In a Fine Spirit
A fine line can be drawn in the sand when it comes to the definition ‘hard liquor’. Vodka, Rum, Gin, Tequila, and Scotch/Bourbon/Whiskey contain varying concentrations of alcohol and each carries its own history and conventions. We carry a good selection (in various bottle sizes) of the core brands and even a few premium selections. This boozeblog has been modified to consolidate various pages – Scotch, Bourbon, and Whiskey remain very special to us, so this spirit has kept its own page. For everything else, scroll down! ⇓
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Vodka
The story of the spirit is long indeed so we’ll not trouble you with the history lesson. A great many preferences and cocktails exist to cater to every palate. Palate profiles range from flavorless to minerally to silky smooth. The stand-outs in our current portfolio are:
Exclisiv #1
Place of Origin: Moldova
Base Grain: Wheat
ABV: 40% (80 Proof)
Distiller’s Notes:
“Exclusiv evokes images of icy mountain peaks and crystal clear streams. It brings to mind expressions like clean, fresh and crisp.”
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Glacier Strait
Place of Origin: Poland
Base Grain: Wheat
ABV: 40% (80 Proof)
Distiller’s Notes:
“Handcrafted using premium Polish grains, pristine water, and a multi-column distillation process to produce an exceptionally smooth vodka.”
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Death’s Door
Place of Origin: Wisconsin, USA
Base Grain: Red Winter Wheat, Malted Barley
ABV: 40% (80 Proof)
Distiller’s Notes:
“Death’s Door Vodka is double-distilled and hand cut resulting in a spirit that’s smooth and rich with subtle notes of vanilla.”
Gin
With a flavor profile most often prominently juniper, it became popular in the 1800s as a vehicle for the very bitter malaria remedy, quinine, found in Tonic Water. We here at Ken & Norm’s have a limited selection of the most popular gins from around the world and from right here in Minnesota. Distillers of fine local gins often visit us here at the shop for demonstrations and tasting events. A rare bottle of very special gin arrived unexpectedly and for a short time, we’ll have:
Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin
Place of Origin: Germany
ABV: 47% (94 Proof)
Distiller’s Notes:
With only 4000 500ml bottles available worldwide, bartenders and gin lovers are scrambling to get their hands on this rare and fine gin. A complex and simple gin with a nose of lime cordial and a soft palate of juniper and hibiscus.
Rum
Ah! Rum!!! Distilled with almost as much history as any other spirit, this often potent potable is one of the most basic of ingredients to many of our favorite cocktails or consumed neatly on the rocks.
The Kraken Black Spiced Rum
ABV: 47% (94 Proof)
Our Tasting Notes:
Rich and full-textured on the palate, flavors of molasses, burnt caramel, clove, and whiffs of menthol make for a very exotic experience. Some may find the lingering menthol essence a little weird but in your favorite cocktail, you’ll never notice.
Tequila
Made from the distilled essence of the Blue Agave plant and, by international convention, almost all of it comes from very specific areas of Mexico. With our limited shelf space, we are offering you a fine representation of the fur major forms of Tequila: Blanco, Joven, Reposado, and Anejo.
- Blanco – a clear spirit that is unaged and bottled immediately after distilling.
- Joven – a golden-colored spirit that is unaged and flavoured with caramel (Jose Cuervo’s Gold Tequila, for example, is a Joven style)
- Reposado – a light gold spirit that is aged at least two months in oak barrels but for not more than one year.
- Anejo – a deeper, lustrous colored tequila aged over one year but no more than three years in oak barrels. This imparts a spicier, peppery flavor and makes for a perfect compliment with simple shots, salt, and lime.
The highlight of our Tequila portfolio is Patrón Barrel Select Reposado.
We have ALL 372 bottles from one of the first single barrels ever released by Patrón: Barrel #8. Can’t get any more exclusive than that, eh?! With a very spicy nose of green peppercorn carrying through to a smooth finish; its time in oak has not diminished the creamy herbaceousness of Silver.
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