Review: ZU Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka
No lie: The provenance of “Zubrowka” is confusing. Several bison grass vodkas are on the market, and they all call themselves Zubrowka, which is the generic Polish term for the spirit. If you go looking for a brand name, you’ll find it, usually buried or hidden behind the Zubrowka label. It’s the equivalent of Jack…
Tasting Report: Wines of Argyle, 2011 Releases
A recent trip to Oregon took us down to the Willamette Valley, where we had the chance to visit, well, one of the few wineries that was open on New Year’s Eve: the celebrated Argyle. Tasting through several sparklers, whites, and Pinots and found that Argyle is still making some classic Oregon wines. Notes follow.…
Review: Deschutes Brewery The Abyss Aged Stout 2010 Edition
Deschutes’ annual release of The Abyss (2008 release reviewed here) has been languishing in my cellar for months… but that’s not a bad thing: Abyss carries on it a “drink after” date, not a “drink before” one, suggesting that this is the rare beer that improves with age. With the 2010 edition, I did a…
Review: Charbay Doubled & Twisted Light Whiskey (2011)
Charbay’s Master Distiller Marko Karakasevic, a 26-year veteran of the business, has created his first spirit, an unaged “white whiskey,” part of the big push to make moonshine, er, white whiskey palatable to the drinking public. Whiskey is essentially distilled beer, and Karakasevic’s idea was that, especially if you aren’t going to age your spirit,…
Review: Excellia Tequila, Complete Lineup
This new tequila brand comes from 100 percent blue agave grown in the highlands of Jalisco — and then comes a twist: All the tequilas are aged in Sauternes and 20-year-old Cognac casks, a big twist vs. the usual old Bourbon barrels in which most tequila is aged. The results are, in at least one…
Review: Dream Dust Sleep Aid
Following on the heels of a variety of “relaxation shots” comes Dream Dust, which is not dust but rather a liquid in the familiar plastic “shot” bottle, designed to help get you to sleep. (Motto: “Better Sleep, Better Health, Better Life.”) The composition is very similar to Mini Chill, including Vitamin B6, Magnesium Zinc, GABA,…
Review: 2009 Martin Codax Albarino Rias Baixas
Spain’s Albarino grape continues to make great strides as an alternative to Sauvignon Blanc. Martin Codax’s Rias Baixas Albarino is another great and classic example of what this grape can be: Bright yellow in color, with fresh herbs and light fruit notes on the nose. In the mouth it explodes with lemon, grapefruit, and a…
Review: Benromach Origins, Batch #2 Port Pipes
Benromach isn’t a major name in Scotch whisky, but it’s doing some exciting things nonetheless. Its Origins series is designed to measure what happens to malt whisky not when you upend the entire production process but rather when you make relatively small changes. With its second experiment, Benromach has fully matured an 11 year old…
