Review: Beattie’s Potato and Sweet Potato Vodkas
The designation “farm-to-table” will always receive a Bourdainian side-eye from me. It’s one of those oft-used, food-adjacent phrases like “craft,” “handmade,” and “gourmet” that are intended to evoke a specific feeling while not necessarily meaning much of anything at all. And so, here we have Beattie’s Distillers, whose slogan prominently displayed on the front label…
Review: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2023 Edition
The release of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon — now 23 years running — marks the unofficial start of whiskey season (never mind Four Roses sneaking into the schedule a couple days early), and today’s release of OldFo Birthday Bourbon 2023 is no exception. As has long been the case, this is a 12 year old…
Review: Harpoon Juicer, UFO Florida Citrus, and Sticky Bun Stout
Today we dive into three very different beers from Boston’s Harpoon. No need to prolong the prologue. Let’s dive in. Harpoon Juicer Hazy IPA – Straightforward but dead-on perfect for the style, this concoction of Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy, and Azacca hops is made using a “unique brewing technique called ‘dip hopping,’ where the hops are…
Review: Maestro Dobel Diamante Tequila (2023)
Fifteen years ago, Maestro Dobel did the unthinkable, coming from nowhere and creating a whole category of spirit — cristalino tequila. Maestro Dobel Diamond, as it was called at the time, was aged tequila (a blend of reposado, anejo, and extra anejo) that was filtered back to clear. It was different and exciting — and…
Review: Dewar’s The Champions Edition 19 Years Old (2023)
Dewar’s “Champions Edition” scotch continues its celebration of the 19th hole of golf — the bar, in case you didn’t know — with another annual release of this 19 year old blended Scotch, produced in collaboration with the U.S. Open. This is our third year running with the blend, following the 2022 and the inaugural…
Review: 2021 Penner-Ash Pinot Noir Willamette Valley
Penner-Ash has long been a blue chip winery in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and this 2021 shows why. Bright and acidic, the wine bursts out of the gate with notes of cherry and strawberry, the latter of which adds a light touch of spring to the proceedings. It’s gently alighted with notes of cherry cola and…
Review: Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon 2023 Edition “135th Anniversary”
For its 135th anniversary edition of its coveted Limited Edition Small Batch release, Four Roses is dropping a whopper, blending up a 14 year old OESK (40%), 12 year old OESV (35%), 16 year old OESV (20%), and the doozy, a 25 year old OBSV (5%), into the release. There might not be much of…
Book Review: A Booze & Vinyl Christmas: Merry Music-and-Drink Pairings to Celebrate the Season
At a previous place of employment, I was tasked with cataloging and reviewing the upcoming season’s wave of holiday albums in the middle of summer. It was a rather mind-numbing assignment, but as the lowest rung on the editorial ladder, it felt like a weird rite of passage. Nearly 15 years later, I find myself…
