Review: The Glenrothes 1994, 1998, and John Ramsay Legacy Edition
In the Scotch whisky world, The Glenrothes (correct pronunciation: glen-ROTH-ess) is unusual to the point of being unique. It doesn’t offer age statements on its products, but rather vintage dates them from the point of distillation. You can figure out the age by reading the fine print — the typical Glenrothes vintage-dated whisky is 10…
Review: Amigo bf4e Tequila Reposado
You’re not crazy. Someone really did put “best friends forever” in the name of their tequila. That someone is Amigo, and the best friends in question are this bottle of tequila and you. But let’s put the name aside and see where we get. 100% agave, with no chemical additives, Amigo bf4e comes only in…
Review: Karl Strauss Oktoberfest
San Diego’s Karl Strauss Brewing Company offers this brew for the traditional October celebration of all things beer. But Karl Strauss’s Oktoberfest is a bit of an oddity. The nose screams cocoa powder, with a malty, lightly hoppy character. That cocoa continues on the palate, but the body isn’t a good match. Watery and thin,…
Review: Hope Family Winery Westside Red Troublemaker
Hope Family Winery, under its Westside Red label, is releasing this oddity, a Paso Robles-based blend of 53% Syrah, 37% Mourvedre, and 10% Grenache… from three different vintages: 2007, 2008, and 2009. The result is a wine so intensely earthy that I had first suspected it had a Pinot Noir influence. But its spicy Syrah…
Review: Ardbeg Supernova SN2010
There are peaty Scotches, and there is Ardbeg Supernova. Ardbeg’s standard malt is, to this writer’s knowledge, the peatiest Scotch in regular production. Supernova takes that and ramps it up even further. Listen, they don’t exactly call it Supernova because it’s subtle. The original Supernova was released last year to massive acclaim, with a ridiculous…
Review: Stevens Point Whole Hog Raspberry Saison
Fruit + beer often = trouble. Stevens Point’s latest entry into its Whole Hog line is a raspberry-flavored saison — a rustic, seasonal ale designed to be refreshing and reinvigorating after a long day of work. The spectre of a jammy, over-sweetened beer is worrisome, but Stevens has done right in this recipe. On first…
Review: Crown Royal Black
They say three of anything is a trend. Well, by my count, we’re at five. I’m talking about whiskeys with extra oak aging, particularly with the word “Black” added to the name. Crown Royal Black is, as you may expect, an added-oak version of the venerable Crown Royal Canadian whisky. In this case, “black” is…
Review: Botran Solera 1893 and Reserva Rum (2010)
Botran Rum, aka Ron Botran or Casa Botran, hails from Guatemala and is distilled by the same outfit that makes the fantastic Ron Zacapa, Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala. Located about a mile and a half above sea level, Botran’s rums are matured in a very cool warehouse compared to most of the industry, where the…