Review: Breggo Aromatic Whites, 2012 Vintage
Three new aromatic white wines from Breggo, located in California’s Anderson Valley. Get ’em while there’s something left of summer. 2012 Breggo Gewurztraminer Anderson Valley Ferrington Vineyard – Light, with floral aromatics that fade into tropical fruit notes — pineapple, some peaches — in short order. A fresh but uncomplicated palate cleanser, with a surprisingly…
Review: Elijah Craig Single Barrel Bourbon 21 Years Old
Missed out on Elijah Craig’s much-loved 20 Year Old Single Barrel bottling? Good news: Now you can get nearly the same stuff at age 21. Production hasn’t been announced (the 20 year old was an 80-barrel release), but you can be sure there’s not going to be much of it to go around. On the…
Review: Serata Amaretto di Peimonte
Is amaretto coming back? This is our third new amaretto review in the last year. Almonds, people. It’s what’s for after dinner. Serata, produced in Piedmont by Fratelli Francoli, is a slightly lighter style of amaretto. The nose is heavy with marzipan but also tinged with oranges, too. On the body, that thick syrup character…
Review: Dewar’s Highlander Honey
The honey-infused-whiskey trend continues unabated with Dewar’s latest, Highlander Honey. It’s notable because — Drambuie aside — it’s the first honey-flavored whisky from Scotland. The ruckus its release caused is why “whisky” isn’t in very large letterson the label — although the bottle will look extremely familiar to Dewar’s fans. A simple blend of Dewar’s…
Review: Winemaker Judit Llop’s New Wines from Priorat and Monsant, 2013 Releases
One of the new guard winemakers of Spain, Judit Llop is in charge of a variety of wines from the Priorat and Monsant region, both in the northeasternmost region of Spain. I didn’t get to meet Llop on her most recent visit here, but she was kind enough to send along her newest wines, which…
Review: Absolut Cilantro Vodka
What an odd little concoction. The name alone should cue you in that you’re in a whole new world here — cilantro and Sweden aren’t two words I typically associate with one another. But here we are, an inevitability, perhaps, given a world we live in where multiple cucumber flavored vodkas can be had: Cilantro…
Review: Thatcher’s Vodka
Thatcher’s has long been a purveyor of some tasty liqueurs, but now it’s expanding into harder stuff, namely vodka. As the name indicates, Thatcher’s is an organic vodka. Made from North America grains in Barrington, Illinois, no additional data is provided on distillation (column, one presumes) or filtration. Nice little vodka. Sweet, but not overly…
Review: Samuel Adams Little White Rye and Blueberry Hill Lager
Two new entries into Sam Adams’ “craft brew” lineup. No introduction needed, really. These beers speak pretty well for themselves. Samuel Adams Little White Rye – A white witbier. Spicy, with clear citrus and coriander notes. That burly, Asian-inflected character builds more and more until that hefty herbal character — namely the sage used in…
