Downslope Distilling Wine Barrel Aged Rum

This is a great product from a new distillery located right here in Centennial, CO. I recently visited their tasting room and toured the distillery with a couple of other guys from Heritage Wine & Liquor and needless to say we liked what we saw. This rum is produced from dried Maui cane juice which means that none of the molasses has been removed therefore none has to be added back. After distillation the silver rum is aged in used wine barrels to impart unique flavors onto their already fantastic silver rum. The current bottling is aged in Hungarian Tokaji casks which is typically a late harvest sweet dessert wine from the Tokaji-Hegyalja region of Hungry. They offer the rum in a California Chardonnay cask and Napa Valley Merlot. This is absolute must try!

Price: $26.99/750ml

Rating: 90 points!

2006 Llama Old Vine Malbec

I drank one these over the weekend, and what a fantastic buy for under $15! Argentinian Malbec has become a new favorite for many of those that were loyal followers of California Cabernet Sauvignon, which has steadily increased in price over the past 5 years. The Malbecs from Argentina afford those drinkers the big bold characteristics, similar to a California Cab Sauv, but at a less expensive price point. This particular Malbec comes from nearly 100 year old vines located in the specialized region of Lujan de Cuyo, located in the Mendoza region. Pours a rich ruby purple with elegant aromas of plum, dark chocolate and tobacco. The palate is ripe and robust with flavors of blackberry, plum and intriguing spices with nice balance and structure coming from the 6 months in French oak barrels.

Price: $12.99

Rating: 89 points!

Duchesse de Bourgogne

This has become one of my new favorite beers. This is a traditional top fermented reddish-brown ale from the West-Flanders region of Belgium where these refined ales are known as "The Burgundies of Belgium". This ale is a blend of 8 and 18 month old ales following careful maturation in oak casks. This beer pours a reddish brown color with a light fizzy that actually increase if you let it sit for a few minutes. The nose was loaded with red berry fruits, citrus, sweet malts and yeast. The palate follows suit with the flavors you pick up on the nose plus some notes of bread and spice. Absolutely delicious!

$11.99/750ml

Rating: 9.6 out of 10