Review: Karma Tequila Silver
This new Highland tequila is made with no additives, a blend of double- and triple-distilled spirit and mixed with well water from the estate on which the agave is grown. Available only in blanco/silver form for now (reposado and anejo are aging now), Karma has a mild nose and a medium body. The initial rush…
Review: Newcastle DraughtKeg
Want fresh, foamy beer without having to haul your ass down to your local watering hole or deal with the hassles of a home kegerator? Thanks to Newcastle, anyone can tap a pint-sized keg in the comfort of their own kitchen. This five-liter metal canister contains pure Newcastle, complete with an internal CO2 pressure system…
Review: 2008 Olson Ogden Pinot Noir Manchester Ridge Mendocino
This Mendocino pinot noir has a very light body, but it’s balanced by a little smoke, some nice wood notes, and a jammy finish, giving it more complexity than you might think. A little subdued at first blush, it opens up nicely with some time exposed to air. Easy to drink now, if you can…
Review: Glengoyne 10, 17, 12 Cask Strength, and 16 Years Old Shiraz Finished (2010)
I’ve had limited encounters with Glengoyne, a Highland Scotch producer just a dozen miles from Glasgow, and today had the opportunity to sample four of the company’s most worthwhile expressions. Here are some thoughts on each. As a house style, Glengoyne does not peat its whisky, but rather air dries the barley, so sweetness and…
Review: The Perfect Puree Beverage Artistry Mixers
The Perfect Puree has recently added a series of pre-blended mixes of primarily fruit juice, simple syrup, and other goodies to its pre-squeezed fruit juice base offerings, a collection which ranges from banana to strawberry. Beverage Artistry’s “Premium Blends” offer eight bases you can use to make high-end cocktails without having to buy, cut, squeeze,…
Tasting Report: Taste of Mendocino 2010
Who knew there was this much wine in Mendocino? When I strolled into this event 45 minutes before it was set to end, I expected to see maybe a dozen winemakers pouring, not 58 producers, some with a dozen wines on their table. Is Mendocino really this big? I guess so, and it also produces…
Have You Seen This Armenian Brandy?
Like the Scooby-Doo gang, I love a good mystery. And so, when I was presented with this bottle (see photo below) of purported “Armenian whiskey,” I had to sample it and give it a little ink. The owner knows nothing of the bottle and asked if I did. The clues are limited: Only his statement…
Review: Tequila Ocho Plata Rancho Los Corrales 2010
Tequila Ocho continues its quest to turn in single estate, vintage-dated tequilas, and recently it has launched the first of its 2010 line, this one from Rancho Los Corrales. This is a distinctly subdued tequila. Compared to the 2009 Rancho Las Pomez, which is also still available, it’s a quiet, brooding beast. On the nose,…
