Review: Ardbeg Ardbog
Ardbeg lovers likely don’t need me to tell them about the Ardbeg Committee and Ardbeg Day (which happens around June 1), which sees a special release of Ardbeg arriving every year. This year’s is called Ardbog, a play on words which alludes to the origin of peat in Scotland’s many bogs. Ardbog is a 10…
Review: Yellow Rose Blended Whiskey and Outlaw Bourbon
Houston is my hometown, and the one thing it hasn’t had is a distillery. Distilling is surprisingly new to Texas — Tito’s was the sole operator in the state for years — but now folks are diving headlong into their stills here. And now, finally, Houston has its first distilling operation it can call its…
Review: PennyPacker Bourbon
There’s going to be some debate over the name. But “PennyPacker” is, from start to finish, a retro whiskey through and through. From the label design to the bottle shape and embossing. I’m kind of into it. The hipster side of me finds this a refreshingly fun little bottle. Oh, and there’s Bourbon inside it.…
Review: Few Spirits American Gin and Rye Whiskey
Evanston, Illinois-based Few Spirits makes old-timey spirits and even bottles them in old-timey decanters. Today we take a crack at two of the company’s bottlings — the “American” gin and an aged rye whiskey. Thoughts follow. Few Spirits American Gin – Big and malty, this is a far different experience than most dry gins you’ve…
Review: Lake Champlain BeBop Hop Chocolate Bar
But allow me to explain. Lake Champlain Chocolates has made this oddity by wrapping a solidified blend of milk and dark chocolate around a molten core that’s made with hop-infused caramel, which is sweetened with malt that’s been reduced from Long Trail’s brewing operation. Hops, as in beer, that’s right. While “hop oil” is the…
Review: Gnarly Head “Authentic” White and Red Wines, 2013 Releases
Gnarly Head extends its budget “Authentic” wine collection from Red to White this month. “Authentic” seems to be a euphemism for “Big Blend of Everything in the Field,” which I guess doesn’t look as good on the label. Thoughts on the new Authentic White and the already-out Authentic Red follow. 2011 Gnarly Head Authentic White…
Review: Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Bourbon Round Nine
We’re over the hump and on to the last half of Buffalo Trace’s “Single Oak Project” experiment. Now two years into the four year experiment, with this ninth round of experimental, single-barrel Bourbons we hope to find the Holy Grail of just what is responsible for the perfect glass of whiskey. Previous rounds can be…
Review: Obsello II Absinthe Verte
We’ve long since noted Obsello as one of our favorite absinthes on the market. Unfortunately, the American-born, Spanish-made product went off the market a few years ago. But now it’s back, in a slightly revised form. Obsello II looks almost identical to its original rendition, with a few little twists. For starters, instead of being…
