Review: 2008 Knights Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley
Knights Valley (no apostrophe!) is part of the far north of Sonoma County in California. Not historically known for Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Bridge nonetheless grows a super-premium Cab here. This 2008 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and spends 28 months in French oak. A very rich (14.5% alcohol) wine, this Cab offers heavy fruit character, deep…
Review: Ardbeg Day
Every year the Scots celebrate the summertime at the Festival of Malt and Music, two great things which go great together. In honor of the event, which typically takes place at the beginning of June, Ardbeg released Ardbeg Day, a limited edition bottling that is meant to be the start of a new annual series.…
Review: Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka
Boyd and Blair are a couple of dudes in Pennsylvania who named this vodka after their fathers. Made from local potatoes, it is, as most potato vodkas tend to be, a spirit with character and heart. The nose offers earth and vegetation, much like I’d expect a potato farm to smell like — not exactly…
Book Review: The PDT Cocktail Book
PDT is a Manhattan speakeasy (behind a hot dog joint in the East Village) and is known for pushing high-quality cocktails. This thick cocktail recipe book covers all the bases of setting up a solid bar — right down to how to make your own grenadine — but the centerpiece is the cocktail list, which…
Review: Comb Vodka
Here’s proof that you can make vodka out of anything: Comb Vodka, in Port Chester, New York, makes it out of honey (orange blossom honey, to be specific). As Comb’s producer says, honey is expensive and hard to work with, so why would someone try to turn it into vodka? Because the like the way…
Review: Newcastle Werewolf
Just in time for Halloween comes this “blood red ale,” another Limited Edition ale in its year-long series. The dark, ruddy brew is made with rye malts and Fuggle and Golding hops, and it’s not as scary as the name suggests. The rye malt is the most curious component here, giving it a dark pumpernickel…
Review: 2010 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles
Justin is a classic Paso Robles winemaker, and this Cabernet is the winery’s entry-level bottling. It’s a simple wine with a surplus of fruit, big jammy notes just overwhelming with strawberry character. Let it open up and there’s a bit of tobacco and cedar wood There’s a lack of balance here, driven by the wine’s…
Review: The Glenfiddich Rare Collection: 1974 Vintage Reserve
Mitch Bechard is a Glenfiddich ambassador and a friend, and I don’t just say that because he drops by the house with goodies like this from time to time, I swear. This very special whisky is a vatting of just a handful of barrels from 1974, selected by Bechard and the other Glenfiddich ambassadors in…
