Review: Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2023
Wait a second: Bourbon is aged in warehouses, not cellars, right? I’m going to go out on a limb and say that “cellar aged” is really just a marketing term meant to evoke what’s really unique about this expression: It’s a blend of whiskies aged 11 to 12 years, which is a first for Maker’s…
Review: Holmes Cay Reunion Island Agricole Rum and Grand Arome Rum
Holmes Cay is well known for its aged rums, but lately it has made moves to branch out into unaged expressions. These two new releases are both unaged white rums from Distillerie de Savanna on Reunion Island (in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Madagascar). Neither has previously been available in the U.S. Both…
Review: Talisker 30 Years Old (2023)
Talisker‘s 30 year old expression, which first arrived in 2021, is now an annual release. Once again, it’s made from a barely there collection of barrels: 3195 bottles available globally, 561 for the U.S. Fully matured in ex-bourbon barrels, the whisky will be familiar to the few of you who’ve experienced very old Talisker in…
Review: Eight Settlers Devil’s Gate Bourbon and Ragtown American Whiskey
Hailing from Cottonwood Heights, Utah, Eight Settlers Distillery recently released their inaugural whiskeys: Devil’s Gate Bourbon Whiskey and Ragtown American Whiskey. But before we get to the offerings, it’s worth a quick gander at the Eight Settlers Distillery establishment, which is a restaurant and distillery nestled in between some idyllic mountain views. Founded in 2020…
Review: Laneta Tequila Blanco and Reposado
Laneta’s website features but a single page and many images, all of which are overlaid with text. The most striking of these images features a farmer harvesting agave. “The Truth,” it proclaims, followed by a description of how the absurdly beautiful bottle and its faceted base were inspired by the toil and craft of tequila…
Review: Studio Null NA Wines – 2022 Gruner Weiss and 2019 Sparkling Verdejo
Non-alcoholic wines continue to improve, and we were interested to taste the new releases from Studio Null — not just because I can get totally behind the name, but because they’re legit wines complete with vintage dating. Let’s give these two Euro-sourced wines a try. 2022 Studio Null Gruner Weiss NA – A (vintage!) blend…
Review: Legent Yamazaki Cask Finish Blend
When Beam Suntory’s Legent hit the scene it immediately became one of my favorite new whiskeys, and I was over the moon excited to hear about the brand’s first extension to the line, a limited-edition whiskey called Legent Yamazaki Cask Finish Blend. While purists groused over whether the original Legent was officially a bourbon due…
Review: Square 6 Wheated Bourbon
Heaven Hill’s micro-brand Square 6 expands with the launch of its Wheated Bourbon, joining its High-Rye Bourbon and High-Rye Rye. Like the other members of the Square 6 family, this one’s made at the artisanal distillery located at 528 W Main Street in Louisville, “just steps from the site of Williams’ original distillery founded in…
