Review: Cardhu 12 Years Old (2010)
Cardhu Single Malt — a major component of Johnnie Walker blends — has been out of U.S. liquor stores for years — not since 2003 has a single malt version of Cardhu been for sale in the U.S. (A controversial “pure malt” expression of Cardhu — a blend of single malts from various distilleries —…
Review: 2007 Villa Mt. Eden Pinot Noirs
Two new Pinot Noirs from this ancient Napa Valley winery (founded in 1881) — and from two very different parts of California — arrived this week. Here’s what we thought. 2007 Villa Mt. Eden Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido Vineyard – This southern California Pinot offers a bright cherry nose, with a tart…
Review: Laurenz V 2008 Singing and 2006 Charming Gruner Veltliner
I expect (and hope) that most readers of this blog are old enough to remember when Gruner Veltliner was going to be the Next Big Thing in wine. I’d peg that date at about 1998. And then the Next Big Thing really did come along. It turned out to be Pinot Grigio. Oh well. The…
Review: The Bitter Truth Bitters Lineup
Hey Mr. Sheriff, there’s a new gun in town in the bitters category. Called The Bitter Truth (get it?), this brand hails from Germany and now spans eight types of bitters. The house style is, how shall we put it, bitter. Strong on the bitterness, less of a focus on the fruit or other components…
Review: Regatta Ginger Beer
The ginger beer Renaissance continues, with newcomer Regatta joining the fray as another solid alternative on the market. Not as full of bite (or little chunks) as Fever-Tree, it’s a sweeter brew that can be consumed in a cocktail or on its own. The ingredients include fructose, ginger extract, and a variety of gums and…
Review: Unwind Citrus Orange Relaxation Beverage
Unwind is another entry into the budding “relaxation” beverage category, imbued with additives designed not to pump you up (or get you drunk) but to knock you out after a long day. Unwind counts among its ingredients valerian root, rose hips, acai, goji berry, passion flower, and that age-old calming standby, melatonin (with a whopping…
Review: Newcastle Summer Ale
Don’t look at the label and taste this one blind: Newcastle’s new, limited edition Summer Ale has no resemblance to its better-known, Browner big brother at all. This golden lager is instead a moderately-to-heavily hopped version of a standard ale, refreshing but bracing with its bitterness. There’s a surprising amount of sweetness in the finish…
Review: Beefeater London Dry Gin Summer Edition
Take standard Beefeater and add hints of elderflower, blackcurrant, and hibiscus flower and you’ve got Beefeater’s limited-release Summer Edition gin. At least that’s what it says on the bottle. In my mouth, this tastes an awful lot like standard gin to me, with juniper top notes — always big in Beefeater — still dominating the…
