Review: Lagavulin 12 Years Old Limited Edition 2012
Diageo’s Classic Malts Selection is an annual line of very rare and exotic single malt whiskys, all bottled at cask strength, and the 2013 releases are just now starting to arrive. Today we start our look at these releases — eight total, seven available in the U.S. — with one reviewed each day. First out…
2013 Inauguration Day Cocktails (Including Obama’s Favorite)
Whether you’re celebrating the re-election of President Obama, or need something to numb the pain of another 4 years of his administration, these Campari-concocted cocktails offer something up for a diverse array of palates. The Americano 1 oz. Campari 1 oz. Cinzano Rosso Vermouth Splash of Club Soda Pour Campari and Cinzano Rosso Vermouth over…
Review: The Arran Malt 12 Years Old Cask Strength
Arran, from Scotland’s Isle of Arran, normally releases overproof whisky as a matter of course — its 10 and 14 year old expressions are both 92 proof — but now it’s releasing for the first time in the U.S. a cask strength version of its 12 year old single malt. This malt is typical of…
Review: Kirkland Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 20 Years Old Sherry Cask Finish
One of the questions I get asked the most is, You don’t buy much booze, do you? Well, no, I don’t. I give away and pour out more wine and spirits than I could possibly keep on hand, a natural by-product of having reviewed close to 2000 products over the last several years. (Heresy, some…
Review: Wines of Lawer Family Vineyards, 2013 Releases
Lawer Family Wines is a new(ish) operation based in Calistoga, California, where husband and wife Betsy and David Lawer produce a trio of limited production wines under a variety of (non-Lawer) names. Each label is designed to commemorate a pursuit of the Lawer family, though I’ll leave it as an exercise for the reader to…
Review: Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer
The whole “ginger ale/ginger beer” thing is extremely misleading. As any partaker of the occasional can of Canada Dry can tell you, there’s no “ale” in there — it’s really just ginger-flavored 7-Up. Ginger beer and ginger ale aren’t the same thing (The difference between the two is simple: Ginger ale was actually invented as…
Pisco Disco Cocktails
Okay they’re really not disco-inspired cocktails, but it was tough to resist the whole rhyme scheme. Absolutely abysmal wordplay aside, Pisco is indeed a wonderful South American brandy that is sorely under-represented in the cocktail world. Here are a couple of recipes courtesy of our friends over at Portón that are worth checking out and…
Review: Woodford Reserve Spiced Cherry Bitters
I’m not sure why it’s taken so long for a whiskey company to get into the bitters business, but Woodford Reserve has finally opened that door, introducing its first bitters, barrel-aged and spiced cherry-flavored. Crafted in conjunction with Bourbon Barrel Foods, the bitters are specifically designed for use in a Manhattan cocktail (and presumably one…
