Tasting Report: The Single Malt & Scotch Whisky Extravaganza 2012
The 19th annual Single Malt & Scotch Whisky Extravaganza, put on by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, recently rolled through town, and an evening here was just like seeing a bunch of old friends (some human, but mostly spirits). This year saw an outpouring of older stock you don’t usually get at these events, including…
Review: Wemyss The Hive, Spice King, and Peat Chimney 12 Years Old
Wemyss Malts produces a variety of whiskys in Edinburgh, and while it does make some single malts, it is probably best known for its blends. Now the company has launched a line of new blends, three different expressions, each 12 years of age: The Hive, Spice King, and Peat Chimney. If some of that sounds…
Review: Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Bourbon Round Seven
The Buffalo Trace “Single Oak Project” experiment continues! This month we look at the seventh round of these unique, single-barrel Bourbons as we work to figure out what characteristics, exactly, make for the very best Bourbon. Previous rounds can be found here: Round One (including all the basics of the approach to this series) Round…
Tasting Report: Wines of Mendocino, 2012
A trip to Mendocino is a bit of an annual pilgrimage now, and every time I visit the area I love to check out old favorites and wines that are newer to me. I’d encountered all of the wines below at least once, but this was my first visit to a few, including Esterlina, which…
Review: Thomas Tew Pot-Still Rum
Pot-distilled rum isn’t exactly commonplace these days, and pot-still rum from Rhode Island, well, that’s an entirely new one for me. Rum has a great history in New England, but for the last century or so it’s been primarily a Caribbean endeavor. Now Newport Distilling Co. is bringing back the area’s rich tradition — by…
Recipe: Sailor’s Punch
Will you be at Drinkhacker HQ tonight? Here’s what you’re drinking… while supplies last! Adapted from this recipe at Serious Eats. The bay leaves are what sucked me in! Update: This punch was a huge hit and was gone in about an hour. There’s no way it serves 40. Maybe 20. I would at least…
Review: Kinky Liqueur
Technically a flavored vodka (5x distilled), Kinky is a bright pink “liqueur” flavored with mango, blood orange, and passion fruit, a clear shot across the bow of Alize, Hpnotiq, and its ilk. The look and taste are actually heavily reminiscent of pink lemonade. Of the three fruits named in the mix, the passion fruit is…
Book Review: Iconic Spirits: An Intoxicating History
Spirits nerds love a good yarn about how such and such booze came into being, and with Iconic Spirits, Mark Spivak has put plenty of the best into one easy-reading tome. Curious how moonshining and NASCAR are inextricably intertwined (hint: it’s got nothing to do with the people watching it), or how St. Germain found…
