Tasting Report: Matanzas Creek Winery and Roessler Cellars 2012
Roessler has become a bit of a regular stop for me whenever I’m in Sonoma’s lovely town square, and recently we dropped by to see what was new. Turns out, lots: The winery is launching a new label called WALT, and we stumbled in just a week before the wines were going to be released.…
Review: Wild Turkey Rye 81 Proof
Following on the release of its lower-proof Wild Turkey 81 Proof Bourbon, Wild Turkey is at it again, releasing a new Wild Turkey Rye at 81 proof. Wild Turkey makes a 101 proof Rye at present, but this is not widely available and in fact I’ve never tried it. In fact WT says that a…
Review: Bastille 1789 Blended French Whisky
This isn’t our first encounter with French whisky (see also Armorik, here), although it claims to be the “first hand-crafted whisky from France.” Compared to the Armorik, Bastille 1789 (the year of the French Revolution, in case your history is rusty) is a world away. Crafted in the Cognac region on the western border of…
Tasting Report: Wines of Burgundy 2012
As wine regions go, few are as hallowed as Francy’s Burgundy region. I credit Burgundy (both red and white) for getting me interested in wine in the 1990s, and I’ve made my own pilgrimage to the region to see the grapes and taste the wines in their natural state. Today I’m more likely to quaff…
Tasting the Wines of La Rochelle and Steven Kent, 2012 Releases
We’ve written about the Pinots of La Rochelle in the past, and now we’re back with a broader look at this winery’s production, including Chardonnay and Rose, plus one wine of its parent company, Steven Kent. Is this the beginning of a big uptick in quality from this unsung region (located out in the sticks,…
Original Recipe: The Noodle & Boo Cocktail
The cocktail I designed for this evening’s festivities. Designed to be simple enough for for-hire bar service and the ability to be prepared in punchbowl quantities, if needed. The Noodle & Boo Cocktail 1 1/2 oz. 80-proof Bourbon 3/4 oz. St. Germain liqueur scant dash orange flower water Shake with ice and strain into a…
Book Review: Barrels & Drams
I’m not sure why anthologies are so popular in the wine and spirits space. Maybe it’s because people get too soused up while writing and can only finish a few pages before dozing off at the computer. Barrels & Drams: The History of Whisk(e)y in Jiggers and Shots, edited by William M. Dowd, isn’t very…
Beefeater Gin Punches for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
Queen Elizabeth II has been the monarch of England for a whopping 60 years as of June 3 this year, and Britain will be celebrating in Jolly Old Style all summer long, and not just with demure waving to each other. Our friends at Beefeater sent these delicious-sounding punch recipes all designed to celebrate the…
