Review: Dry Sodas
Dry Soda is a company making a business out of soda with no high fructose corn syrup, less sweetness, lower carbonation, and an overall healthier approach to drinking the stuff. Its products all famously have just four ingredients — water sugar, natural flavors, and phosphoric acid. A 12 oz. can typically hits between 45 and…
Review: Johnnie Walker Platinum Label 18 Years Old
At the House of Walker, it’s out with the Gold and in with the new. Johnnie Walker, which has been on a tear as it updates its brand lineup (starting with the discontinuation of Green Label and the launch of Double Black), is at it again. This time, it’s a straight up replacement: Gold Label,…
Review: Tapatio Blanco 110 Tequila
Does tequila need to be 110 proof? No, but does it hurt? Such are the questions you might ponder while sipping Tapatio 110, aka Tapatio B110 (the B is for Blanco). It’s essentially the same as the 80-proof Tapatio Blanco, but bottled at a hot hot hot 110 proof. Highland tequila, 100% agave, spends 6 months…
Review: Bols Yogurt Liqueur
You say yogurt. I say yoghurt. Bols says let’s turn yogurt into booze. This idea is so nuts my sample of Bols Yogurt Liqueur has sat untouched on my kitchen counter for four months. I actually moved during that time, and still the Bols Yogurt has sat there, unmolested, on my new kitchen counter. Turns…
Review: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2013 Edition
Another year older, another year deeper into your whiskey collection. This 12th edition of Old Forester’s Birthday Bourbon doesn’t offer much in the way of data, but it’s 12 years old and very limited in quantity. Lots of wood here; that’s evident from the get-go. The nose is classic, older Bourbon stock — wood-driven, but…
Review: Wines of MacMurray Ranch, Late 2013 Releases
We just covered MacMurray Ranch a few months ago, now three more bottlings are hitting the market. Thoughts follow. 2012 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Gris Russian River Valley – Lots of green beans on the initial nose, but this fades a bit as the wine warms up. It ultimately reveals lemon, some pineapple, and some mango…
Review: 2010 Cliff Lede Landslide Fire Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon
Ultra-high-end California producer Cliff Lede produces this limited edition bottling, but don’t go looking for the name on the label. Landslide Fire takes center stage. Cliff Lede is relegated to the tiny type on the back label copy. A bland of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec from Napa’s Stags Leap District, this is…
Review: Macchu Pisco (Original)
We’re stepping back here. In 2011 we reviewed Macchu Pisco’s “La Diablata” bottling, which is made from a blend of grapes in the “acholado” style. This is the Peruvian company’s original pisco, a single-varietal bottling made from Quebranta grapes. It’s a solid pisco, mild but traditional with plenty of musky funk on the nose. Breathe…
