Local Tequila?

I guess it's not exactly local. But the company is based in Saratoga Springs.

Here's the story. I wander into Empire Wines during my lunch break to buy booze for Thanksgiving. On the list:

Bourbon - not sure which one I would purchase, it was either going to be something I never had before or Basil Hayden.

Rum - I wanted to get a bottle of 13 year old Plantation Rum. It's really good rum. I describe it as everything Captain Morgan wants to be but isn't.

Tequila - I get a bottle whenever my brother is going to visit. He likes sipping it on the rocks and he got me sipping it too (no rocks for me though). I usually get Milagro Anejo. I like it because I think it almost tastes like a margarita on its own. Truth be told, I was drawn to the brand by the name because it reminded me of the movie The Milagro BeanField War.

So there I am walking into Empire and it's pretty busy with pre-Thanksgiving booze buying. That place sure looks like it moves a ton of booze. There a woman with a table set up, lots of clear little plastic cups filled with something and a pitcher of mixer. As I started to walk by (I was shopping instead of eating lunch and was working on nothing but a cup of coffee so I wasn't thinking sampling) the woman politely offered me some Saratoga tequila. Wait, what? She had my attention.

(image from the One With Life Tequila website)

It's called One With Life Tequila. The company is based out of Saratoga but everything is made in Mexico. Each bottle comes with a little bracelet and a saying. I tasted the tequila on it's own first while she told me about the organic agave and how she travels to Mexico a few times a year. My first impression was surprise. I did not expect the tequila to be this good. I liked it a lot. It was similar to the Milagro in that it was kind of a margarita on it's own but it was better than I remember Milagro being (it's been awhile since I've had it). Then I tasted it with the mixer she had and it was still OK, not my favorite cocktail, but this tequila is for sipping. It's too good to mix.

Here's where assume made an ass of me. I've had stuff from a lot of small batch distilleries that seem to be popping up all over the place. I get that they are starting out, finding their way, and sometimes high quality ingredients are expensive.  But if you are going to make a bottle of whiskey and charge somewhere between $40 and $50, that bottle of whiskey HAS to be better than a $35 bottle of Basil Hayden. And many times it's not. I assumed the price of a bottle of was going to be in the $50 or more range.

I thanked her and continued into the store on my shopping trip. When I got to the tequila shelves, there were bottles of One With Life Tequila priced at $37.99 which is the same price as the Milagro Anejo. Solely on the first impression, I thought I liked the One With Life better so I left feeling like I was getting a little value, not much, but definitely not overpaying for something labeled artisan or organic.

On follow up tastings, I still really like this tequila and I think it is my new go-to tequila. I'm not alone. After his first sip, my brother declared it excellent tequila. He is much more into tequila than I am. He's got shelves of the stuff (no kids) and he was surprised by the price point too. And if you don't trust me or my brother, Wine Enthusiast gave it a 94. They gave the Milagro Anejo a 90.

If you are in the market for some tequila, give this One With Life Tequila a try.

For anyone interested in the rest of the shopping trip, I did get that Plantation rum and went with Tuthilltown Spirits Baby Bourbon I have wanted to try for awhile. It is also quite good.

Local Bourbon

Last month, I got an email informing me that my bottle of Albany Distilling Company's Ironweed Bourbon Whiskey was ready for me to pick up. So I headed down to the distillery (pretty much next door to the CH Evan's Pump House) to pick up my bottle. For $45, you get a bottle of the bourbon along with a nice sipping glass.

I enjoyed the bourbon. My favorite part was tasting how the Coal Yard New Make Whiskey (basically this bourbon prior to aging) evolved in a barrel for three months. While the bourbon was enjoyable I'd be interested in seeing if 6 months of aging made it better. However, at this price point I feel like I can find better bourbon. I haven't priced it recently, but a bottle of Basil Hayden was going for about $35 the last time I looked at Empire. While I don't think Ironweed is as good as Basil Hayden (they are very different too so this might not be the best comparison), I have faith that Albany Distillers will keep improving their products. So much faith, I have reserved a bottle of their Ironweed Rye that will be bottled in the next few weeks.

I should also mention that when I drink bourbon or Scotch, I usually just drink the bourbon or Scotch. Not a cocktail, rarely ice, once in awhile a splash of water. Just pour the whiskey in a glass and sip. That said, this bourbon may excel in a number of cocktails. I don't know. I just drank it straight. All of it.

If you see some Albany Distilling Company's products in the bars around town, give them a try. I tried their Quackenbush Still House Rum in a watermelon drink at the All over Albany birthday party. It was very good.

New Make Cough Syrup

I said earlier how much I enjoyed watching the Moonshiners show on Discovery. I shouldn't. And yet I love the damn show. The first season was a little bit better than the second but I still enjoyed it and if there is a third season, I'll be setting the DVR up to watch it.

Ever since having the flu just before Christmas, I have a cough I just can't shake. Last night after a brief coughing fit I reached for the bottle of cough syrup I had been nursing all week. It was gone.

What would Tickle do? I'll tell you what Tickle would do.

 
Tickle would never have bought the CVS knockoff of Robitussin. He would have had himself a few belts of shine (probably a mason's jar worth) and gone to sleep it off. So, I reached for my bottle of Albany Distiller's New Make Whiskey. Technically speaking, alcohol from a corn mash that was aged in a barrel for as long as it took to fill the barrel and then empty it sounds pretty similar to the shine I've been watching these guys make for the past few weeks. I did about half a shot. Watched a rerun of 30 Rock. Did another shot and went to bed.

This morning I woke up well rested and felt the best I have since early December. Not all better, but on the mend. Definitely having another shot (or two or three) tonight. Strictly for medicinal purposes, of course.

Albany Distilling Company

I blew off some work today and headed down to the opening of the Albany Distilling Company. I'm glad I did. I liked everything about the place. I got there just before 11 and there was a pretty good turn out waiting for the opening ceremony to begin. Actually, in what is becoming an opening event tradition, I walked into the building with Steve Barnes, my BFF from the Shoprite pre-opening. They didn't waste any time and the ceremony started right at 11. Jerry Jennings talked and Neil Breslin both talked but I thought the best speeches (other than the brief words by owners Matt and John) were from the people that had gotten to see the business grow first hand. I didn't take any notes so I don't remember any names. Their banker had some very kind words and the person representing the small business assistance organization that helped them was also clearly impressed by the drive of our hometown distillers.

Jerry Jennings was introduced first.

Here's everyone else that spoke waiting their turn. Neil Breslin is back there. I didn't catch everybody's name. The other gentleman is from the small business organization. Between him and Breslin is the the bank representative. Truth be told, I was more interested in purchasing some New Make whiskey than being a reporter.

Here are Matt and John welcoming everyone to the distillery.

And then the ribbon cutting.

I was surprised to see the Valley Cats being represented there too. If you stuck around long enough, you got to see the man behind the mask. Relax, I didn't take any pictures. Your secret is safe with me.

The space was pretty much just open to the public. Here is the distilling equipment.

Some barrels aging whiskey to be sold at a later date.

and some bottling equipment. That machine on the bottom rack puts on the labels, one bottle at a time.

While I was waiting to introduce myself to Daniel B of the FussyLittleBlog (if you watch the YNN coverage of the event you can see him kind of blurred in the background), I stood back and watched a mini media circus. Everyone was getting shots of drinks being poured, bottle being sold, interviews with the owners, and shots of just the reporter talking. One woman was actually the reporter and the camera-woman. All the reporters seemed to have a ritual before the got filmed, kind of like a batter getting into the batters box. Look down, fluff hair, shuffle feet, another hair flip, look left, on me in 3,2,1...

After a very nice conversation with Daniel B. (who kindly offered me the rocks glass that came with his bottle)  I got in line to taste the whiskey and buy a bottle. I liked what I tasted. I think my brother Mike is going to love it. The Cool Yard New Make whiskey will also clearly mix well. I'm really looking forward to tasting what comes out of the barrels. I am very tempted to get my own oak barrel and age a liter myself. I think it would be interesting to taste some white whiskey, aged at home whiskey and the Albany Distilling Company's aged whiskey side by side.

My favorite part of the bottle is the labeling of how long the whiskey stayed in oak barrels. Apparently it has to spend some time in a barrel to be sold as whiskey though there is no specification on how much time. This batch spent minutes. 

I had a very nice time at the opening. Met some very nice people - the group from the Hudson River Coffee House were very friendly and meeting them made me want to go to the coffee house. Which is saying something because I don't drink much coffee. I also spoke with Matt and John. They are very friendly and I encourage you to visit them for a tour. I'd like to go back on a calmer day to learn more about the equipment. Now that I'm thinking about it, I should have bought my brother a bottle. Looks like I've got to go back...

Albany Distilling Company
http://www.albanydistilling.com/
78 Montgomery Street
Albany, NY 12207
(Next Door to the Pump Station)

Albany Distilling Company

I saw on Table Hopping that the Albany Distillery just got their still. I'm kind of excited about this and looking forward to trying some of their stuff in a few months. I signed up for the newsletter too.

I hope they give tours. That would be a great reason to leave work early...like you really need one.