Top 10 Best Scotch Whisky Names

Just some fun for Friday… Say these 10 out loud — if you can — and see if you agree with me. 10. Daftmill 9. Dufftown 8. Knockando 7. Pittyvaich 6. Knockdhu 5. Sheep Dip 4. Laphroaig 3. Hankey Bannister 2. Auchentoshan 1. Bunnahabhain What’s your favorite whisky to order — strictly from a phonetic…

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Review: Third Shift Amber Lager

Band of Brewers (part of MillerCoors) offers this new, limited-release lager, now available in select markets (Dayton, San Francisco, Reno, Sacramento, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Dallas). It’s a traditional amber color and a big, malty lager — one of the maltiest brews I’ve had in a long time, sweet and sticky with a nose…

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Book Review: M.F.K. Fisher, Musings on Wine and Other Libations

For those not in the know, M.F.K. Fisher is sort of like what Julia Child might have been had she decided to eat out for every meal. A prolific writer who produced dozens of books and countless magazine articles about food from the 1930s to the 1980s, Fisher loved to eat and drink, but more…

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Tequila Revolucion Serves Up Drinks with Dinner

The closest I typically get to drinking a tequila cocktail with dinner is the occasional margarita with Mexican food, but the good folks at Tequila Revolucion set out to prove that tequila is more versatile than just that. Revolucion PR rep Tim Yates and brand ambassador Summer-Jane Bell hosted a group of us to a…

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Review: Killepitsch Krauterlikor Herbal Liqueur

Dating from 1858, this unique herbal liqueur was developed by the Busch family in Dusseldorf, Germany. Formally launched as a commercial brand in the 1950s, the name was derived during World War II, by “Willi Busch, who, while in an air-raid shelter during the Second World War, promised to toast new beginnings with his friend…

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Review: New Amsterdam Vodka (2012)

Our review of New Amsterdam Gin remains one of the most controversial on the site. Now the company is back with its own vodka, of the same brand. Made in Modesto from grain neutral spirits and distilled five times, I doubt this vodka will be as fiercely debated as the gin. Silky smooth and lightly…

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Review: Vinturi Spirit Aerator

Recently I wrote in The Daily about how air is the friend of wine, but that aeration can help your spirits, too. I’ve noted in many reviews myself that spirits — especially tequila — can improve if you let them sit in the glass for an hour or two. There are plenty of gadgets out…

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Review: Stroh Jagertee Liqueur

The “Jager” might tip you off that this is an herbal liqueur, but don’t let the name fool you: Stroh Jagertee (“hunter’s tea”), hailing from Austria, is a curious blend of Austrian “spiced rum” — see the various comments below for more detail on what that entails — and black tea, bottled at a full…

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