Taboo Absinthe

A few things about Absinthe

After nearly a century of prohibition throughout the developed world, absinthe is the source of much mystery, urban legend, and well, what I would call pseudo-science. Absinthe has gotten a bad wrap for being a hallucinogenic substance, and cause for reprehensible behavior. So what's true, and what's false? Well, it can be difficult to look back through the lens of history and posit what was untrue, and why it was thought to be untrue, but modern scientific and historical investigation has cleared much of the mist surrounding absinthe's cloudy past.

Absinthe rose to popularity in France during the late 1800s and early 1900s, before being banned throughout much of Europe and the United States from 1900-1916. It's popularity was credited partially to the Bohemian counter-culture movement that produced artistic minds such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Oscar Wilde, and Ernest Hemingway, among others, who also indulged in The Green Fairy. It's popularity continued to grow throughout France and Europe, to the point that it became a part of mainstream culture (as opposed to the secret drink of the Bohemians).

This was only my second time with
the Green Fairy.

When French grape yields became prey to phylloxera, damaging wine production, the shortage of wine obviously drove other forms of libation into the mainstream, one of these being Absinthe. It is believed that part of the taboo that was attached to Absinthe was encouraged by competing wine producers. The addition of the active ingredient thujone, in wormwood, created an image of wormwood being an illicit substance to be abused by the masses. Thujone was believed to be toxic, and a hallucinogen, although, recent studies have shown that it is neither of those, nor there is enough thujone in wormwood to create any sort of high that may have once been believed. In fact, common sage, has higher level of thujone than wormwood, yet, it is consumed freely.

The above factors in part led to absinthe being pegged as a scapegoat for rising crime rates, and deplorable behavior. In truth, any effects of Absinthe on the mind can be safely attributed to the effects of the hard drug know as alcohol. In modern times, myths have been dispelled and Absinthe culture has seen a revival. New Absinthes have arisen, and old Absinthes have been reproduced through historical record. There are now dozens of Absinthe brands available to the public.

Taboo Absinthe

In Canada, the Okanagan Spirits Distillery has produced a fine green Absinthe which they call Taboo, named with respect to wormwood as the taboo ingredient of Absinthe. The contents are bottled at 60% in a 500 mL bottle, putting it at around the same alcohol content as a standard 80 proof bottling at 750 mL. The bottle also contains a list of ingredients and an explanation of the traditional method to indulge in Absinthe, adding droplets of cold water to dilute the spirit, and create the cloudy  that reveals a quality Absinthe.

Louche refers to the cloudiness that appears once you add cold water to the spirit. Its comparable to the cloudiness of nigori Sake, milky in consistency. The high alcohol content of Absinthe has the effect of trapping molecules in the liquid, until it is diluted with a fair amount of water, which is known to be a good solution for chemical reactions. The watering down of Taboo releases essential oils, and flavor molecules of the herbs used in the maceration process during distillation, and the later steeping of herbs that comes after distillation.

The nose is typically licorice before louche, and after reveals somewhat of a nuanced sweetness, suggesting a candy-like taste. On the palette it is a soft expression of bitter-sweet, and heavily anised experience. The anise notes are not to the extremity of liqueurs such as Jagermeister, however.

Not having much experience with Absinthe, I will be foregoing the rating of this product, and thus the rating is:

NOT AVAILABLE

2 Gingers Irish Whiskey

A few things about this Irish Whiskey Blend

2 Gingers is somewhat of an interesting Irish Whiskey. It was produced, developed and branded from the imagination of Kieran Folliard, a Minnesotan Irishman. Whether that means he's an Irish immigrant, or just an American with Irish background, I don't know. I don't totally understand how we new worlders all classify ourselves, so I'll just throw that tidbit of information into the air, and you can catch the confetti and form your own theory. Or you know, you can Google it too. I'm sure that may turn something up.

The logo baring the faces of the brand's inspiration.

In any case, it's a blended Whiskey imagined by Mr. Folliard, who wished to have his own alternative to rising demand and cost of Jameson's Irish Whiskey. The result is this blended whiskey from the Kilbeggan Distilling Co (owned by Beam Suntory). He named it after his mother and aunt, who he claims as the contributing push for him to follow through with his idea. The bottle bares a logo with their likenesses, and of course is called 2 Gingers, after the two red headed women.

2 Gingers was originally released in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Mr. Folliard's bar took to using the product in their signature drink Big Ginger. In the fashion of putting hi-balls on the back of bottles and claiming a revolution, the drink consists of nothing more than the Whiskey and ginger ale, garnished with a lime and lemon wedge. Weaksauce!

Despite the previous point, I quite like the branding of this product, and particularly like the 2 Gingers motto "Bring your own luck!"

On to 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey

I already mentioned that I love the branding of this product, I also quite like how the sleek logo looks on the bottle, as well as the color of the inner contents. It's a very modern looking bottling, which I can appreciate. Nevertheless, I have to remind everyone that I don't give any points for branding, but merely for the contents of the bottle.

This is how most Tasting Notes reviews start out.
My favorite part of the process!

The nose is a delicate vanilla wood, and smells strongly of caramel. Baked bread, and a hint of anise are present. I have to reiterate the delicate nature of the nose. While rather pleasant it is quite soft,
and takes some time to notice. It falls a little flat of expectations with the great branding of the product. The nose carries through to the palette, not offering a whole lot more in taste. There is a hint of lemon and lime, over top a layer of sourness. It's a typical Irish Whiskey, of perhaps lower quality than Jameson, but not unpleasant. It has a certain level of dry acidity that is somewhat undesirable. In combination with the lackluster palette, it has a light level of rancidness that is noticeable in more than a few other middle quality spirits.

The finish is short lived, but the flavor comes out more in this portion of the tasting. A short burst of flavor as the fumes escape your palette, I suppose. It leaves no bad impressions, but does not have a vibrant depth of flavor that you would hope for. Oak wood tannins, and vanilla are the big players here, complementing the characteristic caramel flavor that was there throughout the tasting.

79/100

Amado Sur Malbec Blend, 2012 Vintage

It's officially Valentine's Day, and if you're an attached human male, there's a good chance that you haven't thought it out as well as you gave yourself credit. Which is a perfect note to begin this Tasting Notes review on! This time, we'll be looking at an Argentinian wine which I quite enjoy, the 2012 vintage Amado Sur Malbec Blend.

Firstly, the three grape varietals - malbec, bonarda and syrah - are fermented separately in stainless steel tanks. When fermentation is complete, the varietals are then aged separately in French oak barrels for 8 months, before being blended and aged again in stainless steel barrels for 6 more months, and finally being bottled and aged for another 5 months before hitting the shelves.

The results of this process are a fruity wine blend, tasting of blackberries, cherries, cranberries and apple. It has a light crisp acidity, accompanied by a velvety feel on the tongue. Like many reds, it's flavor shines most when you enjoy it with a meal, or let it air out for a short time. Decanting the glass briefly reveals spice notes of clove, coriander and black pepper, along with hints of dried fruit, such as craisins and black currants.

While it's a wine I enjoy, making it an easy review for me, it's also easy as it happens to be quite versatile in it's ability to pair with food. It's an ideal wine for red meat meals, preferably the more rich and tender options such as prime rib, tenderloin, or lamb. It also pairs well with spicy Mediterranean, Indian or far eastern dishes. On a lighter note, I'd recommend it with a diverse cheese plate, or simply with pizza and wings; the first way my girlfriend and I enjoyed it.

I won't be rating this wine, as wine tastings aren't really my niche, I don't think I can give it a fair rating. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend this as a good meal value wine.