Tasting Report: Simply Italian U.S. Tour 2011
This recent wine event featured a collection of all-over-the-map Italian wines, from well-known brands like Antinori and Donnafugata to obscurities (and lots of cheap stuff) seeking an importer on our shores. No guarantee that you’ll find any of these for sale, including, tragically, the perfectly-formed 2007 Tenuta Carretta Cannubi Barolo, perhaps the best Italian wine…
Review: Hawaiian Vodka and Hawaiian Coconut Vodka
Hawaii is a land of rum and super-sweet frozen concoctions, but lately it seems that more vodka has been coming off the island than anything else. Hawaiian Vodka is distilled from sugar cane and filtered through lava rocks. Hawaiian Vodka – The nose offers distinct candy character, with a moderately alcoholic undertone. This follows through…
Drinkhacker’s 2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Best Alcohol/Spirits for Christmas
Happy Thanksgiving! While you’re enjoying your turkey, stuffing, and pie, many a thanksgiver’s thoughts turn to booze. Specifically, what one might buy for a favored loved one come holiday time. I’ve collected all my favorite spirits from 2011 here for you, but this is just a small sampling of what’s worthy on the market right…
Review: 2007 Stoller SV Estate Pinot Noir
Stoller Vineyards is an organic and eco-friendly winery in Oregon’s Dundee Hills region of the Willamette Valley, specializing in Chardonnay and (of course) Pinot Noir. With this 2007 SV Estate Pinot Noir, Stoller pumps out a textbook Oregon Pinot, stuffed with dried herbs, licorice, and dark berries. It’s almost unripe, really, as if the grapes…
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…
