Posts from What are you drinking right now? Auto-translated

I drink quite rarely, but over the years, the taste and smell of sake have become very nostalgic, regardless of the manufacturer... It goes perfectly with watching anime, haha.

We have it for sale in the nearby "Perekrestok" supermarket, and there's another one from the same manufacturer, in a bottle like that (Revan, have you tried it?). But I remembered a joke about a grandfather and took the one in a package.
It's a funny thing. It's sweet, but also slightly sour, it seems to be around 15% alcohol, but it drinks like water. You can hardly smell the rice; the flavor profile leans towards floral, even honeyed, and mineral notes. It's similar to white wine, but softer. In my opinion, I would like it to be a bit bolder, but I haven't regretted buying it even once.
By the way, the prices for alcohol haven't increased at all, unlike everything else. The state is taking care of its subjects...

Tea with lemon. I recently drank "Ohota" – it's a strong drink.

A little bit of tea.

Whiskey is getting more expensive, and releases of the same age are getting worse year after year, but gin seems to be holding steady in price, and every six months something new and usually decent appears on the market. I recently snagged this bottle for a reasonable price.
The designer and the glassblower are definitely earning their salaries – looking at the surreal image on the label, you immediately want to put on some Pink Floyd and start drinking gin until the world looks like a carousel seen through fogged glass. But what about the technology?
The gin has a really strong aroma. It hits you right away with pine, followed by citrus zest. There's also that slightly sweet, fusel-like aroma that's almost universal for gins, a hint of heavy oils, but it's tolerable here.
The taste is also quite potent. It's dry, almost bitter, but the balance is good, and there are no off-putting notes. Sometimes it seems like it leans too heavily into the herbal flavors, but in my opinion, that's better than citrus or a mishmash of spices.
It's not the easiest to drink; it's a bit oily and harsh, but it doesn't have a lingering aftertaste, so it's tolerable. You can drink it. Perhaps this kind of "lively" gin is even easier to drink than, for example, Japanese Roku – each sip is almost as intense as the first, so it doesn't get boring.
It's decent for the price, but it's a bit difficult to drink a lot of it, at least neat, and it's still not as good as Langley. I wouldn't give it more than 8/10.

Chianti Loggia del Sole, 2019
A classic example: berry notes, hints of violet, a touch of smokiness, soft tannins, and it goes down easier than water. It costs 1000 rubles for a 750ml bottle, which is one of the best deals these days. I love Italian Chianti; I've been drinking it for five years, and I've never regretted it.
8/10

This meme wine is semi-dry, but not in a bad way. And the rating is surprisingly high for the price.
The aroma is very fruity, mostly red berries. Slightly mineral, with a hint of mushrooms. Not bad.
The taste is lively, with a slight tingle, like lemonade. Basically, it's the same as the aroma, but with added vegetables. And you can definitely tell it's not dry. It's a rather strange sensation, and while it's okay in the first glass, by the middle of the bottle, you start to feel something's off.
It's quite difficult to pair with food, by the way. It doesn't mix well with water. You can't drink more than three or four glasses without food – it's too intense. It's a problem, basically.
I didn't really like it. Everything would be fine, but the extra sugar is a bit annoying, and I'm sure the hangover won't be kind. You can buy it, and it's one of the best in terms of price and quality, but you should have a normal dry wine on hand for the second bottle, otherwise, your stomach will be upset by this lemonade. And it's also very fizzy.
8/10, but you need to be careful with it.

Weizenator by Cold River]
7.5%
It's kind of bland. Not particularly strong, as you'd expect from a bock, and not ultra-smooth, as you'd hope from a weizen, just a wheat ale that's slightly more intense than average. Fruity, slightly sweet, generally okay, but for its price, you'd expect something more. It reminds me of "white robot" – that's a much better domestic beer, also a wheat bock, but a "doppel": it's strong, sweet, and has a rich flavor. But this one is neither here nor there. Still, it's better than mass-market wheat beer.
7/10

2019
Spanish cheap wine, I love it almost as much as Italian sour wine... Well, "cheap" – in terms of price-quality ratio, only domestic Tsokur, Italian Astrale, and maybe Macedonia are better, although the latter is just my personal preference. Let's try to make at least a somewhat decent review.
Color: dark burgundy, almost opaque.
Nose: nutty and woody, with hints of bark and oak, wild rose, jam. It seems like blueberry.
Taste: strongly spicy, strongly tannic. Not over-dried, with distinct notes of simple black tea, tobacco, grains, and oak-earth. While I was tasting it, the whole bottle was gone... Let's consider that a plus. In short, you can fantasize about it, but in reality, it's unusual, powerful, and very drinkable.
I won't give it 91 points, like some "experts-who-knows-what-from-where." But it's good in itself, and it's simply an excellent value for the price. The nose and finish are a bit boring, but it's around 88/100.

Oh, a Summer wine...
Reason number two to love Italy (number one being Chianti) is Pinot Grigio. Generally, I'm not big on whites, but I've really taken a liking to this variety. Sometimes I feel like I should drink more white wine, but any other white in the under-thousand category always reminds me that's just wishful thinking.
Alright, back to the topic. Nose: fresh, very fresh, mineral, slightly briny, lavender and orange pulp.
Palate: green apples, unripe gooseberries, lemon, and a bit of clove on the finish. I bullshitted a little off the top of my head, but this isn't a wine snob club—it's a club for wine alcoholics and sympathizers, so here's the truth: a little tart, more like the texture is a bit viscous, and it tastes fresh, dry, and fruity.
8.5/10. I bought a standard bottle for five hundred, but even without a sale, the price is fine. It's simply amazing in summer, I recommend grabbing a bottle every two days. It's invigorating, light, doesn't even need a snack—you could easily down two bottles on an empty stomach. Don't forget to put on some Scooter or Lana while you drink it.

Trying to join the Kirov battalion. While I'm dealing with registration and other paperwork, I'm passing the time and keeping myself going in cheap pubs. Cynics might say that it's not about the battalion, but about the famous Kirov beer, "Vyatic." Let's start with the fact that it really packs a punch. Absolutely any of it. Even the Vyatka kvass can make you feel tipsy, and the beer even more so. As for the varieties: Elite. "Imperial Aged." I don't know why it's called imperial, but it seems to be aged. A great Lager. Not bitter, not sweet, moderately strong – a kind of beer standard, tasty but not intrusive. Malty-honey, dense, you can drink it glass after glass and (almost) not get tired of it. Very good. 8.5/10. Green 31. Seems stronger, but tastes weaker. Floral-herbal, slightly sour, with a bread-hoppy finish. It might appeal to beer connoisseurs, but to me, it's a bit boring. But it's still cheaper and at the same time better than the average Euro lager, so it deserves a 7.5/10.

Added 1 hour 11 minutes ago
Unfiltered. A decent citrus-peach wheat beer without any frills. No aroma or finish, but drinkable and not tasteless, it'll get a 7.5/10 with a bit of a stretch.

Added 34 minutes ago
Barley. Not very good. Just beer, not bad and not good. There's no point in drinking it; it's better to have the Elite or Green, depending on your personal preferences.

You guys are such teetotalers. Guess I have to do everything myself again.
Conti Serristori Chianti Classico Riserva
Nose: strongly berry-like, slightly floral, slightly sweet. Sometimes, "sweet" spices peek through, but only occasionally. The berries dominate almost everything. It's pleasant, not sharp at all, but not very interesting.
The taste is slightly more fruity and woody. Medium+ tannins, medium- acidity. The balance is excellent, even though the wine is quite full-bodied.

So, it's a decent wine to pair with food (I'd go for tuna...), but on its own, it's a bit simple, even if pleasant. I might have lost some perspective, remembering how limited the wine selection is in Ukrainian villages, but there's not much to discover here.
It'll get an 8.5/10. The price is reasonable.

Albert Bichot Vieilles Vines de Pinot Noir 2020
Remember, remember, we used to turn up our noses at "20s," saying it was too young, hadn't lived long enough. And now, "mm, aged..." How old am I, it's time to die.

The aroma is mushroomy, even more so, with hints of mold, red berries, plum, a little cheese, and cloves.
The taste is quite lively, tannic, (relatively speaking for Pinot Noir), oaky, and leathery. The finish is powerful, with a slightly vegetal and peppery note. There's a lot to think about. Maybe I'll find something else.
The color isn't great, by the way. Instead of the classic light and brownish hue, it's just a regular ruby.

Pleasant, drinkable, but also something to contemplate. I'll lower the score simply because there are many better options within the region and grape variety.
8/10

Added 23 hours 29 minutes later
Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rouge, 2017

While I was getting ready to write, I almost finished the bottle and got a little tipsy. At first, it seems too fruity, but then it opens up into a normal Rhône, spicy, earthy, oaky, and so on. The finish is really impressive, even slightly bitter. Pure classic.
8/10

Perhaps a separator would be helpful here to prevent messages from merging together.

Game of Shadows
Sour on gin plus blue matcha. Not bad, even though I don't usually like sours. But this is interesting. 
8/10

Added after 15 hours 12 minutes
Sorre Le cidre saveur Chataigne
An upgraded French classic, with aged leaves, apricots, and grandma's rich compote, plus chestnuts. Fresh, slightly sweet at first, and with a bitterness in the finish. Very good. It invigorates in the heat and warms in the cold. 
9.5/10

Added after 4 hours 14 minutes
Bouche "Les Vergers Artisanal de Normandie" Brut

The only good thing about it is the dried-herbal finish, but otherwise it's quite bland. You could say it's not "bland-characterless," but "restrained-noble," but that sounds false. 
7/10

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