San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Michael Collins Irish Whiskey Wins Double Gold in SF

Filed under: Spirits

Michael Collins, which is distilled at Ireland's last independently owned distillery, Cooley, just won a Double Gold Medal in the Single Malt Irish Whiskey category at the 2009 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Michael Collins Irish Whiskeys are double distilled to retain the flavor characteristics of their premium ingredients. Aged in small bourbon seasoned casks, they are refined, flavorful and well-balanced. The brand is named after the Irish national hero.

Michael Collins handcrafted Single Malt is bold with a distinctive and unexpected lightly peated style. Aged for a minimum of 8 - 12 years, it has aromas of chocolate malt with light citrus and honeysuckle notes.

Well-rounded and complex with rich maltiness, it finishes long with a hint of chocolate and smoke that lingers on the palate, and comes in a distinctive tall bottle. Michael Collins blend also won honors in SF, bringing home a silver in the Blended Irish Whiskey Category.

Tags: Ireland, Irish whiskey, IrishWhiskey, Michael Collins, MichaelCollins, san francisco world spirits competition, SanFranciscoWorldSpiritsCompetition, single malt, SingleMalt, whiskey, whisky

Snow Queen Vodka Expands After Awards

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Snow Queen, the organic vodka from Kazakhstan with a fantastical flair, is expanding its U.S. distribution following two big wins at the recent 2008 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Snow Queen, which was awarded both Top Vodka honors as well as a Double Gold Medal at the event, has only been available in a handful of states since its introduction to the U.S. in 2006. It is now being sold in California for the first time as well as others and plans to be available nationwide by the end of the year.

Made with organic wheat and pure spring water from the foothills of the Himalayas, Kazakh birch charcoal is employed in the vodka's five time distillation process. That makes it one of the highest distilled vodkas on the market making for an enviable purity and smoothness in the finished product.

Just in case that isn't enough for some people, Snow Queen has also made a name for itself by throwing fancy parties featuring busty babes like Carmen Electra and its signature snow bunnies.

Gallery: Snow Queen Vodka

Tags: Carmen Electra, CarmenElectra, Kazakhstan, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, SanFranciscoWorldSpiritsCompetition, Snow Queen Vodka, SnowQueenVodka, Vodka

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Another winner of the Double Gold at the recent 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition was Brown-Forman's Old Forester Birthday Bourbon. The bourbon received its second Double Gold medal in the Small Batch Bourbon 11 Years and Older category. The bourbon is released each year on the birthday of George Garvin Brown, the founder of Brown-Forman which produces the bourbon. This year's bourbon which barreled in 1993 is described as an orange-red bourbon with flavors of caramel, light mint and dried fruit. The bourbon sells for around $67.

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Tags: alcohol, bourbon whisky, food and drink, liquor, old forester birthday bourbon, OldForesterBirthdayBourbon, san francisco world spirits competition, spirits