Review: Tullamore D.E.W. Phoenix Irish Whiskey
Tullamore D.E.W. (nee Tullamore Dew) continues its march upmarket with the release of Phoenix, one of its fanciest bottlings released to date. This expression is launched in commemoration of the first-ever air disaster, a hot-air balloon fire in 1785 that took place in the town of Tullamore and subsequently burned down most of the town…
Tasting the Sweet White Wines of the Roussillon Region – Les Pins and Domaine Singla, 2014 Releases
Roussillon is southern France’s answer to Sauternes. This small part of the Languedoc region, nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees mountains, specializes in sweet dessert wines, made much in the same style of the more famous — and much more expensive — brethren to the north. These wines, known as Vins Doux Naturels…
Review: Hangar 24 Barrel Roll No. 03 Pugacehev’s Cobra
A Russian Imperial Stout brewed with maple syrup and aged in bourbon barrels for eight months, Hangar 24’s latest barrel-aged brew is indeed, as promised, “an assault on your senses.” They mean that in a good way, but at first, Pugachev’s Cobra, now in its third release (it comes out every December), is a little…
Book Review: The New York Times Book of Wine
If you want to learn about wine… like really learn about wine, you might think a mammoth tome like The New York Times Book of Wine would be a good place to start. Sure sounds legit. Alas, TNYTBOW is not that kind of place. As with many a book of this ilk (the kind with a newspaper name…
Review: Taildragger Rums – White, Amber, and Coffee-Flavored
American rum is on the rise, and the latest expressions include this trio from Tailwinds Distilling in Plainfield, Illinois. Tailwind makes Taildragger from pricey first-boil molasses from Louisiana (rather than cheap 5th-boil blackstrap), which is distilled in a 100 gallon pot still with a six-plate column. Taildragger is not carbon filtered nor chill filtered, which…
The Classic Cocktails of New Orleans
Ah, New Orleans… it’s not just the home of some of the best food in the world, it’s also the birthplace — a spiritual birthplace in some cases — of some of the most classic cocktails ever invented. I had the good fortune to travel through Louisiana, particularly New Orleans, on the eve of Mardi…
Review: Glen Garioch Virgin Oak
Like its sister distillery Auchentoshan, Highlands-based Glen Garioch is releasing a “Virgin Oak” expression aged not in ex-bourbon casks but in fresh, newly charred white oak barrels that haven’t seen a drop of whiskey before — a first-ever for Glen Garioch, which has been operating since 1797. As with the Auchie, this expression is bottled…
Review: Teeling Single Grain Irish Whiskey
If you’re unfamiliar with “single grain” whiskey, you’re not alone. While in fact the majority of Irish whiskey sold is grain whiskey, single grain whiskey is not typically seen on the shelf. (The single doesn’t refer to the type of grain but rather the fact that it’s made at a single distillery.) All grain whiskey is made…
