It is my wife's birthday tonight. The one night per year where if I am going to be lazy about serving her a cocktail, I had better be serving something good. Something with a good whiskey presence. My wife knows her whiskey and I can't slip something subpar past her—not that I'd try mind you.
Luckily, I saw an email a few weeks ago from Ace Spirits that said they had this in stock. I ran up to Hopkins the next day and picked up a bottle. Immediately upon trying my first sip, I tweeted :
Picked up a bottle of limited edition 100 proof Low & Slow Rock n Rye @AceSpirits. Wow! Look for the orange label on this one. Very good!
— Eric Burke (@arok) August 26, 2016
Hochstadter's Slow & Low Rock and Rye, Limited Orange Label, 100 proof
Purchase info: $36.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN
Details: Made with 8 year old whiskey, 50% ABV.
Nose: Orange zest with floral notes backing it. You can tell there is whiskey in here.
Mouth: Warm in the mouth with orange zest, honey and light floral notes. Once again, you can tell there is whiskey in there though it isn't the main flavor component.
Finish: Lingering orange floral notes
Thoughts: Wow! This is amazing. The regular Slow & Low made me want to try making my own. This makes me realize that I don't need to, not while I have this bottle at least. The orange label is much less sweet than the black label and has much more whiskey presence. It holds up to ice well, but is tasty enough right out of the bottle as well.
If you find this and like orange with your whiskey, pick it up. I don't think you will be disappointed.
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