Review: TOPO Vodka, Gin, and Carolina Whiskey (2013)
Top of the Hill Distillery, affectionately “TOPO,” promises its spirits are “100 miles from grain to glass.” That’d be more comforting if I was closer to North Carolina, where TOPO is based. Good luck finding these farther afield. Fortunately, I was able to sample the full lineup of three unaged spirits from way out here…
Review: Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2013 Edition
It’s always a glorious day when Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection annual samples arrive, letting us stick our noses and tongues in these classics of the American whiskey world. 2013 offers the quintet at ages of up to 19 years old. Here’s how the five whiskeys of the 2013 Collection stack up. (Hint: It’s one of the…
Review: Chinaco Tequila – Complete Lineup (2013)
An oddity in the tequila world, Chinaco — one of the first, if not the very first, 100% agave tequila released in the U.S. — is produced not in Jalisco (where the vast majority of tequila hails from) but in Tamaulipas, a state to the east which borders on the gulf of Mexico. This terroir…
Review: Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection – Wheated Bourbon Entry Proof Experiments
Buffalo Trace, no stranger to experimentation, recently released this intriguing series of bourbons as part of its Experimental Collection. The idea: Vary entry proof from very low (90) to fairly high (125), and keep the barrels otherwise exactly the same. Entry proof, for those not familiar with the lingo, is the term that describes the…
Review: 2012 Battistina Gavi DOCG
A nice end-of season white wine from Italy, 2012 Battistina Gavi DOCG is made from 100% estate Cortese grapes in Piedmont. A well-balanced white, loaded with floral elements and stone fruit, namely peaches and a touch of apricot. There’s a little pineapple on the finish, too. Modest acidity on a medium body, it all comes together as…
Review: Deschutes Brewery Black Butte XXV 25th Birthday Reserve
We haven’t encountered Deschutes’ Black Butte since its XXI release in 2009. It’s time for a fresh look at this annual, limited-edition aged porter from one of Oregon’s premiere breweries. This experimental release is a bit different every year. For 2013 it’s brewed with dates, figs, and cocoa nibs, and half is aged in bourbon…
Review: Los Amantes Mezcal Joven
Los Amantes, “the lovers,” is a Oaxacan mezcal made via traditional methods, using an underground pit to smoke 100% Tobala and Espadin agave pinas for three days, then triple distilling the juice pressed from them. This Joven mezcal has a faint color. Although joven mezcals can be lightly aged for up to 2 months in…
Review: A. Smith Bowman Virginia Bourbons – Bowman Brothers Small Batch and John J. Bowman Single Barrel
Yes Virginia, they do make whiskey in, uh, Virginia. A. Smith Bowman is a boutique bottling now owned by Buffalo Trace parent company Sazerac. It was previously sold with very limited regional availability, but now this unique whiskey, made in Fredericksburg, Virginia, is getting broader distribution that currently totals 17 states (sorry Mississippi!). We were…
