Category: Spirits

Skurnick Spirits of Mexico & Rum

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Skurnick Wine & Spirits which was established in 1987 is one of the local distributors of wines and spirits in the New York area. In the three-tier system we have in New York State, businesses have to buy their spirits from a third party, a distributor.

On April 2nd they held an event for members of the trade that showcased their rum, tequila and mezcal portfolio. The event was held at Ixta restaurant at 299 Bowery in lower Manhattan.

If was the perfect event to attend on a rainy afternoon. At the tasting, I would say that about three quarters of the spirits were Tequila and Mezcal with the rest dedicated to Rum.

I appreciated that all of the Tequila and Mezcal producers at the tasting were from small, artisanal distillers with limited production as opposed to the Corporate, mass-produced spirits that are usually found on bar shelves in the city.

Something out of the ordinary from Mexico was eau de vie from Endenico, made from tropical fruits, and a liquor from Alamatepec made with Pasilla Mixe chiles.

The rum selection was not as extensive as the spirits from Mexico but they poured an excellent selection of rums. One of my favorite Agricole rum producers, Rhum J.R., had some new products added to their portfolio of rums, which were Fume Volcanique, Terroir Volcanique and Jardin Fruite. Producer Ak Zani poured some very excellent Haitian rum which had a cool artistic label on the bottle.

Some of what I sampled:

Rum

Rhum J.MChairman’s Reserve
R.L. Seale’sHart & Son
Holmes CayElDorado
Emmanuel CamutAk Zanj
Proof and WoodBlack Tot
Probitas

Tequila/Mezcal

SantaneraAlmatepec
SalvadoreeLa Gran
AtanasioTosba
LamataAmatitena
Nuestra SoledadDon Vicente

New York Cocktail Expo 2023

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The New York Cocktail Expo was held on Sunday, September 20th.

It was advertised as a cocktail competition and awards event with various craft spirit brands and local bartenders serving a signature cocktail.

The event was first held on April 2019 in Rockville Center Long Island for spirit and cocktail enthusiasts and for bartenders, restaurants and bar owner to get some inspiration for their cocktail program.

The last time I attended this event, and actually the last time they held the event was pre lockdown in 2019. That event had three floors filled with spirit vendors and a live cocktail competition.

When I arrived for the evening session and I walked into the room, I was very surprised to see how Spartan the room was and how few vendors there were. I took a quick check of the rest of the venue and found the second floor empty of vendors and the third floor “Rum Room” was as Spartan as the main floor. I don’t think they even had a cocktail competition, surprisingly considering all of the bars and the bartenders who staff them in this city.

A couple of standout sprits was tequila from Esperanto which had a nice selection of artisanal tequila and the rums from Dos Maderas which are rum distilled in the Caribbean and then aged in Spain.

Brooklyn Rum Fest 2023

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The fourth annual Brooklyn Rum Festival was held on August 12 and was held at the event space “The Monarch” located at 23 Meadow Street in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The event brought together rums from around the world to sample with the opportunity to ask questions from the brand ambassadors on hand.

Rum is a liquor made from distilled sugar cane molasses or sugar cane juice and comes in light, dark, aged and flavored versions. It made around the world but mostly concentrated in the Caribbean where the sugar cane was grown and processed.

It seemed like there were fewer vendors on hand this year than last, but they still had a nice selection of rums from big producers as well as from small, artisanal brands.

Bacardi had an interesting trio of 8yr rums aged in various types of barrels, Rolling Fork Single Cask had a rum from Barbados aged in four different barrels which made for an interesting side by side tasting. Appleton had a trio of 8, 12 and 15yr old rums, Barbancourt was well represented with its 8 and 15yr rums as well as another rum from Hati with a very artistic label. Plantation Rum poured their line of rums from various countries.

Other producers that I sampled from during the event included Rhum JM, Charman’s Reserve, Worthy Park, Myrtle Bank, Pere Labat, Dumas, Rum-Bar and Striped Lion.

Indie Spirits Expo New York 2023

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The Independent Spirits Expo was held in New York City on June 12th and was held at the Penn Club, an old school Ivy League club located at 30 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan.

It was a gathering of “small, independent, family-owned hand-crafted spirits and the distillers, importers, bottlers, distributors and representatives” for a walk around tasting of the products that they were selling.

For the most part they were small, off the radar producers, with a couple of familiar names thrown in but for the most part small, not widely distributed producers. There was a good selection of white and brown spirits, cordials and a nice selection of artisanal Amaros.

A couple of interesting outliers that were poured included Trä-KáL, a clear spirit from Patagonia and Myris, a nutmeg liquor (better than it sounds) from Zanzibar.

I decided to focus my time on brown spirits and sampled some very nice French brandies, American whiskies and dark rums.

Amaros, Bitters and Vermouths from Fred Jerbis, Chiot, Cocchi and Cappelletti.

Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados from Cloque Pepin, Dartigalongue and Chateau di Kontambere.

Whiskey from Koval, Garrison Brothers, Few and Dad’s Hat.

Dark Rum from Chairman’s Reserve and Holme’s Cay.

Bourbon On Derby Day

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The first Saturday in May is a good party day. There are many Cinco de Mayo parities celebrated that day, and it is also Derby Day which is another reason to throw a party.

The Kentucky Derby is run on that day at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. Called “the greatest two minutes in sports”, it is a tradition that began in 1875.

What better way to celebrate an iconic sporting event than with America’s iconic spirit, Bourbon.

That afternoon the Bourbon at Belmont event was held at Belmont Park racetrack located at 2150 Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont.

It’s a reoccurring event that features over 30 Bourbon with live horse racing and a simulcast of the Kentucky Derby.

It makes for an usual venue and for an old school experience. The event took place on the 4th floor clubhouse which gave us access to the outdoor grandstand overlooking the racetrack. If you wanted to, you could have placed a bet on a race, purchased a cigar from one of the vendors at the event and sat in the grandstand with a bourbon in one hand, a cigar in the other and cheered your horse on to victory.

All of the Bourbon producers have several renditions of the spirit on hand to pour as well as a bottled rye. These were a few of the producers I sampled:

BardstownHeaven’s Door
RedemptionCooperstown Select
Widow JanePenelope
Whipper SnapperCalumet
Hudson WhiskeyTunney
Great JonesGreen River
PinhookDogfish Head

Brooklyn Rum Fest 2022

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I missed the New York Rum Fest & Congress which was held on June 18th of this year. It’s the biggest rum festival in the city. Unfortunately (or fortunately for me) it was held on the same day as the Decanter Wine Encounter which was too good of a tasting to miss.

So, I was happy to see that the Brooklyn Rum Festival would be held on August 13th. The event was held at the Brooklyn Monarch, an event space in the outer reaches of Bushwick at 23 Meadow Street.

The great thing about rum is the shear diversity of the styles available. There are white rums, dark rums, flavored rums and rums of various ages. While the industry is concentrated in the Caribbean, rum is made throughout the world, and they were represented here as well.

Every producer poured several versions of their rums and even the mass producers such as Bacardi poured some limited production aged rums.

The event space is a huge warehouse with an outdoor area in the back which had a DJ spinning tunes. There was definitely a “Caribbean” vibe to the event which had about half the number of producers present than in the New York Rum Fest, but there were till more than enough rums to sample that afternoon.

Some of the rums I sample, every producer poured several different.

Dos MaderasRhum Barbancourt
BacardiTrans Continental Rum Line
Plantation RumRhum J.M.
Mount GayRhum Clement
Chairman’s ReserveTen To One
Dan QPasetto 8
EquinoCopalli

Hard Seltzer At Belmont

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Hard seltzer has been the newest beverage craze the last couple of years which according to Grand View Research, had a global market of 8.95 billion dollars in 2021. The U. S. market share is 21.7%.

Even the mainstream brands such as Budweiser and Corona to name a couple have gotten into the act.

They are made from carbonated water with the addition of alcohol usually from fermented sugar but sometimes from barley with fruit flavorings and even cannabis. In addition to the hard seltzers at the event there were hard tea, hard lemonade and canned cocktails.

I have to admit there are times when I’m in a situation where I’m looking for something refreshing to drink and I don’t feel like an overpriced Pinot Grigio or a high alcohol cocktail, so I’ve ordered a hard seltzer.

Usually in a bar there are a handful of the same major brands to choose from but at this tasting there were dozens of brands with many flavors that were poured.

The event was held at Belmont Park at 2150 Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont Long Island. It’s a unique venue to have a tasting, the tasting was held on the upper levels of the grandstand overlooking the racetrack. With live racing that day you could have placed a bet on the horses in between sips of seltzer.

Rum Fest 2021

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RumLab is a website dedicate to rum and to the people involved with it. They sponsor a travelling Rum festival stopping in San Juan, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami Beach and after a year hiatus, in New York City on August 21st.

It was a tasting that featured 100+ rums from several countries in all styles. There were also several seminars throughout the afternoon.

The event was held at the popular event space, the Metropolitan Pavilion at 125 West 18th Street in Manhattan.

Rum is made from molasses or free run sugar cane juice which is then fermented and distilled in either a column still or a pot still. Not surprisingly, production is centered in the Caribbean countries though it’s made worldwide as well. The rum comes out of the still clear and aging (or adding additives like caramel color) adds color to the rum. The various styles of rum include light rum, gold rum, dark rum, black rum and spiced rum.

Personally, I save the white rums for the pina coladas and rum and Coke while I believe that aged rum is one of the most underrated spirits in the world. It’s something you sip neat while watching the sun go down with bonus points if you are smoking a good cigar.

I particularly enjoy the Rum Agricole that are produced in the French West Indies. They generally have more character with earthy and grassy notes and a lighter texture than rums made from molasses.

Last years tour was another victim of the pandemic so a good crowd showed to the event to sample what was offered, though I did notice that there were fewer producers on hand this time around than in previous years.

Some rums I sampled:

El Dorado 15yr, 21yrClement 10yr, 15yr
Chairman’s Reserve Legacy, 1931Bounty Officer’s Release, Dark Rum
Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaican Ron Abuelo 7yr, 12yr
Maggie’s Farm Single BarrelRhum JM 2002, VSOP
Montanya Oro, ExclusivaBarcelo Imperial
Long Pond 15yr Single MaltClement Canne Bleue, XO
Holme’s Cay Guyana 2005, Belize 2006, Barbados 2005Plantation Jamaica, Australia, Trinidad
Don Q Anejo, XO

Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Fest 2021

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On July 31st and August 1st, the 11th annual Beer, Bourbon and BBQ festival was held in Brooklyn at the Expo Center, a venue space located at 72 Noble Street in Greenpoint.

It’s a year long traveling BBQ festival with tour dates in Virginia, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland and of course, Brooklyn, New York.

It’s a big party with pitmasters cooking up their specialties with an abundance of whiskey, beer, cider and a lot of hard seltzer which seems to be the new spirit trend in the country this year.

The even was held on Saturday afternoon and evening and on Sunday afternoon. I attended the Saturday afternoon session because the afternoon sessions are usually less crowded and more manageable than the evening sessions and at that time they haven’t run out of any particular spirit.

There was an outdoor seating area with vendors, games and a DJ that quickly filled up with people relaxing with their whisky and cigars.

I did attend a seminar for Garrison Brothers whiskey from Texas. At the event there was a nice selection of American whiskey and local beers and as I mentioned, a larger than usual selection of hard seltzer.

If one thing stood out for me at the event was that I was a little disappointed in the food served compare to the last time I went to this event in January of 2020. Maybe some of the pitmasters were still jittery about traveling

Some of the Whiskey I sampled:

George Dickel: 8yr sour mash, 12yr sour mash

Four Roses: Small Batch, Single Barrell

Virginia Distilling Co.: Single Malt Whisky

Balcone’s: Texas 100°, True Blue 100°, Lineage

Evan Williams: 1783

Markers Mark: Cask Strength, 46, 101 Limited Release

Basil Hayden’s: Straight Bourbon

Knob Creek: 15yr Bourbon, Kentucky Straight Rye

Excelsior: NY Straight Rye

Coppersea: NY Straight Rye Malt Whisky

Whiskey & Barrel Nite 2021

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The Covid restrictions in New York were finally lifted on June 16th which meant the return of in-person wine and spirit events.

The Whiskey & Barrel Nite tasting event was held on June 17th. It was a night to sample from a choice of dozens of worldwide whiskey though most were American Whiskey which included Rye, Bourbon and blended whiskey. The countries of Scotland, Ireland, France, Australia, Japan and India were represented as well and a handful of brandy, rum, gin and vodka were on hand for those who got tired of whiskey.

The event was held at the Metropolitan Pavilion, a well known event space located at 125 West 18th Street in Manhattan.

To keep people busy while they were sipping on spirits a live Jazz Band was in hand and a buffet to feed the hungry. There was also a separate “VIP Experience” room for VIP ticket holders that poured some extra special spirits.

It was a great night to finally experience a pre pandemic event and the event space was so large that the room never became overcrowded though I have to think that the organizers might have limited thicket sales to keep the crowd down or that many people were still skittish about attending a public event. Probably a little of both.

There was an excellent selection of spirits to try, I’m not a fan of Scotch so I didn’t sample very many of those but I am a fan of Rye so I did sample quite a few of those.

I was able to sample a couple of wheated Bourbon from the cult status Weller, their Full Proof and their Special Reserve which I thought was quite smooth.

Another interesting whisky was a trio of single farm origin Irish whisky from Waterford, Dunmore, Rathclogh and Organic Gaia. They all had uncharacteristic notes of the terroir of where they were produced.

There was a nice limited release Bourbon from Booker’s, some interesting Rye’s from Dad’s Hat, the nice Private Select from Maker’s Mark, and Whistle Pig’s 18 year which were just a few of the whiskey I sampled this evening.