You've Got a Friend in PA - and in CJ Spirits!

      

More than just an old state slogan, the idea of having a friend in Pennsylvania is personified in CJ Spirits, the collaboration of lifelong friends Sam Cummings and Tom Jones.  Growing up in the small town of Kane, these two gents truly have the spirit of friendship in everything they do, from working with the local sawmills and lumberfolk, to collaborating with local brewers, CJ Spirits (www.cjspirits.com) has accomplished something truly rare in producing an impressive lineup of flavors out of one relatively small facility.  

       It was a snowy day when we were lucky enough to get the opportunity to sit down with both of them, and it was time well spent.  From the drive through the wooded roads of the Allegheny National Forest - beautiful in all seasons of the year - to discovering the town of Kane itself, and finally, a visit to their distillery and tasting room, it was a long day for us, and we consider ourselves better for it!  We had our list of questions ready, and only managed to actually ask just a few of them.  Their easy-going and approachable nature took care of the rest of our questions automatically.  And THAT is the difference you find with CJ Spirits.

        

     A second career for both men, the distillery remains small, with only a handful of employees to help run the tasting room through the week, while Sam manages the equipment and distilling process, and Tom focuses on building more friendships with dining establishments and retailers.  The time constraints do weigh in heavily, but according to Sam, it's easier when you love what you do.  That love shows through from their flagship Rocksov Rye Vodka all the way through to their baby and aged bourbons.

     But we were curious to know more, particularly about how difficult it was to get started.  As it turns out, this has been a dream they've shared for a long time, but the PA laws were very strict about granting licenses to distilleries.  That changed in 2012 with the passing of new craft distillery regulations, and in 2014, they were able to finally open shop and begin production.  One of their biggest advocates: Sam's father, who asked only one thing in return: one day, they would make a scotch.  They now offer a blended scotch in his honor, which we'll detail in some tasting notes below!  But that's the kind of people they are - and they've spread the love out into the surrounding community as well, sourcing as many ingredients as they can locally, from the grains they use to the flavorings - which include black cherry timber, leeks and birch bark! (ummmm....not all together - those are separate products!)

     In essence, they're good neighbors - we liked them automatically!  How good of neighbors are they?  Kane has a Leek Festival every year - and CJ Spirits makes a leek-flavored vodka.  Yup - you read that right.  Unfortunately, they didn't have any available for us to taste, but now we find ourselves wanting to make a second trip JUST FOR THAT.  (Well, that and a Leek Festival just sounds like incredible amounts of fun!)  

     Of course, one cannot expect that it has always been smooth sailing - this is a business, after all, and there are always challenges.  Over the last seven years, they have made the decisions to expand their facility for more products & customer needs.  Building an outdoor seating area for the summer months, including patio space and fire pit, increasing storage capacity so they can barrel-age/rest some of their products - these are all challenges they have had to face.  Of course, we have to include the challenges surrounding the current COVID environment.  How has this impacted CJ Spirits?  According to Sam and Tom, business was buoyed by the shut-down of the state liquor stores, bringing in new clients that have become regular friends of the distillery.  Surprisingly, even a global pandemic can be seen as a small - albeit unanticipated - stroke of luck!  The next step - focusing on production methods and equipment to further their growth into a regional distillery.  

                                        

     BUT WAIT - There's more!  We promised tasting notes, and here they are.  While we sampled MANY of their offerings - and they were pretty fantastic - we came home with a good sampling of their variety as well, and that is where we'll concentrate our tastings for this review (and one surprise that we didn't come home with....that day!)  ON TO THE REALLY GOOD STUFF!! 

Their "Wilds" line is a corn-based and locally- sourced line of products, so that is the "base" for everything labeled as "Wilds" below. 

Wilds Premier Fine American Gin:

Nose: faint juniper, cucumber, white pepper.

Mouthfeel: full, bright, juniper-forward, there's that cucumber again (in a GOOD way) light citrus (meyer lemon or a lime, we thought), fairly dry, herbs - thyme specifically.

Finish: medium-length, but evolving, hitting each ingredient along the way, in turn.

Suggested use: certainly, this would be fun in a nice summer cocktail, muddle some cucumber in, maybe?  Would make an amazing gin martini.  Great to accompany salads, sushi, or a shrimp cocktail, Perfectly sophisticated on its own - it doesn't have to have a cocktail.

Wilds Black Naturally Flavored Black Birch Spirits

Nose: wintergreen, licorice, herbal (sassafras), earthy

Mouthfeel: pleasantly tingly on the tongue, vanishes quickly and...hits the roof of the mouth in a REALLY nice way.  Clean and mint-ish, refreshing. He gets "sweet" - she gets "woodsy". 

Suggested use: enjoy by itself as an apartif, moscow mule, adult root beer float, have with spice cake, add to black coffee (we tried this, it's amazing!) maybe try some bitter chocolate.

Simple yet versatile spirit, multiple uses - easy to experiment with.  An IMMEDIATE house fave!

Wilds Fire Cinnamon Flavored Vodka

Nose: Ceylon or Vietnamese Cinnamon - BAKING SPICE.  This is NOT Fireball (It's better...ummm...MUCH better, in our opinion)

Mouthfeel:  Very full, controlling at first, but vanishes quickly. Not cloyingly sweet at all.  Slight burn in all the right ways - very balanced.

Suggested use: try with apple cider, have by itself around a fire, NOT a shooter - sip this one slowly (it's worth it), Try baking your next ham with it, or add to vanilla ice cream as a sundae topping.

Senior and Son Blended Scotch Whiskey

This is the only non-locally sourced offering.  It's Scotch Whiskey- so by law, it has to be sourced in Scotland.  It is, however, their tribute to Sam's dad.  So naturally, they called it "Senior and Son."  The label was made locally, and pays a hidden-image treasure hunt homage to a man we never had the pleasure of meeting....but wish we had.

Nose: sweet vanilla, brown sugar, leather and slight peat.

Mouthfeel: full and round, but without the acidity of too much peat, leather with a little chocolate on the finish.  Slight citrus (lemon) that vanishes quickly.  Not a terribly long evolution, 

Suggested use: Drink and enjoy.  This is an exceeding approachable Scotch.  It's very smooth, with a sweet vanilla and light citrus giving way to a leathery and somewhat chocolate-like finish and just a enough peat to identify it as definitively a Scotch barley malt, but not so much that it wrecks the palette.  A solid offering that should appeal to the new Scotch drinker, while the experienced Scotch fan will enjoy the subtleties offered in this dram.

                                                  

Route 6 White Rum

Nose: It's RUM!  Sugar and sweet with an extra "something"  that tells you right off this is NOT your usual white rum.  virtually NO medicinal smell at all.

Mouthfeel:  Expected sugar, coats the mouth a little, sticks to the roof of your mouth just a little - in a good way.  That extra flavor is definitely due to the black cherry wood staves used in the production.  It elevates the rum to someplace new for a white rum.

Suggested use: You can use it in cocktails like any other white rum, but why?  The cherry flavor is so unique that this can be enjoyed by itself with maybe a little ice and a hint of Luxardo, possibly a very light hint of mint or orange garnish.  Really a lovely rum - which surprised us.  Normally, we aren't fans of white rum - THIS has broadened our horizons (fitting for the Porch!)

On the whole, our visit to CJ Spirits was a lot like the town of Kane itself: it might appear like a sleepy place at first glance, but once you get to know it, you'll find a vibrant and fun experience, with an amazing capacity to re-make itself and continue to flourish.  In the case of CJ Spirits, this is just the beginning, and with their variety of offerings, they certainly have someone to suit every palette.  

We were so very grateful for their hospitality, and the chance to learn their points of view.  The perspective from the Pennsylvania Wilds is something to be appreciated.  CJ Spirits embodies that perspective of hard work, dedication, and community that can only be stated in a few simple words:  "You've got a friend in Pennsylvania....and it's CJ Spirits."

   

Thanks for following us along on this adventure!

Your Friendly Neighbors,

Krystal and Bill

A Visit to J.R. Dill, a treasure on Seneca Lake in NY!

 

The Finger Lakes region of New York State has long been known as a haven for winemaking, but it wasn’t until the late 70s that the boom really hit.  Since then, wineries have been springing up everywhere, including the near 70 different wineries along the shores of Seneca Lake.  There, on the southeastern shores of the lake, you can find the stunning views from the J.R.Dill winery’s porch.  We know – they have wine AND a porch?  We were intrigued to say the least, and while on a visit there, decided to have a little stop and a sip…or three!

     There were many things we loved about our experience here.  The atmosphere here is really lovely – a combination of farm and lake life: an appreciation of local history mixed with a generous sharing spirit.  Good old-fashioned rock and roll on the stereo didn’t hurt either! The staff were knowledgeable, informed, and more than willing to share in our experience.  We tasted the bulk of their offerings, and picked up a couple bottles that made the trip home with us.  For this review, we’ll focus on the ones we bought, as we feel we had more time to get to know those wines on our own front porch!

Cabernet Franc Rose, 2019  Described as “mouthwatering flavors of watermelon and strawberry with a hint of grapefruit rind on the finish,” this particular wine caught us off-guard, in the best of ways.  At home, we deviated from the norm of chilling a rose` at first – which is to say, we didn’t plan for this tasting that evening!  We found a mild nose with a slightly tanic feel to it, this wine is smooth and approachable, with the citrus really hitting the back of the tongue.  After the first glass, we chilled it a little with some whiskey stones, which allowed the mellon and berry flavors to step forward.  We preferred this one slightly chilled, but you might want to be careful not to overchill it.  This wine would compliment almost anything, from herbed chicken with veggies, to a nice white fish, or even some mild Italian dishes (we were thinking an eggplant parmasean).  A surprising, FUN wine, overall.  There will be more purchased (and they even ship!)

Lake Glass White  This white blend of Chardonnay, Riesling, and Vidal Blanc grapes was another fantastic surprise.  Normally, we stay away from blended varietals, but this one really stood out as a must-have, and since the Porch is about expanding our views, what better way than this?  Chilled, this presents a light nose and comes across as decently dry and smooth.  The buttery chardonnay with the crisp apple-like riesling are prominent, with the vidal blanc bringing a fruity finish to our palettes.  This is an every-day sipper, and works with a lot of varied foods, but would look (and taste) lovely with a Thanksgiving turkey.  Approachable in every season, sipping on the shores of the lake or around a campfire….or on a porch with good friends.  In a word, it’s simply comfortable.

Dry Riesling, 2018  This offering reminded us of a chilly fall evening, with a big and strong peachy nose up front, and a slowly evolving apple finish.  She was impressed with notes of tangerine and grapefruit, while he was hit primarily with the peach/apple combination, this wine was much more complex than we realized even in our tasting at the winery.  It’s an easily approachable vintage, with something for everyone.  Serve with your favorite cheese board or charcouterie, and you will be in for some good times!  You might even want to try a slice of apple pie – but don’t forget the sharp cheddar (It’s a NY thing, trust us!) 

     This is a winery that we cannot wait to re-visit, and could easily become a staple on every trip through NY.  We’ll alter travel plans to get here, seriously (and so should you).  From our hosts’ bright smiles to the exciting variety of enjoyable flavors all sourced locally (super thrilled to hear that) we’re glad to have our views expanded by the J.R.Dill experience.  It will most definitely be repeated!

Cheers from the Porch!

Your friendly neighbors,

Krystal and Bill