Review: Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum
Spiced rum continues its move upmarket courtesy of that most massive of standbys: Captain Morgan. The Captain saw a line expansion with a 100 proof version in 2008, and now comes the even bigger gun: Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum. This is actually an American rebranding of a product called Captain Morgan Black which the…
Review: Wines of Batasiolo, 2012 Releases
Beni di Batasiolo is based in the heart of Italy’s Piedmont region, where it makes a variety of wines from the simple to the complex and massive. We tasted four, courtesy of our friends at U.S. import company Boisset. NV Batasiolo Moscato Rose Dolce – Pretty typical of the modern Moscato resurgence: Very sweet, low…
Review: Rums of Rhum J.M (2012)
Along with Rhum Clement, Rhum J.M (a sister distillery) is one of the biggest names in Martinique’s rhum agricole industry. Distilled from sugar cane juice instead of molasses, agricole has a distinctly different character than most rums you’re probably familiar with. Intense with fuel-like flavors when they’re young, agricoles often develop into remarkably complex, world-class…
Review: Four SakeOne Sakes – Momokawa, SakeOne, and Moonstone
We’ve got a sake primer, courtesy of SakeOne and Momokawa, for you right here — and this week the Oregon-based sake empire sent us four samples for our consideration, particularly as cocktail ingredients. There’s a whole bunch of recipes involving these sakes available here. We won’t reprint them all but encourage you to pick up…
Review: Tequila Herradura, Complete Lineup (2012)
This is my second full review of the Herradura line and my third of the blanco. My last review was 3 1/2 years ago, so another spin around the block certainly felt warranted. Why re-review anything? Because, after all, no spirit is made in a vacuum. (Well, OK, some spirits are made in vacuums, but…
Review: Dimmi Liquore di Milano
The Italian answer to gin and absinthe, Dimmi is an old (1930s) product now making a resurgence. Distilled in the Lombardy region in Italy’s north, Dimmi is distilled from organic wheat (like a vodka) and infused with licorice, orange peel, rhubarb, ginseng, and vanilla. Following this infusion, peach and apricot blossoms are infused into the…
Review: Dutch’s Spirits Sugar Wash Moonshine and Peach Brandy
Built atop the underground distilling and bootlegging operation of the gangster Dutch Schultz (and on family land now owned by co-founder Alex Adams), Dutch’s Spirits is a new New York-based distillery that’s attacking the spirits industry with some unexpected products — no gin or whiskey here, be warned! We tasted Dutch’s two inaugural spirits. Thoughts…
Maker’s Mark Granted Trademark Protection for Red, Dripping Wax
Maker’s Mark’s red wax seals are so iconic that if you visit the distillery, you’ll find a massive line of people paying to dip their own bottle of Maker’s into a vat of bubbling wax — a unique keepsake from Bourbon Country, to be sure. In 1985, Maker’s trademarked the red wax seal, much to…
