whiskey

2. Tasting notes

3. SJ's Pro tip

Founded- 1987 by Thomas E Bulliet Jr. He fulfilled the lifelong dream of reviving an old family recipe by starting this company.  The website states "The subtlety and complexity of Bulleit Bourbon come from its unique blend of rye, corn and barley malt along with special strains of yeast and pure Kentucky limestone-filtered water".  All the pure water and resources could not save this from being on my bottom Shelf. 

Vital Stats- Bulleit Bourbon Frontier Whiskey 

Price- $21.99 for 750ml($2.99 for pictured sampler)

Age- NAS(No Age Statement)

ABV- 45%

Region- Kentucky, USA

Distillery/Company- Bulleit Distilling. Louisville,KY

Awards Won- 2019 Gold, World Whiskies Award-Design( I am highly skeptical why it would win a gold medal for anything?)

Tasting info- 

Serving glass- The Glencairn Whiskey Glass

Serving style- Neat

Appearance- Burnished copper, dark

Aroma- Typical bourbon oaky aroma. I smell vanilla, chocolate, strawberry & tangerine

Flavor- Bitter bite to it, very strong. It literally has no unique flavor that stands out, just bland alcohol!

Body- Medium

Finish-  Short, watery non-existent   

SJ's Rating- Bottom Shelf

Terrible, not recommended. If you have to get rid of a bottle use it as a mixer

Occasions- None, unless you want to ruin a party

Cocktails- Frontier Old Fashioned

SJ's Pro tip- Using it as a mixer for cocktails would be its best use. 

Not all of my tastings turn out to be the best. Today was one of the bad ones but I feel value in providing this information to fellow drinkers who can make a decision before investing in a full bottle. 

Cheers! Enjoy Responsibly!

Not in the mood to read? Listen to my Single Malt Lives Podcast instead. 

Glenfarclas 12 Highland Single Malt Scotch

Hello Single Malters, Today I am reviewing Glenfarclas 12. It is in my Top shelf am and amazed beyond words how good it is. I intend to share the following information in today's blog-

1. Brief history about this whisky/distillery

2. SJ's tasting notes

3. SJ's rating

4. Food pairings

5. SJ's pro tip

I am delighted with Glenfarclas 12 because at the price of $45 it is a hidden gem. It felt like I was sipping a 20 year old not a 12 year old. What is the secret behind this? How does the distillery maintain such high quality at a reasonable price? I am curious to find out.  I believe they achieve by choosing to remain a niche and not advertise a lot. They focus instead on a dedicated team whose sole job is to maintain that quality of whisky that has been passed down by generations.  

Glenfarclas Distillery was in Established 1835. It's website states "Since 1865, it has been owned and managed by only one family, the Grants of Glenfarclas." A time honored tradition!. The unique flavor I believe comes from -

1. Spring water from "Valley of Green Grassland" 

2. Distilled twice in traditional direct fire stills(Anything distilled twice would taste twice as good) 

3. Spanish sherry casks- This must be the main factor for such delicious liquor. John Grant personally travels to one particular family run Bogeda (Celler) in Spain to select only the finest European Oak casks previously used for the maturation of fine Olorosso Sherry. 

They have even thought of pairing it with smoked salmon or Iberico(Spanish) Ham to get the most flavor out of the whisky. This is very impressive because I have not seen single malts recommending any food pairings. 

Vital Stats- Glenfarclas 12 Highland Single Malt Scotch 

Price- $44.49

Age- 12 years

ABV- 43%

Region- Highland

Distillery/Company- Glenfarclas Distillery, Speyside, Scotland

Awards won-  2015, Silver-International wine and spirits competition among others. 

Tasting info-

Appearance- Medium Gold

Aroma- Fruity, nutty, cocoa, tangerine, sherry

Flavor- WOW! Sherried goodness with nutty, cocoa amazing flavor. Mostly dark cocoa, very flavorful

Body- Full 

Finish- Smooth, warm, long and lingering

SJ's Rating- Top Shelf 

It is a unicorn, hits the palette right away. The flavor, aroma and appearance is amazing and all in that low price is mind blowing. Drink up! It's a no brainer. 

Food- Goat Biriyani, chicken Manchurian. Not a pairing, I had something hearty since this is a higher 

ABV whisky. 

Occasions- Celebrating something special like anniversaries without breaking the budged

SJ's Pro tip- If you don't like sweeter cocoa flavor this is not for you. 

This is the joy of reviewing one bottle at a time, sometimes I get to taste the best and today was one lucky day. This one you really need to try, Cheers! Enjoy Responsibly!

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Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky

Hi, I'm SJ and welcome to my blog - Single Malt Lives. Today I am reviewing Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky. It goes in my Bottom Shelf. Needless to say, I love samplers. You get to taste a little before actually investing in the whole bottle which you might not like. 

In today's blog I intend to share the following information which will be useful to you- 

-History behind this whisky

- Tasting notes

- SJ's Rating

- SJ's Pro tip

It's website says they started distilling from 2009 and the idea started in 2008 in a old welding shop under a bridge. Fairly new for a whisky distiller. 

Reads the product label , A timeless style of single malt whisky, Balcones No.1 breathes new life into centuries of distilling tradition with classic techniques and ingredients adopted for new world tastes. 

Vital Stats- Balcones Texas Single Malt Whisky 

Price- $59.99 for 750ml ($4.99 for 50 ml pictured sampler)

Age- At least 22 months so roughly 2 years 

ABV- 53%

Country of Origin- TX,USA

Distillery/Company- Balcones Distilling, Waco,TX

Awards Won- 2013 Gold, New York, United Wine & Spirits Competition among others. I seriously doubt why any award would be given to such bad tasting whisky. 

Tasting info-

Serving glass- Glencairn Whisky glass

Serving style- Neat, first few sips & then on the rocks

Appearance- Intense earthy dark amber

Aroma- Highly aromatic oak, spices, cinnamon, citrus, vanilla

Flavor- Seems non chill filtered with a real kick. Cant really taste much flavor except oak.

Body- Medium 

Finish- Not smooth but has a little spicy linger

SJ's Rating- Bottom Shelf 

Terrible,I don't see this replacing my regular Scotch. Why? It is not smooth, little too rough around the edges. Since it calls itself single malt, naturally, I could not help but compare it with Scotch. It would take another century or more to get to the standards of Scotch whisky. So they better know what they are doing.  

Occasions- Movie night( Watched "High waters" 2019 movie)

Cocktails- None

SJ's Pro tip- A little club soda or on the rocks would make this whisky a little palatable. 

Some whiskies that I sample are not really that good but I do find the pleasure in revealing the truth and presenting it for the greater good of all drinkers. If you have tried it, let me know your opinion. 

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