Has anyone tried doing a bit of a sticky of all the Comercial flavourings as to whats good and whats crap? Or How to improve store bought flavours?
Just a thought.
I'll start with a couple of flavours that I have tried...
Edwards Essances - Scrub Turkey (Burbon)--- 1st impression, not very good. Doesn't taste much like burbon at all. Very artificial tasting. Haven't aged it yet to see if it gets better with wood or anything. 1/10
Still Sprits - Butterscotch Schnaps --- Not too bad, very "lollypop" tasting. Once again artifical flavours come through in the drinking. 5/10
Thats all I have tried at the moment. Feel free to add any flavours that you have tried or would like to reccomend so that we all don't waste our money & hooch.
Cheers guys,
Nimrod
Last edited by nimrod77 on Fri Sep 01, 2006 2:06 am, edited 2 times in total.
i mainly use still spirits products.
and top shelf.
i love the mixing chips with the essences.
gets better results.
you get an instant flavour through the essence but combined with chips allows the oak flavour to come through.
Still Spirits Classic Whisky. Let it sit on oak chips for a month and if I think about it a couple ml of peat essence, Gives me something to drink while I'm waiting for the real stuff to age
Edwards Essences - Iceberg Rum - I had some of this last night, NOT A FAN. Being a pretty big rum drinker this was... in a word.. CRAP.
Very artificial tasting once again, tasted more like cough syrup than rum. 1/10
Not sure if I am doing something wrong but, Eduards Essences are not impressing me at all so far....
Last edited by nimrod77 on Fri Sep 01, 2006 2:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
Just tried the Still Spirits Melon Liquer and i have to agree a very nice drink, a little sweet for my tastes, but thats the style i know. A little lighter in colour than midori but the flavour is pretty close
Also, Samual Willards Premium Whiskey; definate whiskey flavour, smell and colour. Good value for an easy drinking whiskey. Not much in the way of any wood character though i did not age on any chips.
The Original Prestige - Rum Spice Essence - 1st Imperssion... Pretty average. Doesn't taste like a rum, let alone a spiced rum. Strange sort of taste. 3/10.
Essencia - Irish Cream in conjunction with Cream Liqueur Base - better than Baileys 9/10
Top Shelf - Jamican Dark Rum, very good 8/10
Essencia - Blue Sapphire Gin - Excellent 9/10
Top Shelf - Macadamia Liqueur - Good Macadamia flavour but too sweet for me 5/10 (My wife loves it though 7/10)
The Whiskey Collection, currently have all three on oak but from my tasting to date looks promising (I hope there is still some left by the time I've finished aging it.
Never do tomorrow what you can do today because if you like what you do today you can do it AGAIN tomorrow!
Would like to compare anyones thoughts on different store bought rum essences using a standard sugar wash.
I have tried:
Prestige Golden Reserve Rum - good for store bought and improves when left of oak for a few days
Stillspirits Aussie Gold Rum - good, easily less vanilla and ultrasweet taste compared to other essences - probably as close to bundy as I have found which suprised me.
Demerara Rum (can't recall the NZ company that makes this) - very vanilla and sweet flavour - OK but needs to sit on oak for a while.
Prestige Spiced Rum - not good at all. Better off making up your own mixture of spices.
Samuel Willards Qld Rum - I had very high hopes for this after hearing it was like bundy black - its ok but others are better. A bit sweet for me. Aftertaste is a bit like Stroh.
Have also tried:
Prestige Calvados - I love this stuff, really nice flavour of apples.
Prestige Dry Gin - not exactly Bombay Sapphire but Ok. Flavour profile not as broad as BS, perhaps too little berry flavour.
Tried all sorts of whiskey essences - haven't found one I really like yet, they all lack that true oak flavour IMHO
Prestige Grappa - good stuff
Prestige Cart Noir Cognac - very happy with this - compared it with some cognac I bought OS and it compared very well.
From what I have tried it seems to me that you get an occasional winner when buying spirits essences but it is easier to duplicate liqueurs so the chances of buying any brand in that department and getting a hit is high - banana, grand manier, etc all have been winners.
It is most absurdly said, in popular language, of any man, that he is disguised in liquor; for, on the contrary, most men are disguised by sobriety. ~Thomas de Quincy, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, 1856
ive "drunk" a fair bit of that 
