Review: Monkey Shoulder Batch 27 Triple Malt
Monkey Shoulder is a vatted whisky that — despite being a blend of three distillery’s malts — is so rare that shots on the west coast of the U.S. have typically sold for $20 a glass… when entire bottles sell for under $30. I encountered a bottle of Monkey Shoulder on a recent trip to…
Review: London 40 Dry Gin
How classic is London 40 Dry Gin? There’s a picture of a dude wearing a top hat on the label, that’s how. Produced by Old St. Andrews (we’ve written about its oddball whisky in the past), this gin is four-times distilled and imbued with 12 botanicals that include, in part, juniper, angelica root, almonds, nutmeg,…
Tasting the Wines of Ribera del Duero, 2012
When it comes to Spanish wines, Rioja gets all the attention. But Ribera del Duero, just to the south and west of Rioja, is known for somewhat more affordable wines that are also primarily, and often 100%, Tempranillo (also known as Tinto Fino in Spain). Otherwise, the two regions have a lot in common, though…
Review: Scotch Malt Whisky Society December 2012 Outturn
The SMWS has released its second outturn for December, including four bottlings of whisky — three single malts and a single grain whisky. Thoughts follow on what is an extremely varied batch of spirits. SMWS Cask 3.184 – 15 year old Bowmore from Islay – A well-balanced Bowmore, with sugar and spice in good balance…
Review: Bepi Tosolini Saliza Amaretto
If amaretto isn’t the most under-appreciated liqueur in the world I don’t know what is. Creme de menthe, maybe? It isn’t every day that a new amaretto hits the market, but here comes Saliza, a traditional Italian amaretto made from alcohol-steeped almonds (not apricot pits, as many amarettos are), flavored with sugar and colored with…
Review: Absolut Tune
Looking for something different for a sparkling wine this New Year’s than that bottle of Freixenet? Absolut Tune is not that wine. Immediately curious — it’s a blend of Absolut Vodka and Brancott Sauvignon Blanc wine from New Zealand, then fizzed up with carbonation — this is a bold experiment for both the vodka biz…
Review: Mandarine Napoleon XO Grande Reserve
Mandarine Napoleon relaunched in early 2012, and now owner DeKuyper is out with a new expression — an ultra-luxe, limited-edition release that has been produced on and off for 100 years called Mandarine Napoleon XO. What’s the difference vs. the $30 standard bottling? Like the original Napoleon, it’s a blend of Cognac and distilled mandarin…
Review: Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt 12 Years Old
Japanese whisky fans have long been anticipating the arrival of Nikka, a company which operates two separate distilleries in the north of Japan, one (Yoichi) in Hokkaido and one (Miyagikyo) in Sendai, northern Honshu. Thanks to Anchor Distilling, two of Nikka’s malts are making it to the U.S. We finally got to taste the first,…
