Monday, November 04, 2024

Salted Caramel

 In March of 2019, two shooters, Gentleman George, Big Bill and I were talking at a match in Oklahoma.  Gentleman George was telling us about a liquor he had sampled, Black Velvet Salted Caramel, that he really liked.

I've never been a fan of Black Velvet whiskey, considered it rot-gut.  I'm not a snob about whiskey, but Black Velvet was never in my wheelhouse.  I'll also admit that I've never been a fan of the flavored whiskeys, considering them more of a liqueur than a whiskey.  I have nothing against liqueurs and I enjoy the occasional Frangelico.  The proliferation of flavored whiskeys had me convinced that it was a way for the distillers to use barrels that didn't match a specific flavor profile.  Flavor it with apple, or blackberry, or caramel and roll it out the door.

I may have changed my mind this afternoon.  Earlier today I bought a bottle of Crown Royal Salted Caramel, purely as an impulse purchase. Recalling the conversation in 2019, I decided to give flavored whiskey a try.  At 35% ABV, it's not a whiskey.  It's a liqueur, but I cracked it this afternoon, pouned it over ice in a highball glass, and damn, that's fine sipping.

I'm on my second one now, and it's very, very nice.

3 comments:

Old NFO said...

Interesting...

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tip!
Last several bottles I've purchased have been from Chattanooga Whiskey. I like supporting the independent distillers, and it's some pretty good hooch. I like the cask-strength offerings.

Anonymous said...

Your point about lower quality batches turning into these flavored booze things is probably right.

I quit drinking a long time ago but do remember the second was always better than the first.