Review: ImpEx Core Expressions 2023: Ardnamurchan, Filey Bay, Lochlea, and Wolfburn
ImpEx continues to rise in prominence as an importer and indie bottler of rare, obscure, unusual, and important whiskeys — not to mention rum and (soon) mezcal. (Stay tuned for details.) We’ll get to more independent bottlings from ImpEx soon, but today we’re looking at four distillery releases which ImpEx considers its “core expressions” for…
Review: Blue Run Trifecta Bourbon
Now a happy member of the Molson Coors family, the still largely unknown Blue Run is out with its first post-acquisition whiskey. Trifecta is a blend of three bourbons (apparently all sourced from Kentucky), with three different mashbills and ages, specifically: 32%: 9-year-old: 78% yellow corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley 22%: 8-year-old: 75% yellow…
Review: Virginia Distillery Courage & Conviction Double Cask Reserve
Virginia Distillery Co. has spent the last two years promoting a line extension of Courage & Conviction expressions and their single cask, limited edition siblings, all of which are pulled from individual components of the flagship Courage & Conviction. For the latest addition to their portfolio, this highly regarded American single malt maker is getting…
“Best White Dog of My Life”: An Interview With High Wire Distilling’s Scott Blackwell and Ann Marshall
On the eve of their 10th anniversary, Drinkhacker sat down with Ann Marshall and Scott Blackwell of Charleston’s High Wire Distilling. What began as a short Q&A pinpointing a few of the James Beard-nominated distillery’s highlights quickly evolved into an hours-long conversation about agriculture, friends, family, and just plain ol’ culture. The recurring theme during…
Review: Spearhead Single Grain Scotch
A new Scotch brand arrived stateside over the summer: Spearhead Single Grain Scotch Whisky. It’s a bit of an unusual single grain offering, so I’ll let the Spearhead spokespeople do the talking. Spearhead Whisky, which is crafted at Loch Lomond Distillery, one of the most award-winning distilleries in the world, is made from 100% malted…
Review: Amaricano Amaro and Amaricano Bianca
As product names go, Amaricano — an American amaro — is pretty genius. The brainchild of Seattle-based Fast Penny Spirits, the company produces two amari inspired by Italian recipes — one dark, one a bright shade of yellow. Both products support women in business, with 3% of revenues donated to woman-focused nonprofits. So the charitable…
Review: 2022 Protea Pinot Grigio
This pinot grigio is a surprise, hailing from South Africa’s Western Cape region. (Protea is South Africa’s national flower.) Fresh and bright, this wine quickly fires out notes of sweet pineapple and florals, touched with coconut, cantaloupe, and just a touch of honeysuckle. More fruit-driven than you’d expect, it drinks closer to a New Zealand sauvignon…
Review: Cenote Green Orange Liqueur
If the name of this product alone doesn’t confuse you into oblivion, the description of it just might. Apologies in advance. While colloquially billed as a tequila, it’s officially a liqueur, but one made with 100% blue agave tequila. It’s green in color, but flavored with oranges. Or rather, green oranges (or rather, natural green…
