Vicious Tweets tonight: 3 Barrels Brandy !

Looks just like 3 Barrels to me...

Well of all things wonderful to happen, I found Three Barrels Brandy for sale in the good old USA. No, it's not labeled Three Barrels... it's labeled "Raynal" for some stupid reason, but like you should not judge a book by it's cover, you should not judge "Raynal" by it's stupid name. Pretend it say's "Three Barrels" and we shall all be the better for it. The Three Barrels VSOP ("Very Special Old Pale") brandy recipe is said to stretch back to 1814. They use a base of white grape eau-de-vie from Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Champagne aged in French Oak. The final blend is made from 20 different aged eau-de-vie. They regard it as one of the top-selling brandies in France.

Looks even more like 3 Barrels to me...

How it all started, that is to say me and Three Barrels is that in the UK Brandies and Cognac can be quite spendy. Granted the taxes eventually find themselves in the National Heath system. This stuff, Three Barrels goes from about £ 12 to £ 16 pounds a bottle at Tesco, and well worth it my friend. I have spent many a fine night in the UK knocking back a glass or two with my brother in-laws, although I will state unequivocally, my sister in laws have shared a snifter or two with me as well, as well as my dear mother in law over the years.

From the English Website

Raynal and Cie is the parent company, my question being, if it's A-OK in the UK (no pun intended) to market the stuff at Tesco as Three Barrels... what's the scoop... tell me the poop... why it's called Raynal over here in the good old USA? That said, I knew by the colour, I could tell by the shape of the bottle... and let me tell you, for the money over here, which I paid $12.50 for a bottle ( I bought 3) and haven't regretted the investment although I will freely admit it is disappearing from my liquor closet as we speak.

Raynal... Schmaynal... They are going to shut down the operation

It has a floral bouquet to the taste. Smooth, very nice... it brings back memories of home made Brandies I have tasted in Belgium as far back as the 1980's. It's not strong to the taste as say a snifter of Courvoisier, yet I find it very sophisticated... it's not a trashy Brandy, nor a dull one, in fact I would have to say the people putting this all together back in France are going to lose their jobs.. and that's a sad thing... a spokesperson for the Scotland-based company William Grant who makes a Scotch blend "Grants"... said that, following a review of the French brandy operation, William Grant will close the Raynal & Cie site by the beginning of next year, citing "deteriorating market conditions" for the move. The facility produces the company's Three Barrels and Raynal brands. "The French brandy market has been tough of late," the spokesperson said. "The rising cost of eaux de vie is the type of cost that we can't pass on to the consumer, so we've had to consider other options."

Read the lable

I would venture to say the statement by Grants is bullshit. Three Barrels (or Raynor in the States) is a very affordable great tasting Brandy. I see a corporate bottom liner manager here, a dude who will get his end of the year bonus for saving the company money by putting dedicated workers out on the street. It's an act of meanness really for if you were to taste this Brandy you would be as big a fan as I, so my advice, you find a case of Three Barrels or Raynor, buy it.. buy two.

Have a good look

So to all you Three Barrels - Raynor brandy workers back there in France, thank you and I am so sorry t o learn the Scottish company that bought you out is shutting you down. There ought to be a law.

Moonraker Ale "6.5 AVB"

What I like the most about it, is the taste !

For all these years I have been on the Ale Trail I have always wondered what AVB meant.  I know, he's an American... "Hey my money's as good as the next tourist in this pub," I say!  Anyway, for Americans like me who did not know, now you do... AVB means: Alcohol By Volume (abbreviated as abv or ABV) it is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in an alcoholic beverage... that is to say what portion of the total volume of liquid in this bottle of Moonraker is alcohol.  In this case... Moonraker is loaded at 6.5% AVB.  Everclear on the other hand, a nasty evil drink... is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as "190-proof..." that's up there at levels higher than 95% pure alcohol.  Here's a bit of information about the name "Moonraker."  There was a time when smuggling was a significant industry in rural England.  The county of Wiltshire (see map below) is strategically located between the coastal counties of England and the capital city of London to the east and Bristol to the west and is home to major highways that lead to and from those cities... perfect for use as smuggling routes.

It is here in Wiltshire in the late 1700's did the story, now legend, of the Moonrakers take place.  In fact people who come from Wiltshire are refereed to as Moonrakers. For the American tourist traveling to the UK, many on their first trip will do central London, then head west to do Bristol - Bath and then head south east to Wiltshire, to Avebury, home of the Avebury Stones Circle and then on to nearby Silbury Hill.  Wiltshire is home to the city of Salisbury and it's beautiful cathedral.  Not far south... millions each year will travel to visit the ancient monument of Stonehenge situated on the Salisbury plain.  My uncle Ron lives in Warminster and is a hero to me for he fought in World War II with the Lancaster Rifles.  Ever hear of those mysterious Crop Circles popping up on English farm fields?

A summer crop circle in Clatford, Wiltshire

Pretty much most of those crop circles have shown up in Wiltshire farm fields.  So it's a fairly interesting place that will have something for everyone.  For me I'm here for the Ale.  My brother in law Richard is a connoisseur of Malted Cask Aged British Ales brewed in the traditional method, served at about 57 degrees but certainly not refrigerated unless it happens to be a larger, and every time he gets a chance to show off another English Treasure of a Ale with me... he will.  Last time we were together his son Ryan who is my nephew with the expensive sports car brought over 12 bottles of Moonraker, I had a glass and then took advantage of so many bottles and set them up to photograph them for this article.

When you have more than one...

What's the deal with the Moonraker legend?  You can Google the question and find many answers as I did, let me save you some time.  During the late 1700's in rural Wiltshire on a highway to London were some Wiltshire-men trying to beat the taxman at his game.  A taxman found them one night out on the highway, and it looked to him like smuggling... but before he caught up to them they dumped their smuggled Barrels of brandy into a pond ( the Crammer, a pond at Southbroom, Devizes ).  Now this was on a night of the full moon.  The tax man caught up, found nothing and was soon on his way.  He turned around to sneak up on the smugglers and almost caught them in the act of pulling the barrels out of the pond with rakes.

ALC 7.5% Vol  (is this the same as 6.5% AVB?  I am confused... )

The smugglers heard the taxman coming and so they let go of the barrels just as he came upon them.  He asked what they were doing and they said they were raking cheese from the reflection of the full moon on the surface of the pond.   I know... weird story... then again this is from the late 1700's and who am I to argue with legend?  The taxman started laughing at the Wiltshire-men... I suppose thinking to himself they were idiots, country bumpkins or fools, which of course we all know they are not!... not then and not now... and since then Wiltshire-men have been called "Moonrakers."

all that AVB will soon have an effect on your mind, yes it will.

So Rich and Ryan... wicked Ale, thanks... and in another posting I will write about another treasure Richard introduced me to... "Ilse of Jura," the very best single malt Scotch I have ever tasted... and that was way back in the mid 1980's. 

Reblogging: a visit to the Harbour Inn @ Axmouth...

I started the Ale Trail on my "My Happy Eye" blog two years ago. I created this blog for those interested in reading exclusively about alcohol consumption, cigar smoking and the location of the "Pubs" for the purpose of drinking the Ales and beers yourself, should you have an interest in seeking them out... 

The Ale Trail:  a visit to the Harbour Inn in Axmouth...

for the rest of the original posting from Saturday 4, December 2010... (Click Here ).