シークァーサーのお酒 - 南の果実 (Miyakobijin), 10% ABV, (Japan)
My Notes:
- My Rating: C+
- Why it’s not awesome: strong alcohol (sake) taste
- Where I got it: Tokyo, Jan 2012
- How much: ￥1000 ($13), 500ml
- Do I love this enough to drink it again: No
- Would I recommend this to liquor afficianados: No
Tasting Notes (straight, chilled): pours cloudy lime juice colour, slightly thicker than water viscosity. Strong lime and calamansi on the nose. Strong alcohol (from the sake) taste from start to finish muddles the overall experience. Flavours consist of half 5/10 sour lime, aromatic calamansi, bitter lime peel, 2/10 tart finish.
かぼす梅酒 -天女のしずく （大分県産かぼす・梅使用）, 12% ABV, (Oita, Japan)
My Notes:
- My Rating: C+
- Why it’s not awesome: tastes of sugar, alcohol and juice
- Where I got it: Tokyo, Jan 2012
- How much: ￥1000 ($13), 500ml
- Do I love this enough to drink it again: Yes
- Would I recommend this to liquor afficianados: Yes
Tasting Notes (straight, chilled): pours honey yellow, slightly cloudy, thicker than water viscosity. Tastes of 7/10 sweet and 3/10 sour kabosu (yuzu+lime flavour) but mainly umeshu, a bit of honey and 50% grain alcohol in the background. Not terribly smooth but decent kabosu and a nice variation of normal umeshu.
梨園 (なしのお酒), 12% ABV, (Oita, Japan)
-四季を通して日田の梨
My Notes:
- My Rating: B+
- Why I like it: natural fruit flavour
- Where I got it: Tokyo, Jan 2012
- How much: ￥1000 ($13), 500ml
- Do I love this enough to drink it again: Yes
- Would I recommend this to liquor afficianados: Yes
Tasting Notes (straight, chilled): pours lime juice coloured cloudy green, unfiltered fruit, thinner than grenadine viscosity. Half asian pear, half alcohol burn on the nose. Clean 6/10 sweet asian pear up front, immediately followed by grain alcohol bitterness down the back of the throat, and again finishes with pear aroma. Strong green apple notes in there as well. Made with 100% Hita pears. Overall tastes of juice + grain alcohol but high quality pear juice at that.
やたがらす桃にごり, 11% ABV, エキス分 24%, (Nagano, Japan)
My Notes:
- My Rating: C+
- Why I don’t love it: fruit juice, sugar, and grain alcohol basically.
- Where I got it: Tokyo, Jan 2012
- How much: ~￥1500 ($20)
- Do I love this enough to drink it again: No
- Would I recommend this to liquor afficianados: No
Tasting Notes (straight, chilled): pours opaque cloudy white peach flesh colour, unfiltered peach pulp clings to the side of the glass, half-syrupy viscosity. Grain alcohol and peach juice on the nose, no surprise here. Very alcohol forward for 11% ABV, 7/10 sweetness, decent genuine peach flavour but overwhelmed by the alcohol burn. It’s best on the rocks or as a mixer. Cool bottle.
実りのリキュール 日向夏、8% ABV, エキス分 17%, (Nara, Japan)
My Notes:
- My Rating: B
- Why I enjoy it: unique yuzu/lemon/tangerine flavour
- Where I got it: Tokyo, Jan 2012
- How much: ~￥1500 ($20)
- Do I love this enough to drink it again: No
- Would I recommend this to liquor afficianados: Yes
Tasting Notes: pours lemon juice cloudy, thicker than water but not quite syrupy viscosity. Strong citrus honey on the nose. 8/10 sweetness, lemony-citrus mixed with yuzu and mild honey, hints of yellow grapefruit, , clean finish. Very fragrant and would be fab as a mixer.
山のきぶどう酒 - あさ開, 7% ABV, (Iwate, Japan)
50% 果汁 - made with 清酒、山ぶどう (Sake and grape juice)
My Notes:
- My Rating: C
- Why I don’t love it: plain
- Where I got it: Tokyo, Jan 2012
- How much: ￥1580 ($21)
- Do I love this enough to drink it again: No
- Would I recommend this to liquor afficianados: No
Tasting Notes: cloudy reddish-purple, unfiltered juice-like viscosity, bits of pulp at the bottom of the glass. Grape juice and a bit of floral sake on the nose. Grape sweetness up front, 6/10 tart purple grape finish with 4/10 sourness in the mid, alcohol hits at the end. Very smooth (but low ABV) and drinkable. Nothing special though, just quality grape juice and clean sake. Too thin to use as a mixer.
柚子と生姜のお酒 (Yuzu and Ginger Liqueur) - Kikkoman, 10% ABV, (Tokyo, Japan)
On the front label:
“「徳島県産柚子」使用、「高知県産生姜」使用 (Made with Tokushima Yuza and Kochi Ginger)”
My Notes:
- My Rating: B+
- Why I like it: Complex and deep
- Where I got it: Kichijioji (吉祥寺), Tokyu dept. store, Jan-2012
- How much: ￥780 ($10.50), 500ml
- Do I love this enough to drink it again: Yep
- Would I recommend this to liqueur afficianados: Yes
Tasting Notes (straight, chilled): pours cloudy yellow, medium viscosity, sugary sweet bitter lemon on the nose, hints of bitter seville orange as well. Tastes of bitter lemon+orange, a bit of chamomile, mild ginger burn and fragrant ginger flavour. Excellent balance of fruit-bitter-spicy. Good sweetness and mouthfeel.
Fung Shui
-1st prize of the Giffard Challenge 2007 (from the Giffard website)
Ingredients:
- 3cl Banane du Bresil (Giffard)
- 2cl Coconut liqueur (subbed Whaler’s Coconut Rum for Cocogif)
- 2cl Mangue Tropic (Giffard)
- 2cl 18% fat Cream
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients to a shaker, shake until hands are chilled.
- Double strain
- Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg (my twist)
Rating: C (I needs tweaking)
Tasting Notes: Too freakin’ sweet - as expected since 3/4 ingredients are liqueurs. An interesting combo of a creamy coconut banana followed by a sweetened mango finish. Need to mellow out the sugar rush/alcohol aggressiveness 1 second into the sip. Very potent, buzzed 1/2way thru.
Ideas:
- egg white
- housemade roasted coconut rum
- sub housemade mango cachaca for mango liqueur
