From the House of Flaviar

Every dram is a story, and when we decided to write our own orignial fables of flavors, we went for epic and fantastic.

The Romans called such feats of creativity 'magnum opus,' while the French use 'chef-d'oeuvre.' We proudly call them Flaviar Originals, and this Tasting Box features three such blockbusters with wildly different casts, settings, and plots.

Larga Vida XO Rum is a neo-noir, bittersweet tropical tale with an all-star troupe of Rums from Barbados, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Jamaica, Mauritius, Panama, Trinidad, and Colombia. They were carefully cast, separately finished in different types of wood (new oak, toasted & charred oak, ex-Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sherry), and married into a complex and rounded neon-lit offering that will please both the rookies and the seasoned Rum-heads.

Corn Trooper, on the other hand, is a wild road trip feature with an all-American cast of fine performers. It's a story of seven craft Bourbons from seven US states that takes you across the country and shows what America tastes like. Washington, Colorado, Texas, South Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, and New York brought their terroirs, temperaments, and twists. All teamed up in one 700% United Craft Bourbon.

Then, there's Hercules Mulligan, the dram of intrigue and standing for what one believes. The lad behind the name was an actual revolution-era tailor, drinker, soldier, and spy who worked with Alexander Hamilton and saved George Washington's life - twice. The courageous concoction is a ready-to-drink Old Fashioned, a masterful blend of American Rye Whiskeys and Caribbean Rums (most popular Spirits at the time), tailor-made bitters, and fresh ginger. Simple in nature, yet utterly complex and delightful.

Let this box of Club-original fine Spirits take you on a trip of Flaviar's flavors.

Smartass Corner:

1) Hercules Mulligan was an 18th Century Irish immigrant who ran his sartorial business at 23 Queen Street in Lower Manhattan leading up to and following the American Revolution. His most frequent customers were British officers who trusted his friendly and talkative demeanor. Plus, our Agent Double-Oh-Needle offered them the finest Spirits that loosened their lips and revealed many a secret.

2) If the center of our galaxy had a signature scent, it would be Rum. Yup, astronomers studying a giant cloud in the Milky Way found a substance called ethyl formate, a chemical that smells suspiciously like Rum.

3) At any given time, there are more barrels of Bourbon in Kentucky than there are people. The population of the Bluegrass State is about 4.4 million. Today there are more than 5 million barrels of Bourbon sitting in the rick-houses of that Old Kentucky Home. That's nearly 300 bottles of Bourbon per person, or about 60 gallons each.

4) Rum is why we measure alcohol proof. To make sure Rum wasn't watered down, it had to be "proven" by soaking gunpowder with it. If it was "overproof" (higher than 57.15 % vol.), then the gunpowder would ignite, but if it wouldn't, it was "underproof."

5) Bourbon rules refer to manufacturing methods rather than location. Bourbon must be matured in new and charred American white oak casks for at least 2 years. If the bottle has no age statement, the Bourbon is at least 4 years old. No coloring or flavoring of any type is allowed, and the mash bill must contain at least 51% corn.

6) The Spirit de jour during the American Revolution was Caribbean Rum, while Whiskey was already gaining popularity. A couple of Founding Fathers even had their own distilleries with George Washington producing over 10,000 gallons of Whiskey and Brandy every year. On average, Americans drank five gallons of distilled Spirits per year after the war ended. The first distillery in New York was founded in 1640 by the Dutch settlers who produced a new-world version of their grain-based Gin. Soon, a merry tavern culture boomed.

7) Rum used to be accepted as a form of currency in Europe and Australia, a practice we should probably bring back into fashion.

8) Rye Whiskey is made from mash that is at least 51 percent rye. The grain gives Rye Whiskey its spicy, sometimes peppery, and bitter flavor. It was a big seller before Prohibition, and after decades in obscurity, it's fashionable again.