As you may know, the word “whiskey” (or “whisky” in some circles) encompasses many different styles from all over the world. We have been fortunate to try many different styles and variations from all around the globe and we are always on the lookout for a new expression of our favorite spirit category. This week we are happy to share with you a rye whiskey that was highly recommended by some of our followers on Twitch. The beverage we have for this podcast is the Angel’s Envy Finished Rye. This rye whiskey is finished in Caribbean rum casks for up to 18 months and is 100 proof.  What did we think? What do you think?  Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.  If you have any ideas for future episodes of "Give It A Shot" or just have a question, you can always send us an email to AboutBeverages@gmail.com. You may click on the media player to listen directly on our website, right click the link below to download and listen to it later, or subscribe to us and never miss an episode. Enjoy!  Link Lounge Here are the links to the things we talked about during the podcast. 

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Give It A Shot - Angel's Envy Rye Finished in Rum Barrels

A few months back we tried and very much enjoyed a cider from Superstition Meadery located in Prescott, Arizona. Andrew has had a few things from them but the one we had was Lemonade in Retrograde which was fermented with lemons, honey and hops. It was delicious and scary-easy to drink at 13.5% ABV. For this week's show we return to Superstition Meadery but we are going to see what magic they can do with a cider. We will be trying the Blueberry Spaceship Box cider which is made with a blend of tart apples and semi-sweet blueberries. It comes in at 5.5% ABV and costs anywhere from $14 to $19 for a 750ML bottle. Their website says that it is the top rated cider in the world on Ratebeer.com and also on Untapped. Who knows but maybe someday their site will mention AboutBeverages.com and how we feel about one of their products. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Superstition Meadery Blueberry Spaceship Box Hard Cider 2021

Traditionally at About Beverages, once the calendar turns to September and October we start to feature pumpkin beers on our podcasts. For several years we would have anywhere from four to six different options (sometimes spread over two shows). We would pick our favorite and declare it our winner for that year. For the next years show we would bring back the reigning champion and see if it could fend off the new challengers. Two that we have consistently enjoyed over the years (besides the home brew pumpkin porter that Andrew and his friend make) are Dogfish Heads Punkin and Shipyard’s Smashed Pumpkin. Besides being a way for Andrew to torture Keith with pumpkin beer (which always made for funny dialogue) it was a nice tradition that helped us get in the autumnal spirit. This year due to vacations and other logistical challenges we only have one pumpkin beer to share with you via a podcast and that is the Salted Caramel Pumpkin Beer from O’Fallon Brewery. This beer features caramel malts, lactose, pumpkin purée and their proprietary spice blend. As it is the only pumpkin beer making it to a podcast this year we are placing all of our hopes on this one beer. Are we out of our gourds? What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - O'Fallon Brewery Salted Caramel Pumpkin Beer

In the past few weeks we have been on somewhat of a “blind-tasting” binge. It wasn’t necessarily something that we had planned, it just manifested itself before our eyes. This week's show is the latest in that series as we will be trying two scotches side by side without knowing which one is which. The two we have for this episode are the Finlaggan and the Laphroaig. The Finlaggan is an Islay made for Trader Joe’s that costs $20 a bottle and most importantly, was recommended by our Scotch consigliere Fitz. The Laphroaig is a 10 year, usually under $40 a bottle and has been a favorite for several years. We chose these two for comparison because they are from the same area and as close to the same style representation as we had readily available. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Laphroaig 10 Year vs Trader Joe's Finlaggan Scotch

What did we think? What do you think?  Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.  If you have any ideas for future episodes of "Give It A Shot" or just have a question, you can always send us an email to AboutBeverages@gmail.com. You may click on the media player to listen directly on our website, right click the link below to download and listen to it later, or subscribe to us and never miss an episode. Enjoy!  Link Lounge Here are the links to the things we talked about during the podcast. 

Give It A Shot - Kirkland Bottled in Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey from Barton 1792 Distilleries

Recently Andrew was in Southern California with some friends. While waiting outside of a bottle shop for one of those friends to make their purchase, he received a text from the friend in the bottle shop saying that a beer had been discovered that had to be tried for a podcast. A picture of this beer soon followed. Once he had a chance to digest all of the pertinent information on the can in the picture, Andrew emphatically agreed and we have that for you today. On this episode we will be trying the Duclaw Brewing Sour Me Unicorn Farts Glittered Sour Ale. It is brewed with cherries, tangerines, limes, fruity cereal and edible glitter. Duclaw is located in Baltimore, Maryland and this 5.5% ABV beer is one of their limited release offerings. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Duclaw Brewing Sour Me Unicorn Farts Glittered Sour Ale

Near the end of our podcasts we wrap things up by mentioning the variety of ways that you can access About Beverages content. We talk about where to find our videos (YouTube), our audio only content (Spotify, iTunes, etc), and about how to keep up to date with us via social media. Since we have three such platforms that we use (Instagram, Tim Tok, and Twitter) we have come to refer to them as The Three Pillars of Social Media. We always think of them whenever the word “Pillar” enters our daily activities. As you may have guessed, this week's featured beverage is pillar-based as we will be trying the Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin. Coming to us from a land down under, it is made with three types of cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, olive leaf tea, botanicals, macadamia nuts and lemon myrtle. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Four Pillars Olive Leaf Gin

If you are at all familiar with About Beverages then you know that we are quite fond of bourbon. We have had bourbon from a wide variety of distillers and from different states, but until this episode we have not had any bourbon that was made in Nevada. For this week's show we will be trying the Smoke Wagon Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey. This bourbon features a high rye content, is aged in a century-old brick warehouse and comes in at 50% ABV. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Smoke Wagon Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey

For several years both of our families were fortunate to be able to visit Disneyland in October. Disneyland is a magical place anytime of the year, but during the weeks leading up to Halloween it is transformed into a spookier version of the “Happiest Place on Earth.” In a few of those years, our families' visits to the park overlapped and we all were able to hang out together. Those were some great times with so many wonderful memories! One of the things that is crucial to success when visiting a theme park is to have continued sustenance. Since it can get expensive relying only on theme park food, Smucker’s Uncrustables became a staple snack. Packed frozen in the backpack at the beginning of the day, they are perfectly thawed just in time to quell that first hunger pang. We mention all of this because the label of the beverage we are featuring on this show evoked thoughts of Uncrustables, and of course a desire to visit Disneyland. For this episode we will be trying the Bistro Grande PB&J Berliner Weisse from Energy City Brewing. Andrew picked this up at our local Tap and Bottle and the fact that it might taste like a PB&J has us excited to Give It a Shot! What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Bistro Grande Grape PB&J Berliner Weisse from Energy City Brewing

Change is a part of life. Change is inevitable. When it's time to change, you’ve got to rearrange. Whether it is a quote, a cliché, or lyrics from a Brady Bunch song, all of these things are true. As Cubs fans know all too well, change was on display last week as a championship era came swiftly and somewhat surprisingly to an end. We were forced to say goodbye to players we loved to watch play and that we feel we came to know. We wish them well with their new teams and we hope that the Cubs next championship era is on the way sooner than later. Now back to the beverage world as we return to one thing that hasn’t changed; our appreciation for and desire to try Japanese whisky. We have tried several over the past year and each one we try fosters a desire to keep looking for more. On this week's show we will be trying the Kaiyo Japanese Mizunara Oak Signature Whisky. Aged in Mizunara oak, this whisky is un-chill filtered and comes in at 43% ABV. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Kaiyo Japanese Mizunara Oak Signature Whisky

The past year or so we have found ourselves frequently venturing into previously uncharted territory (for us) on the beverage map in our ongoing attempt to have a more thorough appreciation of the beverage world. One of the categories that is relatively new to us is mead, which we first tried on a show in the autumn of 2020. We tried two offerings from Artivem Mead Company and they were both delicious! Recently, Andrew was given another bottle of mead from a different company and that is what we will be sharing with you on this show. We will be trying the Lemonade in Retrograde Mead from Superstition Meadery located in Prescott, Arizona. Coming in at 13.5% ABV, this is made with lemons and citra hops and definitely has our curiosity piqued. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Superstition Meadery Lemonade in Retrograde

This week once again finds us trying an offering from one of our favorite beverage categories; bourbon. There are so many great choices on your local merchants shelves (and also many that are not), that making a choice can be intimidating to say the least. We, however, remain undaunted and are happy to dive right in and make a selection. Whether it be based on our own knowledge, curiosity, or the guidance of a trusted expert, we are always ready to try a new bourbon. For this week's episode we will be trying the Wolcott Bottled-In-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Bottled in bond is a term that means the liquor was the product of one distillation season by one distiller at one distillery. It must be aged in a federally bonded warehouse for at least four years and bottled at 100 proof. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Wolcott Bottled In Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon

People outside of the state may not know this, but Arizona has several grape growing and wine producing areas. Two of the wineries, Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards, are owned by Maynard James Keenan. While he is more well known for being the founder of the bands Tools and A Perfect Circle, he has also made a name for himself as a vintner. Currently between the two vineyards he has 110 acres under vine in the Page Springs/Corneille area of the state and is known for producing a wide range of blends. During one of our shows we decided to have a night where the featured tasting items came from Arizona. Trader Joe’s had recently started carrying a blend from Merkin Vineyards so we selected that to try for a podcast. The blend we are sharing with you is the Chupacabra. It is a GSM which is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. The grapes come from the Buhl Memorial Vineyard in Cochise County and the blend changes from year to year. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Merkin Vineyards Chupacabra Red Blend 2019

While the gin and tonic is a classic and delicious cocktail year round, it is especially refreshing as the weather begins to get warmer. We are big fans of gin and always on the lookout for new ones to try. We do have our favorites and one of them is Hendrick’s. It has a delicious blend of botanicals that complements the ubiquitous juniper berry which is the foundation for gin. Hendrick’s offers more than just their flagship and for this podcast we will be trying one of them. On this show we will be featuring the Hendrick’s Lunar Gin Limited Release. Coming in at 43.4% ABV it features night blooming floral essence, warm baked spices, and a burst of citrus. At least that’s what they say. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Hendrick's Lunar Gin Limited Release

During the over 12 years that we have been About Beverages, we have only tried one mezcal. In June of 2020 we tried the Espada Pequena Mezcal from Trader Joe’s. We drank it straight and also used it in a Paloma. We liked it in both applications but our experience with mezcal is somewhat limited so we didn’t really have much to compare it to. It was something we definitely wanted to try more of, so we have been on the lookout for numero dos. Andrew had heard about a mezcal that was made by two of the stars of one of his favorite shows, Breaking Bad, and of course he was intrigued. Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul partnered with some Mezcal producers in the small village of San Luis del Rio, which is in a remote section of Oaxaca. The spirit they created is Dos Hombres Espadin Mezcal and that is what we will be sharing with you. While they do make one made from 25 year old Tobala agave, this one is made from hand-selected 6 year old Espadin agave. What did we think? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or join us live on Thursday nights to give us your feedback while we are live streaming on Twitch.

Give It A Shot - Dos Hombres Mezcal

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