GUINIGI

Spirit Reviews

92

Shucked Bourbon ($60)

Inspired by a 2022 Broadway musical of the same name, this opens in a delicate nose of subdued corn and caramel, with a hint of toasty oak, ultimately offering a smooth, seductive palate of great refinement and length.

90

Sunken Anchor Spiced Rum ($15)

Combining Caribbean rum with spice, vanilla and caramel flavors, this spirit has a candied quality that appeals, with a bite of powerful intensity on the midpalate that evolves into a liqueur-like viscosity marked by enduring sweetness.

96

Tequila Partida Roble Fino Anejo ($149)

Orange peel and mango are wrapped in sassafras and pound cake, aromas that are mesmerizing. A heat wave begins with jalapeño-spiced tropical fruit, which soon dissipates and smooths out unveiling Mandarin orange and dried mango. Finishes with black pepper, tobacco leaf, and sweet tea. Dynamic!

99

The Beverly Reserve Barrel Strength American Whiskey ($80), USA

Dark caramel in color, with a sweet and spicy nose, this is a wonderfully complex, smooth and seductive reserve-worthy blend of 60% straight bourbon and 40% straight rye. Limited in supply, at 116 proof it is inviting and well worth enjoying on its own. The palate length is impressive, emphasizing the rich, rewarding layers of caramel apple and baking spice that are rounded out by a finish of confectionary marshmallow.

92

Virginia Distillery Co. – Blue Ridge Select ($45)

Made from 100% American malted barley from the Blue Ridge Mountains and distilled in copper pot stills from Scotland, this 93-proof spirit is aged several years in first-fill bourbon barrels and finished in virgin toasted oak. Smokey char and cigar aromas lift from the glass as delicate nuances of corn, ash and peppery spice play around a core of baked apple and cinnamon.

93

Virginia Distillery Co. – Brewer’s Coalition: Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Cask Finish ($50)

A limited-edition 100-proof single malt whisky made entirely from malted barley, this is aged in premium ex-bourbon barrels for five-plus years, then finished in Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout beer barrels for a smooth, refined offering of brown sugar, chocolate and nutty oak that’s both lengthy and intense.

88

Virginia Distillery Co. – Brewer’s Coalition: Hardywood Gingerbread Stout Cask Finish ($50)

A limited-edition 100-proof single malt whisky made from 100% malted barley, this is aged in premium ex-bourbon barrels for five-plus years, then finished in Hardywood Gingerbread Stout beer barrels. Steely, smooth and high-toned to the point of being nearly floral, it offers a subtle taste of gingerbread, dried apricot and vanilla.

97

Casa Maestri Reserva de MFM Añejo Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico, 80 proof ($85)

Captivating aromas of English toffee, peach tart, and cooked agave. Silky smooth mouthfeel, with glistening tones of apricot and oats. An exquisite, extended finish of honeyed oak.