It has a lovely flowery aroma, and would be wonderful in a daquiri. This is a dunder rum, made partially with the product of the dunder pit. I find the aroma of this somewhat medicinal, and the taste as well, but our friend likes it. I could see sipping this neat, or with just a drop or two of water. “It has a kick,” sagely observes my tasting buddy. It smells of allspice and pepper and smoke, elements that are also in the taste. In no particular order, these are the drinks we tried:ĭescribed on their website as “New York Corn Whiskey with Aleppo Peppers, aged in a Red Wine Cask,” this looks like any whiskey, but has a taste all its own. Like Channing Daughters, my favorite winery for all its experimentation with new flavors and combinations, Matchbook calls themselves an R+D distillery, in that they are constantly trying new things. They also make a point of using organic and local ingredients as much as possible. Matchbook’s dunder pit is already three years old. Basically, it is analogous to the everlasting stocks some cooks will make, with some of a previous batch added to each next batch, leading to deep and complex flavors. I learned all sorts of random bits of distilling lore, including that they use something called a dunder pit to make some of their rum, which is an open pit in the manner of Jamaican rum producers. I like orange liqueurs, so this is on my list for next time.īack in the tasting room, we saw a list of snacks, though we didn’t need any, and also of cocktails on offer. They process 8,000 pounds of blood oranges to make 6,000 bottles, we were told. For example, we saw large vats filled with halved blood oranges, for their blood orange liqueur. Our guide led us through some doors at the far end of the tasting room, and we entered a cavernous warehouse facility, filled with gleaming machines, wooden barrels, and huge bags of grains and other ingredients. The tour only takes about fifteen minutes, and is very impressive. I would call or email to check on that.Īs we were finishing our tasting, we were invited to accompany a group setting out on a tour of the facilities, which they do at regular intervals on the weekend. However, it seems that on a Saturday afternoon they will take walk-ins. You have to make a reservation to do that, and, until recently, you also needed a reservation to do a tasting, which is partly why we hadn’t been there before. He, by the way, had actually been to Matchbook before, when he participated in the Gin Experience, in which you get to create your own unique gin by combining the many ingredients on offer, an experience he thoroughly enjoyed. My usual tasting buddy and I opted for the Bold flight-out of which I bought bottles of two of our sippers-and the third member of our crew got the Punchy one. It was plenty, and even allowed the three of us to taste all six of the samples we got-plus a seventh in response to our enthusiasm. Though the pour may seem small to those used to beer and wine flights, remember the higher alcohol content of these drinks. Categorized as Bright, Bold, and Punchy, each included tastes of three products. And what a ride we had! In the sleek tasting room, we sat in high chairs at a bar and perused the three tasting flights on offer. Matchbook Distilling makes liquors and liqueurs-which is sort of like saying Disney makes rides. This is the entrance, next to a small parking lot. Inside was a fascinating and unexpected scene, one to which we hope to return. The best laid plans…the rink was closed! But the blacksmith shop was open, plus hot chocolate at Aldo’s and several rounds on the carousel (where the youngest caught the brass ring for the first time), kept them occupied while, indeed, we three meandered through the back streets of a residential neighborhood until we came to an unassuming, low-slung warehouse building. The young members of our group (see my blog about Jamesport Farm Brewery) would enjoy ice skating on the rink in Greenport, while three of the adults would make the short trek to Matchbook Distilling Company.
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