Review: 2022 Kenefick Ranch Sauvignon Blanc Calistoga
Sauvignon blanc can be ultra-grassy, ultra-fruity, or ultra-ammonia-driven, but Kenefick Ranch’s Calistoga-grown release manages to be none of the three. Moderated pineapple and mango lead the way to notes of baking spice and white flowers, evoking a traipse through wildflowers — all without ever coming across as overly acidic or grassy. Well balanced amongst its…
Review: Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Batch Proof 2023
While Woodford Reserve’s Batch Proof has been an annual release since 2018, we’ve reviewed it only once, in 2020. The whiskey isn’t designed to change dramatically from year to year, however. It’s a mingling of standard Woodford Reserve barrels all pulled into a single batch, then bottled at barrel — or, in this case —…
Review: Martell Cordon Bleu Cognac
While we’ve regularly covered Martell‘s various special edition Cognacs, we’ve never taken a stroll with Cordon Bleu, which sits just below Martell XO on the quality and price band. It’s made with a high proportion of Borderies eaux de vie, but otherwise Martell doesn’t offer a whole lot of information about the product. We won’t…
Review: Wicked Weed Strawberry Kiwi Burst and Dr. Dank Mango Wowie
We continue to work our way through Wicked Weed’s extensive tap list with this pair of fruited, summery offerings, one a session sour and the other a hazy India Pale Ale. Wicked Weed Strawberry Kiwi Burst – The beer pours an almost cranberry red with a fluffy, pink grapefruit-tinged head. The aroma is big and…
Review: Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Ryder Cup Edition
Golf+whiskey mania continues this month with the arrival of a special release of Elijah Craig, designed to pay homage to the 2023 Ryder Cup. This isn’t just another spin on Elijah Craig Barrel Proof but rather quite a unique product, starting with fully-matured Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon that is then finished in, and I…
Review: Heimat Liqueurs – Nectarine, Cranberry, Elderflower, and Black Currant
With this latest feature, we finally get caught up to the full offerings of the New York-based Heimat distillery, which produces farm-to-glass, fruit-only-no-additive liqueurs using fruit sourced in their “backyard” of New York through partnerships with family-owned farms. We first covered their limited edition Barrel Finished Bosc Pear early this year, followed by a profile…
Review: Famiglia Pasqua Mai Dire Mai 2015 Valpolicella and 2013 Amarone
We’ve been covering the wines of Famiglia Pasqua for years now, and are excited to dig into its latest Mai Dire Mai Valpolicella bottling (at the bottom of the quality pyramid) as well as its Amarone (near the top). Both are worth your attention 2015 Famiglia Pasqua Mai Dire Mai Valpolicella Superiore DOC – Bright…
Review: Lost Lantern Summer 2023 Single Cask Releases (And More)
Though they’ve released a range of American whiskeys over the last few years — Lost Lantern’s Spring 2023 releases featured a variety of single malt and bourbon whiskeys — the independent bottler is focusing on bourbon for Summer 2023. As such, this season’s Blend Series, Single Distillery Series, and Single Cask Series all feature cask-strength…
