Last Week's Tasting Notes

​Sharish Blue Magic Gin ($45.99)
Portugal
From the producer:
"Produced in the Alentejo region from 100% Portuguese fresh fruit, it gets its intense colour and magic from the flower of Clitoria ternatea, or blue pea. When it is served with tonic, its intense blue colour changes into soft pink.

Botanics: juniper, coriander seeds, licorice, angelica root, Alentejo lemon peel, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, Clitoria ternatea, strawberry and raspberry."

From me:
This IS magic. It's not like any gin you've ever had, both for its changing color and for its fruity, botanical flavor. I'm a little in love with Sharish.

Bayou Rum ($22.99)
Louisiana
From the producer:
"Following our authentic “sugar house” recipe, we gather raw unrefined cane sugar and molasses from M.A. Patout & Sons Enterprise Factory in Patoutville - all pressed from fresh sugarcane harvested from Louisiana fields.

Spiced Rum:
Spiced Bayou Rum is infused with classic traditional spices with a Louisiana twist. Featuring Louisiana grown ingredients, this special gumbo of spices creates a unique and satisfying blend that makes it the perfect rum for mixing. Spiced Bayou Rum livens up everything from a rum and cola to unsweet tea or an ice cube. One sip and you’ll see what we mean. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Satsuma Rum:
From the land where sugarcane and Satsuma oranges first arrived in the USA, comes Bayou Satsuma Rum Liqueur, a craft-made, All-American rum flavored with Satsuma juice. Biting into a freshly peeled Louisiana Satsuma is hard to beat! During the last Satsuma harvest in Louisiana, we started mixing this brilliant citrus juice with our Bayou Rum and the taste was so smooth and refreshing we decided to bottle it!"

From me:
I have to thank a customer for introducing this brand to me. I'm happy to have a Louisiana product here, and as it's Mardi Gras, I figure it's fitting to introduce it this week. The spiced rum has a nice flavor that's a little more on the savory side of spicy, and certainly different from a Caribbean spice profile. The satsuma (like mandarin orange) rum is slightly lower in proof, but not quite a liqueur. It has gorgeous orange flavor, and I'm imagining drinking it cold on a hot summer day.

Mad March Hare Poitin ($27.99)
Ireland
From the producer:
"The Original Craft Spirit
The origins of Irish Poitín are shrouded in mystery. Poitín is a spirit that predates anything you’re ever likely to have tasted, including whiskey. The name Poitín (pronounced: ‘put-cheen’) is Irish for ‘small pot’ – Poitín was traditionally distilled in small copper pot stills. Don’t worry, this is about as technical as we like to get!

Ireland’s oldest spirit was forced underground in 1661, by the unwelcome British crown, who tried to tax it to the hilt. However, Ireland’s love affair with Poitín never died and it was secretly distilled for over 300 years. For centuries, these legendary and elusive distillers shifted production to the remotest parts of Ireland, to avoid the prying eyes of the law.

Legalised in 1997, Irish Poitín is returning to prominence. We at Mad March Hare are playing our part in the revival of Ireland’s most original spirit. Given it’s unique history, craftmanship and versatility, Poitín is taking its rightful place as an icon of world spirits. You won’t find a spirit with a more intriguing story than Poitín!

Mad March Hare uses only the best, locally sourced, malted barley. As you would expect, fine Irish Poitín needs fine ingredients and most of our suppliers are farmers within a couple of miles of our stills, with equally rich histories in the growing of the this key ingredient. As one would expect, their covert deliveries are made in the dead of night."

From me:
This spirit is easily one of my favorite offbeat drinks. You really just have to taste it!