Review: Zaya Gran Reserva Rum
For a rum that bills itself as “the world’s finest sipping rum,” Zaya is awfully easy to come by. They even sell it at my local Safeway, for a little over $20, which is less than most widely-available aged rums. Yet, with 12 years of age, Zaya’s one of the oldest and darkest aged rums…
Is It OK To Keep Champagne in the Refrigerator?
Recently a reader left a comment regarding something I said in my review of Nicolas Feuillatte’s Palmes d’Or Champagne that gave me pause. I said I’d left the bottle in the fridge for some months, and the commenter claimed that the “vibrations of a commercial fridge” would essentially kill the bottle. That was news to…
Tasting Report: Patz & Hall Wines, 2009 Releases
A few miles south of Napa, located in a nondescript corporate office park, you’ll find Patz & Hall‘s tasting salon. And yes, it’s open to the public and no, you don’t need an appointment. (Though, if you have one, you’ll get even more personalized service.) We had a fun 45 minutes (at least) talking wine…
Review: Brinley Gold Flavored Rums
Operating out of St. Kitts in the Virgin Islands [er, apparently not], Brinley Gold offers a lineup of five rums, all flavored with natural ingredients and all bottled at 72 proof. The focus at Brinley is clearly more on the flavor than on the rum — all of these spirits are designed for mixing (sometimes…
Review: Powers Gold Label Irish Whiskey (2009)
Now appearing with a new (and really, only modestly different) label design (pictured above), today we turn our attentions to Powers Gold Label Irish Whiskey, a surprisingly big brand in the Irish business that is a standard in Ireland but less commonly known stateside. Very traditional, this light-bodied whiskey (the recipe inside is the same…
Review: Jose Cuervo 250 Aniversario Tequila
Folks, I had to work my way up to writing this one. It’s not every day you get to try a tequila with such a pedigree… and I hope you’ll get the chance to sample it eventually for yourself. But first, some history: Jose Cuervo is the world’s oldest maker of tequila, with 10 generations…
Review: Ty Ku Asian Citrus Liqueur
Surely you’ve seen Ty Ku on the shelf. The pale green liqueur in the obelisk of a bottle (some versions even light up when poured) stands out on any back bar. But… what is it? Reportedly the end result of a student project at Columbia Business School, Ty Ku isn’t a Japanese spirit with an…
Sipping Wine with Hall’s Steve Leveque, 2009 Releases
Hall isn’t a new winery, but you wouldn’t know it considering its recent pushes, making it more visible than ever. This week I sat down with Hall’s winemaker, Steve Leveque, to discuss what’s new at the winery, and to taste a few bottles of the good stuff. The big news of late is Halls’ Gold…
