No. 10 is Tanqueray’s foray into the super-premium gin market.  Launched in 2000, its target market is directly into your martini glass.  The majority of Tanqueray is actually produced in Cameronbridge, Scotland, despite its London Dry Gin label.  The phrase “London Dry Gin” actually refers to the distillation process.  Now, all of the No. 10 product is produced in Great Britain by the “Tiny Ten” still, which is from where No. 10’s name is derived.  Honestly, I figured the name was a result of the master distiller’s first taste when he may have exclaimed “I’d give it a 10.”  As far as gins go, this one is as close to a 10 as I have experienced.

     Way back in 1941, the Nazis nearly ruined Tanqueray No. 10 before it even existed.   During their attempt to conquer England, they managed to bomb the Tanqueray distillery.  Only one still survived intact, No. 4, also known as “Old Tom.”  So what exactly does that little bit of history have to do with your life and your gin?  Well, while this gin starts its production life in still No. 10, it is finished with another round in the larger No. 4.  So with without Old Tom, we may have had to endure a world without this fine gin.  Damn Nazis.

     It takes more that just stills with catchy names to make No. 10 taste fantastic.  It is currently the only gin in the world to be distilled with hand-picked, fresh fruit botanicals.  They start with Florida oranges, then use Mexican limes and grapefruits for the first distillation.  Later, the traditional botanicals such as juniper and coriander are added to give it that piney taste.  The taste, oh the taste!  On the rocks, the piney flavor hits your tongue first, but it is not as overpowering as other more traditionally-flavored gins.  As you swallow, the juniper fades into the citrus and the grapefruit is very apparent in the lingering finish.  This is definitely not a dry gin as it is considerably sweeter than Tanqueray’s classic offering.  However, as good as No. 10 is when consumed on the rocks, I personally do not think it is as smooth as the Rangpur we have previously tasted.  I am sure this is in no small part due to the 94.6-proof stamped on the bottle.  When you mix No. 10 with tonic, the sweetness caries through, and the botanicals stubbornly refuse to be diluted.  The result is a cocktail that is just simply delicious.  This gin is targeted at martini drinkers, but no one on the BoozeBasher staff is nearly refined enough to actually enjoy drinking gin martinis often.  So we will leave it up to our readers to let us know how it does in that regard.

     After consuming a number of 10 and tonics I had a light buzz, but not nearly what I was expecting from a liquor with a 90+ proof.  The good news is that I felt great the next morning, not even having a hint of a hangover.  To get your hands on a bottle of this low-production gin it will cost you about $35.  It is definitely a good choice for gin drinkers who enjoy a little more than just a piney flavor in their gin drinks.  Traditional gin drinkers might turn their nose at No. 10 because of the added citrus botanicals, but I feel that Tanqueray has done a great job adding subtle flavors that really compliment the juniper. Also check out our review of Tanqueray Rangpur.

Sipability - 7.5

Mixability - 7.0

Drunkability - 7.0

Hangover-ability - 9.0

Bang for the Buck - 7.0

Overall - 7.5 

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     Oban 14-year is produced in a small town called Oban in Argyll.  It’s located just inside the shores of Lorn near a span of cliffs and natural caves that are said to be the sheltering place of the original settlers of the mainland around 5,000 B.C.  The small town of Oban actually grew up around the distillery after its construction in 1794.  The distillery only has two pot stills, making it one of Scotland’s smallest.  In production since 1988, the 14-year single malt Scotch is the distillery’s flagship product and is one of only two remaining Western Highland malts.  I appreciate their focus, and I would actually consider moving to the town just to be closer to the magical place where this liquor is born and aged.

     Oban 14-year comes in a very attractive case and bottle.  The cylindrical case depicts the rocky cliffs that are the backdrop to the town of Oban, and the bottle exudes a simple, yet regal look.  The Scotch itself is of a rich golden color that lightens to a near-yellow hue when poured on the rocks.  Its aroma is rather light and extremely pleasant.  Oban 14-year smells like a fine oak barrel that has been dipped in the sweetest of sweet milk chocolate and then garnished with fresh fruit.  The smell alone is enough to nearly bring tears of joy to my eyes. 

     Oban is silky-smooth to sip.  This malt goes down extremely smooth and gives you a wonderful warming sensation back up your esophagus and into your mouth.  The taste is soft and somewhat fruity, and the finish leaves you with a peaty taste in your mouth after the warming sensation subsides.  That peaty aftertaste leaves you very satisfied and at ease.  The taste of the malt is not extremely complex, which may disappoint those Scotch drinkers that enjoy dissecting complex infusions while sipping, but the experience of drinking Oban is truly remarkable.  I have never enjoyed a Scotch quite as much as Oban 14-year.  The exquisite smoothness and impressive warming sensation of this Scotch make it top-notch in my book.  I would drink a glass of this stuff every night for dessert if my wallet would allow it. 

     At 86-proof, you would expect Oban to give you a nice buzz, but it really exceeds those expectations.  Don’t let the smoothness fool you.  After a few glasses, I was swaying to my own rhythm in my chair and enjoying the hell out of watching Megan Fox show her goods in Transformers.  I suppose the movie was pretty good, but my focus was too much on her to really give an honest and fair review (this is a liquor site anyway, not a movie site).  I’m sure Megan, that’s what I call her, would really appreciate my taste in liquor and movies.  I’m sure we would get along very well and be the best couple on earth.  I love her, and that’s all that really matters.  Now, back to business.  The Oban buzz was a very light one.  I wasn’t really slurring words or anything, but I felt really in-tune with my surroundings and at peace with everything.  It was a very relaxing experience, but I was very much ready to take it to the streets and local bars.       

     Another bright spot to Oban 14-year is the fact that it really left me with no hangover.  I had a case of dry-mouth in the morning, but after drinking a couple glasses of water, I felt like a million bucks.  I might have poured another glass of Oban, but I wanted to save it for a special occassion…such as writing this review. 

     The only drawback to Oban 14-year is the price.  At around $77, it will hurt your wallet pretty badly.  However, when you consider that the cramped nature of the area around the distillery severely limits production, the price doesn’t seem too steep.  I have consumed Scotches that cost four times the price of Oban that really don’t hold a candle to its unique sipping experience.  It’s worth noting that the bottle we used in the review process was an especially tasty bottle.  I have purchased a handful of bottles of Oban 14-year in the past, but none of them have tasted quite like this bottle.  They all have been worth the price of admission, but this bottle is something special.  That’s the nature of single-barrel Scotches; every bottle tastes different.  All things considered, Oban 14-year is one of the single best liquors that has ever found its way into my welcoming belly.  Even if you are not much of a Scotch drinker, do yourself a favor, and pick up a bottle of Oban 14-year for a special occasion.  Maybe I’ll send Megan a bottle; she just may love me for it.  

Sipability - 9.5

Mixability - N/A

Drunkability - 8.5

Hangover-ability - 9.0

Bang for the Buck - 7.0

Overall - 9.0 

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     Hi, this is Jas.  The guys here at BoozeBasher invited me over to their recent tasting so that I could show them the basics of making fruit-based liqueurs, a.k.a. fruit cordials.  I’ve been making them for about three years now, but despite the patience it takes, it never gets old.  There are just too many recipes to try.  You’re essentially making alcoholic fruit tea, since all you’re doing is steeping crushed fruit in alcohol with a bit of sugar.

     You can imbue alcohol with the flavors from any number of fruits or herbs.  I stick to berries, but that’s just me (you can check out photos of some of my own concoctions on my Flickr cordials set).  It’s been my experience that very ripe blueberries can produce one of the strongest flavors you can get with a cordial.  And that’s what we’ll be prepping today - Blueberry Cordial.

Ingredients:

         2 cups of blueberries                        1 cup of sugar                     1 cup of
                                                                                                “100-Proof Mix”
                                                                                              (Diluted Everclear)
            
         1/2 cup of                   3/4 cups of                     1 lemon
brandy (”Very Smooth”)       Light Corn Syrup

Directions:
Take 2 cups of very ripe blueberries, pick out any debris, and wash thoroughly. Using a spoon or potato masher, crush the blueberries until there are none left whole.

Add 1 cup of sugar and mix completely into the mash.  Put this to the side and let it sit for an hour to allow the sugar to draw the juice out.  But while that’s happening, grab a lemon and a zester and take the zest off half of the lemon. This should come to just over a packed teaspoon of zest. Put this to the side.

Cut that lemon in half and squeeze out about a tablespoon of juice.  Use a fine mesh strainer to remove any pulp.

Take your Everclear and dilute it to 1 cup of 100-proof alcohol.  Depending on where you live, the Everclear sold may be 151 or 190 proof, so the dilution will be different.  For 151 proof, mix 2/3 cups Everclear with 1/3 cup water. For 190 proof, mix just slightly more than 1/2 cup of Everclear with enough water to make 1 whole cup.  Don’t forget to use filtered or distilled water.

Getting back to the blueberries…after the hour has passed, divide the berry mash evenly into two 1-quart mason jars.

To EACH mason jar, add 1/2 cup of the 100-proof mix and 1/4 cup of the brandy.  Screw on the caps to both jars and shake vigorously.

Uncap the jars, and evenly split the lemon juice, lemon zest, and 3/4 of a cup of Light Corn Syrup between each jar.  Recap them both and shake well.

Here’s the the hard part - waiting.  Store these jars in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks.  No more, no less.  If you let them sit for too short, you’ll lose flavor.  If they sit too long, they will be bitter.  After 2 weeks, strain out all of the solids from both jars with a fine mesh strainer into a single clean mason jar.

Let this sit for 1 more week to allow the remaining particles to settle out; then pour/strain it into it’s final containter.

Cork or seal the final container. Store it in that dark place for a minimum of 4 weeks before drinking.

Here is the final product.  The one on the right is the color you want to achieve.  The one on the left actually contains too much sugar.  It’s still drinkable, but the one on the right is perfect. 

It does take a few weeks of patience to make this recipe, which is why we’re posting this article today.  It should give you enough time to have some ready for the holidays.  Just a last note: to make this recipe go further as a gift, use 187ml or 375ml bottles instead of the 750ml one. 

Hunter’s Comments:

     Jason (Jas, the guy who helped with this article) let us try some of the completed product after we went through the steps to make the cordial.  I was really surprised at how good the drink tasted.  I’m usually not a big fan of extremely sweet or fruity drinks, but I am a big fan of this stuff.  It tastes good to shoot or sip straight at room temperature.  I found the stuff makes an excellent mixer for shooters.  When you mix it with a little vodka and sprite, you get a shooter that tastes like absolute heaven.  I know this recipie takes a good bit of time and a little more hard work than you may be used to exerting, but it really is a good drink.  I plan on giving some of our finished product away for the holidays, but the rest is mine! Thanks to Jason for his collaboration; we’ll probably have him make something else for us in the future.  If you enjoyed his writing, check out his weblog or send him an email.

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