Review: 2009 Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau and Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau
November means Beaujolais Nouveau, and, as usual, the first Beaujolais through the door is Georges DuBoeuf’s two bottlings, the standard Beaujolais Nouveau and the more sophisticated Beaujolais-Villages Nouveau. I tried both, with curious results. First up is the 2009 Georges DuBoeuf Beaujolais Nouveau, the entry level expression and a rather crude wine, to be honest.…
Diddy Talks Ciroc
It’s rare that a humble blogger likes myself gets a solo audience with a cultural icon like Diddy, aka Sean Combs, Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy, and numerous other monikers. AND YET IT HAPPENED. That’s right, folks. Your humble Drinkhacker sat down mano a mano with the man who stands guard behind Ciroc to talk…
Humphry Slocombe’s Ice Cream For Adults
It’s called a “Secret Breakfast,” but tens of thousands of people seem to know about it: Ice cream from San Francisco’s Humphry Slocombe, which operates a tiny Mission shop with about 10 daily concoctions ranging from Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee (better than actual Blue Bottle coffee, IMHO) to Peanut Butter Curry to Pumpkin 5-Spice. But…
Review: Evan Williams Single Barrel Bourbon 2000 Vintage
Here’s an outstanding return to form for Evan Williams’ Single Barrel bourbons, which the company’s been bottling for years, an amazing whisky that I highly recommend. The 2000 Single Barrel shares a lot of DNA with the 1999, but while last year’s version is noteworthy for its lightly bitter, wood and charcoal finish, the 2000…
Review: Deschutes Brewery Hop Trip (2009)
The 2009 edition of Deschutes’ seasonal brew, Hop Trip, is a nice little pale ale. Really easy drinking, but with a good slug of bitter hops character. On first blush it’s strong, almost IPA style, but it quickly settles down into a more nuanced style, with a surprising bit of honey and citrus-like sweetness in…
Review: Woodford Reserve Seasoned Oak Finish Bourbon
Just hitting the market this month comes Woodford Reserve’s latest limited-edition bourbon, aged in specially treated barrels to create a distinct flavor profile. With its Seasoned Oak Finish, Woodford Reserve ages the new make spirit in over-seasoned oak which has been exposed to extreme weather conditions for up to five years before being fashioned into…
Review: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12, PortWood 21, Single Barrel 15, and Madeira Cask 17 (2009)
Last night, The Balvenie was kind enough to host a few media types for a dinner and tasting of its four current release Scotch bottlings, including its Madeira Cask 17 Years Old, which just arrived in the U.S. a week ago. Some of these are classic bottlings that have been around for years (seriously —…
Review: Drambuie Liqueur
Some things never change, and in the case of Drambuie, it’s the insides that haven’t been altered at all. But Drambuie has updated its bottle for the first time in years, giving it a much more modern look. Giving the stuff a fresh taste, the Scotch-based liqueur is just as syrupy and sweet as you…
