Tasting Report: Bonhams Pre-Auction Event October 2011
Apologies for how long it’s taken me to get around to typing up my notes on the latest tasting from the auctioneers at Bonhams, but hey, these wines aren’t going anywhere. The most recent event featured a quintet of Champagnes, lots of old French Burgundy and Bordeaux, and finished up with some interesting New World…
Review: Kansas Spirit Whiskey
You’re not in Kansas any more, Dorothy. Oh, wait, you are in Kansas, drinking Kansas whiskey. Fittingly called Kansas Clean Distilled Spirit Whiskey, this new brand from the newly-formed Fabulous American Beverages company (no, that’s the company’s name), is unconventional in just about every way. For starters, it’s from Kansas, not Kentucky, and it’s distilled…
Review: Founders Brewing CBS (Canadian Breakfast Stout)
Nothing quite signifies the change of seasons so strikingly as the tendency for breweries to release thicker and heavier beers in the colder months. It therefore seems fitting that Michigan-based Founders chose this time to release its Canadian Breakfast Stout, or CBS as it is affectionately abbreviated on the bottle. Formerly a draft-only offering, this…
Review: Firefly Mint Tea Vodka
“Messing with a classic” is always a danger, and Firefly‘s mint-flavored version of its classic Sweet Tea Vodka is indeed a bit of a distraction from what makes this vodka stand out. The tea character is certainly there, as is a healthy slug of mint. But while that tea remains authentic and smooth, the mint…
Thanksgiving Cocktails from Skyy Spirits
This Thursday you can stuff your face the old-fashioned way, or you can go boozy. These five concoctions come from our friends at Skyy Spirits — I’m not sure if you want to try for all five this Thursday, but a couple of alcoholic twists on the Thanksgiving feast aren’t going to kill anyone… Cocktail…
Tasting Report: Wines of Mendocino, November 2011
The weather’s been surprisingly delightful in Mendocino this fall, and a recent excursion to the coast brought not fog and drizzle but sunshine, warmth, and sea breezes. We took the opportunity to visit a number of wineries along the Mendo wine trail, finding some new Anderson Valley favorites in Phillips Hill’s lush Pinot Noirs, squirreled…
Review: Smirnoff Whipped Cream and Fluffed Marshmallow Vodkas
OK, we’re fully into goofball territory now. Smirnoff’s latest flavors are full-on panty peeler, no bones about it, loaded with sugar, certainly full of artificial flavors, and dialed back to 60 proof so you can’t taste the alcohol. At all. Smirnoff Whipped Cream Vodka – Sure, I’ll buy that. It’s more caramelized sugar than whipped…
Review: Bruichladdich Classic Laddie, Organic, Port Charlotte An Turas Mor, and Octomore 3 (2011)
Islay’s Bruichladdich — “the progressive Hebridean distillers” — is in the midst of an upheaval. Long known for releasing dozens of whiskys each year, the distillery has suffered from a bit of an identity crisis. Some Bruichladdich whiskys could be light and filled with fruit. Some are overwhelming peat bombs. Where is the distillery’s soul?…
