Tasting Archery Summit’s 2010 Pinots, 2011 Rose
One of the big guns of Oregon’s Willamette Valley, Archery Summit makes numerous, prized Pinot Noirs. We sat down — online — with winemaker Anna Matzinger and vineyard manager Leigh Bartholomew to get a walkthrough on three of the winery’s latest releases. 2010 Archery Summit Vireton Rose of Pinot Noir – Formerly made for employees…
Review: Bully Boy Distillers Vodka, White Rum, and White Whiskey
Boston’s first craft distiller, Bully Boy Distillers, was founded in 2010 by two brothers, Will and Dave Willis. Massachusetts natives, this deadly duo got into distilling thanks to the inspiration of their grandfather, who built an informal speakeasy on his farm, serving locally-produced hooch to friends and family. “Bully,” incidentally, is not meant to evoke…
Review: Knob Creek Rye (2012)
Part of the Jim Beam family, the overproof Knob Creek has always been a go-to Bourbon when you wanted something a bit beefier, when the week has finally caught up with you — and yet which still exuded quality. And now you can get the kick in the form of a rye, with Knob Creek…
Review: Elijah Craig Single Barrel Bourbon 20 Years Old
Recently named American Whiskey of the Year by Whisky Advocate, this rarity from Heaven Hill’s Elijah Craig brand has some big expectations to live up to. Distilled and barreled in 1991, it’s been lingering for 20 years before being bottled for your drinking pleasure. As John Hansell notes in the blog post linked above, Heaven…
Review: Lost Spirits Distillery Seascape Peated American Whiskey
It isn’t every day we get to write about a product before anyone else on the planet. Recently I was one of the first people to ever taste Lost Spirits’ inaugural whiskey release, poured from a bottle so fresh the label hadn’t even been printed for it. With only 170 or 180 bottles produced, Seascape…
Review: George Dickel Tennessee Whiskies – Cascade Hollow, No. 8, and No. 12
Like Jack Daniel’s, George Dickel is not Bourbon. That’s not because, like Jack, it’s made in Tennessee instead of Kentucky; you can still make Bourbon down there (or anywhere in the U.S. now). Rather, like Jack again, it is filtered through charcoal before it goes into the barrel, a no-no in the Bourbon world. [Update:…
Tasting Ron Zacapa 23 Rum, Step by Step
Recently I received a delightful little kit put together by the folks who make one of the best rums on the market, Zacapa 23. The idea: To taste what this complicated spirit is like at each step of its long production. Zacapa is made using a solera process, a complex system where a spirit is…
Review: 2008 Hawk and Horse Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Red Hills
This Lake County Cab aims high: You’d be hard-pressed to find another wine from this humble district with a $60-plus price tag, but God bless Hawk and Horse for giving it a go. This 2008 wine — 98% Cabernet, 2% Merlot — isn’t shy with its fruit. Concentrated with blackberry and blueberry character, it also…
