Thank you for your channel. As a rum drinker, Jamaican and hobby distiller, I find all your videos informative. I appreciate your passion and commitment to sharing knowledge. In the words of Bob Marley, "LOVE THE LIFE YOU LIVE, LIVE THE LIFE YOU LOVE." Keep spreading your passion-it's about helping and changing lives, not just about views.
Thanks a lot for this. You and Different Spirits are currently my go-to US spirits youtubers. If I were to do this exercise, I'd also include a lot of local producers: Australian, in my case. Even as a humble customer, I've made connections with both distillers and retailers here. This really helps because I can understand and follow their philosophy (in terms of quality, terroire, innovation, sustainability, etc.). Drink well!
Thanks so much! I'm happy to hear you enjoy my content along with Different Spirits! I also really enjoy and learn a lot from what Scott puts out!! It's awesome that you've made those connections! That's what spirits are all about! Do you have any Australian brands that you're particularly fond of?
@@RobynSmithPhD There are around 340 registered distilleries here in Oz. Some that appeal to me: Tin Shed/Iniquity (my local), Mad Monkey rum (another local, high fun factor), Adelaide Hills/78 Degrees (sustainability ethos), Tria Prima (scientific nous), Archie Rose (innovative), Seven Seasons (Indigenous ethos), Kinglake (visitor experience), The Gospel Rye (clever use of solera barrels), and Goodradigbee (use of native wood for maturation).
@@hordeum-vulgare This is an amazing list! Thank you so much! I'm going to look into these! I wonder which (if any) are available in the US... I feel like we just get Starward haha
I wholeheartedly agree with Leopold Brothers and High Wire, they are phenomenal distilleries doing their own things. Leopold Bros also have some fantastic gins in their lineup, which changes seasonally. I sat down at the bar at High Wire, and got to go through their offerings; I am hoping to return to Charleston to get a tour there.
I haven’t tried any of Leopold Bros gins, but I don’t doubt that they’re great! I’d love to visit both distilleries! I’ll be in Charleston in the summer and plan to spend a lot of time at High Wire. I’d like to get over to Denver at some point as well.
If you like investigating good wood programs, Starlight Distillery just outside of Louisville does some really neat wood experiments, Rolling Fork Rum is also in the same rickhouses and does their blending and secondary aging of sourced rum there.Thinks like Amburana, Maple, Mizunara, Cigar casks, Double oaked etc. Then they finish in various brandy, port, sherry, maple syrup, liqueur casks etc.
Oh yes, Starlight is a very cool farm distillery! I haven't tried any of their products though, but I would like to! Anything I should try first? Have you tried any of their brandies? Do you think Rolling Fork bottles are worth the price? I really like all the unique casks that they use! Maybe I'm just too loyal to Velier 😆
@@RobynSmithPhD Rolling fork is hit and miss more like Holmes Cay, not to the level of Velier which are instant buys imo. I love Amburana Oddessy and The 9 Year Barbados in a wheater. As far as Starlight goes, yeah I have had their Brandy before they started on Bourbon and their BiB Apple is really good. As far as Whiskey start basic with Carl T, then Sherry and Port should be easy to find. The Honey barrel and the Cigar batches have been outstanding.
@@snowrs1 Are there any other bottlers that are at the same level as Velier? (rhetorical question hahaha) Would you say Starlight is better at whiskeys or brandies? I think think they get distributed in CA, so I'd be limited to what I can find online.
@@RobynSmithPhD I enjoy people experimenting and doing unique things so for me they are better at Whiskey. For Brandy they make a good product but I would always reach for what Copper and Kings might be doing, over a good but straight forward Apple Brandy, this is all from the perspective that I probably only have 2 Brandies and specifically for apple, Calvados exists.
Ok you obviously like the funk, and local craft.... Have you looked into anything going on down in Texas right now? Balconies, Ironroot, Andalusia to name a few you might want to look into... Great video definitely a few new tasty things to try! Edit, post rant.... 100% craft is all about local ingredients and experimentation, new exciting and funky! But seeing what some people are doing in the local craft distilling scene right now is so amazing!
Haha is it that obvious that I love funk and craft? 😆I'm a fan of Balcones! When they first started distilling, I'll be honest, I wasn't a big fan... I thought their whiskeys tasted a lot like oak extract. However, I think they've really developed into a high-quality distillery! I tasted their single malt (Lineage) and loved it! I would love to try some of their rums, but haven't pulled the trigger yet because of the price point. I plan on checking out Ironroot! I was told that Harbinger 151 is what I should try first. Would you agree? And I've never heard of Andalusia, so thank you for suggesting them!
Fun experiments with Balconies try their Brimstone, it's a sage brush and mesquite smoked spirit, their Rumble is a honey spirit aged in their run barrels, amazing! Most of Ironroot 's real fun stuff is distillery only. But we'll worth the visit if you're ever in the Dallas/Fort Worth area! They are playing with heirloom varietals as a flavoring agent in their spirits and come from a brandy background which influenced most of their barrel aging procedures! Andalusia is actually in the process of scaling up their operation so you might be able to find them now soon in non Texas markets, but they smoke all of their spirits inhouse and they are a farm to glass operation doing amazing stuff right now! Happy hunting!
@@whiskeywookie2758 Oooh I do love honey spirits!! Rumble also has some figs and sugar added into the mass, right? That sounds like a great combo! Next time I'm in Texas, I'll definitely check out Ironroot and Andalusia! Thanks again for giving them a shout-out!!
Ardnamurchan distillery out of the rugged west coast of Scotland (inspired by Compass Box) is pushing transparency towards a different stratosphere in Scotch despite the frankly shameful restrictions put on by the SWA. On Islay it should be worth looking out for the Portintruan and Ardnahoe (inspired by Springbank) in combining rigorous old-world practices like floor maltings, direct fired stills with the new.
I do love transparency and I love supporting brands that love transparency! Especially when they're all about sustainability too! I'll have to grab myself of bottle of Ardnamurchan! I've heard of Ardnahoe! Have they started bottling whiskies? I know they're rather new and I'm assuming so is Portintruan.
LOVE this video. thank you thank you thank you; I think white whiskey and genever are severely underrated Also speaking of local distilleries, shout out to HEIMAT for their fruit liqueurs. Female owned, and she uses local NY ingredients in the style of fruit liqueurs from her homeland in Germany (Heimat is German for homeland I think). Highly recommend, just like craft distilleries, fruit liqueurs are also not viewed the right way by the consumer, and she's doing the work to set the bar.
Thanks for sharing HEIMAT! I've never heard of them (there are quite literally thousands of American craft distilleries, so there are plenty I've never heard of haha), but their liqueurs look delicious! And I love that the founder was inspired by her grandmother's liqueurs! Next time I'm in NY, I'll definitely try to find some of these liqueurs!
Thank you so much for making this! There's just so many great distilleries out there - I haven't heard of some many - Mexican corn whiskey?! Sign me up! Have you ever tried anything from Empirical? Love me some Le Rocher!
Thanks for asking for this video! I'm glad I can provide some other brands for you to check out! I haven't had anything from Empirical, but I just looked them up and they have a Doritos spirit?? Wow! Which of their spirits would you recommend? Soka looks really interesting!
@@RobynSmithPhD I haven't had any of theirs personally, yet, but find their vacuum distillation process and general experimental spirit fascinating. I've heard their "The Plum, I Suppose" is quite good with Noyaux-like Marzipan notes.
@@BagofSunChips yeah I love the experimental products they put out! Thanks for pointing them out! Freeland Spirits uses vacuum distillation for distilling some of the more delicate botanicals in their gin. It’s a very cool process!
Amazing video. Your channel rocks. By the way, I would be curious to see you try Laphroaig 10 sherry cask. I haven't tried it, but I'm curious, and my sense is that it appeals to people who love the Cairdeas. It's sherry rather than port and wine, but it similarly brings fruity tart notes to the underlying Laphroaig distillate. And it's pretty inexpensive. I have a chance to try it in a bar in about 2 weeks.
Thanks so much!! I'm happy to hear you're enjoying my channel! I haven't tried the Laphroaig 10-year sherry cask, but I'm sure I'd love it... I do tend to like sherry and peat!
This is a great and very informative video! Would you please consider making a similar video, but only include bottlings that are more videly available and maybe have a max price, like 100 $?
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed this video! A handful of the brands I mentioned have pretty good distribution depending on where you are in the US (I can't really speak about the international market) and most of the bottles are under $100! So maybe I'll work on making a list that's even more budget-friendly! I realize that I'm lucky to have really great distribution living in CA and there isn't typically a huge markup in bottle price because of that. Thanks for the suggestion!
Thank you again for your video. I'm curious if you could convert some of your RUclips content into podcasts. I've heard it's relatively straightforward to do so from RUclips. This would enable me to access your videos via RUclips Music and listen to them in podcast format
Great suggestion! I haven't thought of that, so I'll definitely look into it! I'd have to go through my content to make sure it would translate well to audio-only... I can imagine some of my microscope videos would not do well as audio-only haha.
I knew what your favorite Rum distillery and Malt Distillery were going to be because they are mine also and we have the same taste. I was surprised Buffalo Trace distillery wasn't your favorite bourbon distillery. George T. Stagg and Stagg are great but not worth the crazy mark up. Obtainable bourbon at retail would probably be Wild Turkey for me. Did you buy that KoHana rum cask strength that K&L has on closeout ?
You've got good taste! Honestly, because of the whole BT craze, I tend to steer clear of it. Thank you for letting me know about the Kohana and Cañada aguardiente... I am heading over to K&L's site right now!
where are the reviews of the new Great House 2023 and the 2023 Pagos and the new HLCF Overproof ? I know you have them. You're holding out !!! I'm tellin Mom !!! You need to review Campeltown Loch and for $55 it may be the best deal and bang for the buck in malts now
...I might have to steal this idea. 😂 Also, WHAT?? Three Chamber Pear Brandy???? WHAT WHAT WHAT Edit: And as a late addition, I completely support your craft distillery rant. Although I am perhaps more pessimistic than you - after all, if you're going to bring up craft beer, the Boston Beer Company just "remastered" Sam Adams to be "easier drinking." 🥲
Please do!!! And yes... they also are gearing up to do a three chamber apple eau de vie as we speak (according to Instagram). I can't handle it. How do I get my hands on these?? Also, there may have been a good 5 or so mins of that rant that didn't make it into the final cut because I felt it wasn't positive enough haha. I didn't realize Sam Adams needed to be easier to drink. Was this in response to the hard seltzer craze? I'm looking forward to when that passes haha.
Thank you for your channel. As a rum drinker, Jamaican and hobby distiller, I find all your videos informative. I appreciate your passion and commitment to sharing knowledge. In the words of Bob Marley, "LOVE THE LIFE YOU LIVE, LIVE THE LIFE YOU LOVE." Keep spreading your passion-it's about helping and changing lives, not just about views.
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate your kind words!
Thanks a lot for this. You and Different Spirits are currently my go-to US spirits youtubers. If I were to do this exercise, I'd also include a lot of local producers: Australian, in my case. Even as a humble customer, I've made connections with both distillers and retailers here. This really helps because I can understand and follow their philosophy (in terms of quality, terroire, innovation, sustainability, etc.). Drink well!
Thanks so much! I'm happy to hear you enjoy my content along with Different Spirits! I also really enjoy and learn a lot from what Scott puts out!!
It's awesome that you've made those connections! That's what spirits are all about! Do you have any Australian brands that you're particularly fond of?
@@RobynSmithPhD There are around 340 registered distilleries here in Oz. Some that appeal to me: Tin Shed/Iniquity (my local), Mad Monkey rum (another local, high fun factor), Adelaide Hills/78 Degrees (sustainability ethos), Tria Prima (scientific nous), Archie Rose (innovative), Seven Seasons (Indigenous ethos), Kinglake (visitor experience), The Gospel Rye (clever use of solera barrels), and Goodradigbee (use of native wood for maturation).
@@hordeum-vulgare This is an amazing list! Thank you so much! I'm going to look into these! I wonder which (if any) are available in the US... I feel like we just get Starward haha
I wholeheartedly agree with Leopold Brothers and High Wire, they are phenomenal distilleries doing their own things. Leopold Bros also have some fantastic gins in their lineup, which changes seasonally. I sat down at the bar at High Wire, and got to go through their offerings; I am hoping to return to Charleston to get a tour there.
I haven’t tried any of Leopold Bros gins, but I don’t doubt that they’re great! I’d love to visit both distilleries! I’ll be in Charleston in the summer and plan to spend a lot of time at High Wire. I’d like to get over to Denver at some point as well.
Hi Robyn been watching some of your videos nice job Cheers from Still Works and Brewing
Thanks so much!! I enjoy your videos as well!!
If I see the Hampden Marks collection & a shelf of Islay bottles, I’m gonna like this person’s opinion.
Glad to hear we have the same taste!
If you like investigating good wood programs, Starlight Distillery just outside of Louisville does some really neat wood experiments, Rolling Fork Rum is also in the same rickhouses and does their blending and secondary aging of sourced rum there.Thinks like Amburana, Maple, Mizunara, Cigar casks, Double oaked etc. Then they finish in various brandy, port, sherry, maple syrup, liqueur casks etc.
Oh yes, Starlight is a very cool farm distillery! I haven't tried any of their products though, but I would like to! Anything I should try first? Have you tried any of their brandies?
Do you think Rolling Fork bottles are worth the price? I really like all the unique casks that they use! Maybe I'm just too loyal to Velier 😆
@@RobynSmithPhD Rolling fork is hit and miss more like Holmes Cay, not to the level of Velier which are instant buys imo. I love Amburana Oddessy and The 9 Year Barbados in a wheater. As far as Starlight goes, yeah I have had their Brandy before they started on Bourbon and their BiB Apple is really good. As far as Whiskey start basic with Carl T, then Sherry and Port should be easy to find. The Honey barrel and the Cigar batches have been outstanding.
@@snowrs1 Are there any other bottlers that are at the same level as Velier? (rhetorical question hahaha)
Would you say Starlight is better at whiskeys or brandies? I think think they get distributed in CA, so I'd be limited to what I can find online.
@@RobynSmithPhD I enjoy people experimenting and doing unique things so for me they are better at Whiskey. For Brandy they make a good product but I would always reach for what Copper and Kings might be doing, over a good but straight forward Apple Brandy, this is all from the perspective that I probably only have 2 Brandies and specifically for apple, Calvados exists.
K&L has unaged Canada Aguardiente rum 1 liter on closeout for $28.99. Really great price
Ok you obviously like the funk, and local craft.... Have you looked into anything going on down in Texas right now? Balconies, Ironroot, Andalusia to name a few you might want to look into...
Great video definitely a few new tasty things to try!
Edit, post rant....
100% craft is all about local ingredients and experimentation, new exciting and funky!
But seeing what some people are doing in the local craft distilling scene right now is so amazing!
I was wondering if she would mention texas. They are killing it down there!
Haha is it that obvious that I love funk and craft? 😆I'm a fan of Balcones! When they first started distilling, I'll be honest, I wasn't a big fan... I thought their whiskeys tasted a lot like oak extract. However, I think they've really developed into a high-quality distillery! I tasted their single malt (Lineage) and loved it! I would love to try some of their rums, but haven't pulled the trigger yet because of the price point.
I plan on checking out Ironroot! I was told that Harbinger 151 is what I should try first. Would you agree?
And I've never heard of Andalusia, so thank you for suggesting them!
Fun experiments with Balconies try their Brimstone, it's a sage brush and mesquite smoked spirit, their Rumble is a honey spirit aged in their run barrels, amazing!
Most of Ironroot 's real fun stuff is distillery only. But we'll worth the visit if you're ever in the Dallas/Fort Worth area! They are playing with heirloom varietals as a flavoring agent in their spirits and come from a brandy background which influenced most of their barrel aging procedures! Andalusia is actually in the process of scaling up their operation so you might be able to find them now soon in non Texas markets, but they smoke all of their spirits inhouse and they are a farm to glass operation doing amazing stuff right now!
Happy hunting!
@@whiskeywookie2758 Oooh I do love honey spirits!! Rumble also has some figs and sugar added into the mass, right? That sounds like a great combo!
Next time I'm in Texas, I'll definitely check out Ironroot and Andalusia! Thanks again for giving them a shout-out!!
Ardnamurchan distillery out of the rugged west coast of Scotland (inspired by Compass Box) is pushing transparency towards a different stratosphere in Scotch despite the frankly shameful restrictions put on by the SWA.
On Islay it should be worth looking out for the Portintruan and Ardnahoe (inspired by Springbank) in combining rigorous old-world practices like floor maltings, direct fired stills with the new.
I do love transparency and I love supporting brands that love transparency! Especially when they're all about sustainability too! I'll have to grab myself of bottle of Ardnamurchan!
I've heard of Ardnahoe! Have they started bottling whiskies? I know they're rather new and I'm assuming so is Portintruan.
LOVE this video. thank you thank you thank you; I think white whiskey and genever are severely underrated
Also speaking of local distilleries, shout out to HEIMAT for their fruit liqueurs. Female owned, and she uses local NY ingredients in the style of fruit liqueurs from her homeland in Germany (Heimat is German for homeland I think). Highly recommend, just like craft distilleries, fruit liqueurs are also not viewed the right way by the consumer, and she's doing the work to set the bar.
Thanks for sharing HEIMAT! I've never heard of them (there are quite literally thousands of American craft distilleries, so there are plenty I've never heard of haha), but their liqueurs look delicious! And I love that the founder was inspired by her grandmother's liqueurs! Next time I'm in NY, I'll definitely try to find some of these liqueurs!
Thank you so much for making this! There's just so many great distilleries out there - I haven't heard of some many - Mexican corn whiskey?! Sign me up! Have you ever tried anything from Empirical?
Love me some Le Rocher!
Thanks for asking for this video! I'm glad I can provide some other brands for you to check out!
I haven't had anything from Empirical, but I just looked them up and they have a Doritos spirit?? Wow! Which of their spirits would you recommend? Soka looks really interesting!
@@RobynSmithPhD I haven't had any of theirs personally, yet, but find their vacuum distillation process and general experimental spirit fascinating.
I've heard their "The Plum, I Suppose" is quite good with Noyaux-like Marzipan notes.
@@BagofSunChips yeah I love the experimental products they put out! Thanks for pointing them out! Freeland Spirits uses vacuum distillation for distilling some of the more delicate botanicals in their gin. It’s a very cool process!
Amazing video. Your channel rocks.
By the way, I would be curious to see you try Laphroaig 10 sherry cask. I haven't tried it, but I'm curious, and my sense is that it appeals to people who love the Cairdeas. It's sherry rather than port and wine, but it similarly brings fruity tart notes to the underlying Laphroaig distillate. And it's pretty inexpensive. I have a chance to try it in a bar in about 2 weeks.
Thanks so much!! I'm happy to hear you're enjoying my channel! I haven't tried the Laphroaig 10-year sherry cask, but I'm sure I'd love it... I do tend to like sherry and peat!
This is a great and very informative video!
Would you please consider making a similar video, but only include bottlings that are more videly available and maybe have a max price, like 100 $?
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed this video!
A handful of the brands I mentioned have pretty good distribution depending on where you are in the US (I can't really speak about the international market) and most of the bottles are under $100! So maybe I'll work on making a list that's even more budget-friendly! I realize that I'm lucky to have really great distribution living in CA and there isn't typically a huge markup in bottle price because of that. Thanks for the suggestion!
Thank you again for your video. I'm curious if you could convert some of your RUclips content into podcasts. I've heard it's relatively straightforward to do so from RUclips. This would enable me to access your videos via RUclips Music and listen to them in podcast format
Great suggestion! I haven't thought of that, so I'll definitely look into it! I'd have to go through my content to make sure it would translate well to audio-only... I can imagine some of my microscope videos would not do well as audio-only haha.
I knew what your favorite Rum distillery and Malt Distillery were going to be because they are mine also and we have the same taste. I was surprised Buffalo Trace distillery wasn't your favorite bourbon distillery. George T. Stagg and Stagg are great but not worth the crazy mark up. Obtainable bourbon at retail would probably be Wild Turkey for me. Did you buy that KoHana rum cask strength that K&L has on closeout ?
You've got good taste! Honestly, because of the whole BT craze, I tend to steer clear of it. Thank you for letting me know about the Kohana and Cañada aguardiente... I am heading over to K&L's site right now!
where are the reviews of the new Great House 2023 and the 2023 Pagos and the new HLCF Overproof ? I know you have them. You're holding out !!! I'm tellin Mom !!! You need to review Campeltown Loch and for $55 it may be the best deal and bang for the buck in malts now
Hahaha don't worry it's coming! I'm currently out of town, but I'll do my best to post as soon as I'm back!
...I might have to steal this idea. 😂
Also, WHAT?? Three Chamber Pear Brandy???? WHAT WHAT WHAT
Edit: And as a late addition, I completely support your craft distillery rant. Although I am perhaps more pessimistic than you - after all, if you're going to bring up craft beer, the Boston Beer Company just "remastered" Sam Adams to be "easier drinking." 🥲
Please do!!! And yes... they also are gearing up to do a three chamber apple eau de vie as we speak (according to Instagram). I can't handle it. How do I get my hands on these??
Also, there may have been a good 5 or so mins of that rant that didn't make it into the final cut because I felt it wasn't positive enough haha. I didn't realize Sam Adams needed to be easier to drink. Was this in response to the hard seltzer craze? I'm looking forward to when that passes haha.