Spirit Tasting

For our final Cheers spirit tasting round-up in 2005, we're recommending recently released products selected from the flood of new spirits we receive each month. Spirits expert and Cheers columnist Robert Plotkin and Cheers editor Jack Robertiello select the products individually, based on what they've sampled recently, looking particularly for those they believe are especially noteworthy for the on-premise operator. If you'd like your product considered for the panel, contact Robertiello at 718-857-3660.

Plotkin's Picks

El Duende de Don Felipe Reserva Añejo Hunt down this three-year-old reserva añejo and don't share it with your in-laws. Its generous bouquet is laced with the bakery fresh aromas of vanilla, cinnamon and allspice. The palate is frontloaded with spice, but then slowly gives way to a warm, peppery glow. The body is buttery and the finish is sublime. It's an exquisite, museum-grade tequila. (El Duende LLC)

Chocoviac Cognac Chocoviac is a premium VS Cognac imbued with natural vanilla and dark chocolate flavors. Its bouquet is a dreamy affair of cocoa, vanilla and toffee. The brandy asserts itself immediately upon entry, warming the palate and adding a ripe fruit dimension to the pronounced taste of dark chocolate and vanilla. The finish is long and relaxed with a flavor reminiscent of a truffle. It's dessert in a glass. (Crillon Imports)

Charbay Green Tea Vodka Domaine Charbay, America's most respected micro-distiller, has done it again. Their recently released Green Tea Vodka is light, delicious and bone dry. The handmade vodka has a chardonnay appearance and an appealing herbal bouquet. The 70 proof spirit glides over the palate with nary a trace of heat, leaving behind the delectable flavor of freshly brewed green tea. Charbay's creation is a singularly impressive spirit. (Domaine Charbay)

Sgt. Peppermint Some products are born out of the desire to have some fun. This lively cream liqueur falls into that category. The liqueur has a light body and vibrant, peppermint dominated nose. The fun steps up a notch on the palate as the assortment of mint flavors come to the forefront. The finish is similar to peppermint ice cream, only less sweet. It's a product loaded with applications behind the bar. (McCormick Distillers)

Pallini Raspicello Pallini Raspicello is a rare treat. The makers blend indigenous blueberries, chokeberries and black currants with wild raspberries grown in the Abruzzi region of Italy. The liqueur has a ruby, jewel-toned appearance and wafting bouquet redolent of vine-ripened raspberries. Its initial attack is predominantly the flavor of red raspberries, but then notes of the other soft berries become easily discernible. Raspicello is marvelous from stem to stern. (Castle Brands)

Kensington London Dry Gin Grab a glass and be prepared to be seriously impressed. Kensington is a gin with a singular twist, namely that it's aged in Kentucky oak barrels. The result is breathtaking. Its warm golden appearance is at first disconcerting. The luscious perfumed bouquet dissipates any apprehensions, though, and prepares one for the waves of spicy yet refined flavors. The 94 proof spirit has a silky, protracted and flavorful finish. Bravo! (Liquid Import Premium Spirits)

Han Asian Vodka Distilled in Korea and bottled in Taiwan, Han Asian Vodka is made from polished rice, select barley and spring water. The spirit is extremely delicate with a welterweight body and a hesitant, yet pleasing bouquet. Its initial attack is soft and plush, which then slowly ebbs in a wash of clean, crisp neutrality. This low-proof, Eastern interpretation of vodka is a pleasant change of pace. (Progressive Beverages)

Sauza Tres Generaciones Reposado Tequila Fans of reposado tequilas have cause to celebrate. This highly sophisticated spirit has a medium-weight body and an engaging citrus and spice bouquet. The tequila fills the mouth with a lavish array of warm flavors, largely floral and semi-sweet spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. The finish is long and eminently satisfying. Great tequila. (Allied Domecq/Fortune Brands)

Zen Green Tea Liqueur The latest release from the makers of Midori has an authentic green tea appearance and a rounded body without perceptible weight. The generous bouquet presents an array of enticing floral and spicy aromas. Its initial approach is semi-sweet and floral, but that's quickly replaced with the flavors of herbs, anise and green tea. From start to lip-smacking finish, 40-proof ZEN is a classy product. (Suntory)

Robertiello's Recommendations

Siku Glacier Ice Vodka This vodka comes a little late to the white spirit sweepstakes, but by no means is it the last ­ a new Russian brand and an Icelandic entry are on their way shortly. This one is distilled five times in small batches in the Netherlands, with Greenlandic glacier ice (hence the name) added. The nose is spare, the first taste lean but creamy, with hints of licorice and lavender, and a tangy, slightly bitter finish. Pretty package. (Velocity International)

Partida Tequila Blanco Tequila Two new high quality tequila brands are here, this one a venture employing one of the country's tequila cheerleaders, Julio Bermejo of Tommy's in San Francisco. He has advised Partida on this new release, and the result is a character-filled spirit in the three (blanco, reposado and añejo) tequila varieties. For the blanco, the nose is fresh and floral with some earthiness, but for the most part, snappy, crisp and citrusy. The initial taste is subdued but full-bodied, with an even subtlety and hints of roast pear, minerals and honey. Good finish, fine package, excellent spirit. (Tequila Brands)

Tezon Tequila Blanco Tequila Another new tequila, this one distilled in Arandas, Mexico at the Olmeca Distillery, using a volcanic millstone production method to pulp the agave, with the pulp and juice then fermented together. The result offers a roasted fruit nose, a smooth mouthfeel with lots of hints of herbs and grass ­ it's a bit fiery and leaner than Partida, but more fragrant, like the red dirt hills of Jalisco. Persistent, clean finish. A winner. (Pernod Ricard)

Stellar Gin Watching the evolution of gin is interesting today, as distillers tweak a range of flavor components, especially citrus, to create products enticing to vodka fans while still remaining gin-like. Called a citrus crush infusion, Stellar's nose affirms that, with notes of lemon peel and tangerines dominating. Its mouthfeel is soft, filled with citrus notes on the sweet side, but not overly so. Easy and refreshing, with enough herbs to make it interesting, but not meant for the juniper lover. (Brown Forman)

La Favorite Rhum Agricole Edward Hamilton, the self-proclaimed Minister of Rum, has sailed around the Caribbean long enough to know how to select the good rums from the pack. Now, he's importing a range from two Martinique distillers. The first, La Favorite, comes in three types: Couer de Canne Rhum Agricole Blanc is musty and lush, with a mashed tropical fruit finish that's the hallmark of rhum agricoles made from sugar cane. Ambré Coeur d'Ambré packs a bigger punch but is mellowed by its aging, and has enough tannin to make it sippable. (Caribbean Spirits)

Rhum Neisson Another Hamilton project from Martinique, Neisson is significantly fruitier on the nose, especially the white variety. Full-bodied, lush and dreamy with citrus tones at the opening and a persistent pepper and papaya finish, the Neisson Rhum Agricole Blanc is much like some of the better cachaças seen lately in the US, very mixable with lime. The Rhum Agricole Réserve Spéciale is as dark as bourbon, with lots of oaky vanilla added to the tropical fruit flavors to make for a super fine sipping rum, especially with a cigar at the end of the day. (Caribbean Spirits)

Bernheim Original Small Batch Wheat Whiskey The maker's say there's little precedent -- none, actually -- for such an American whiskey, with wheat as the major (minimum 51%) ingredient. Less sweet than a bourbon on the nose, Bernheim still offers plenty of ripe tree fruit aromas. On the palate, it's soft, generous, easy and balanced -- a sort of entry level American whiskey, with great butter and vanilla notes from the oak, and a comfortable baked bread tang. Not too sweet, not too hot, a Goldilocks whiskey and an experiment gone wonderfully right. (Heaven Hill)

Rittenhouse Straight Rye Whisky Hardly a new product, but encouraged by rye lovers, Heaven Hill has repackaged the stuff and put a touch of marketing muscle behind it. As Bernheim's is soft, Rittenhouse is spicy -- lean as a colonial farmer, fiery as a revolutionary. For those looking for American whiskey not softened by loads of corn or evened by wheat, here's the 100 proof rye to go for. (Heaven Hill)

John, Mark and Robbo's Easy Drinking Whisky Company has made a point of gathering whiskies from Ireland and Scotland, and creating three basic types of, well, easy entry spirits. The Smooth Sweeter One, for instance, created from 70 percent Irish (from the Cooley Distillery) and 30 percent Scotch (from Bunnahabhain) whiskies, is just that: rich with honied Irish malt, fragrant with Scotch's sherry-altered casks, a creamy, evanescent dram. A good cocktail whisky, as well as an introductory brand for those put off by the wood and age iconography of today's whisky biz. (Remy Cointreau)

Similarly, John, Mark and Robbo's Rich Spicy One is a Malt Scotch Whisky (a blend of various single malts but no grain whisky). It's filled with flavors of clove and cinnamon, orange and vanilla, with some dried fruits and sherry. There's more than a tad of sherry in there, in fact, and in a refreshing bit of brand honesty, the company reveals the source of the malt components -- Tamdhu Spanish oak sherry and American oak bourbon casks make up 50 percent of the Rich Spicy One. Rewarding sipper at a relatively bargain price. (Remy Cointreau)

Gosling's Family Reserve Old Rum, long rumored to be a superb sipper, doesn't disappoint. Gleaming with a deeply burnished chestnut hue, Old Rum is filled with whiskey notes in the nose (cigar box, cedar and cooked fruits), fills the mouth with spiced pears and finishes with tingles of tobacco, cinnamon and allspice. Really long and strong finish, with a pleasant dryness -- this is what Caribbeans mean when they say aged rum can rival Cognac for richness and power. (Castle Brands)

Another whisky pioneer is John Glaser, whose Compass Box has produced a fine array of turf-breaking modern concepts. His Orangerie is whisky infused with fresh orange peel and spice, bottled once a year for cold weather sipping. Fruitcake orange peel, is strong and slightly sweet in the nose, as is candied lemon peel and citron. Light not cloying on the palate, but full of clove and cinnamon spices, and a clean orange intensity that is not overly sweet. Clean finish, great cocktail ingredient or chilled on its own. (Compass Box)