Review: Marti Autentico Dorado Especial Rum
Marti is best known for a flavored, green-tinted “Mojito” rum that’s available reasonably widely across the country. (The company also has a coconut-flavored rum too, which I’ve never seen for sale.) This is Marti’s first non-flavored product, a traditional aged rum (sans official age statement), which the company labels as “Cuban-style, ultra premium rum.” It…
The Best Pineapple Vodka Roundup: Skyy vs. Van Gogh
When last I covered the high-test world of pineapple-flavored vodkas, I declared Skyy my new favorite, and a clear winner over the old bottle of Van Gogh Pineapple I had on hand. Van Gogh cried foul, suggesting that I try a fresh bottle of Van Gogh Pineapple so I could put the two head for…
Review: Bache-Gabrielsen Classic XO Cognac
A Double Gold winner at this year’s San Francisco International Spirits Competition, Bache-Gabrielsen’s XO is a relative newcomer to the Cognac world, launched officially only in 1996, a wee babe in this rarefied industry. Blended from 72 percent Grande Champagne grapes and 28 percent Petite Champagne, then aged for about 20 years, this is a…
Review: Blue Ice Organic Wheat Vodka
Blue Ice expands its line of vodka the month with this second rendition. The original was made of potatoes, this one’s (as the name suggests) distilled from organic wheat. Incidentally, the bottle’s clear this time around, making the name a bit of a misnomer, but hey, it’s what’s inside that counts. Funny then that Blue…
Tasting Report: Napa Valley with Altitude, April 23, 2009
Much like last year at this event, I found myself impressed with the wines being shown from the mountain wineries of Mount Veeder, Spring Mountain, and Diamond Mountain in Napa. Unlike last year, though, I found myself not overwhelmed by tannin in the vast majority of wines being poured. The newer bottlings (mostly 2005 cabernets)…
Tasting Report: Spanish Wine Cellar & Pantry 2009
You’re not going to like what I’m about to tell you, but it has to be done. Yes, you can eat too much Serrano ham. I stuffed my face with the nutty, rich, fat-filled pork product that’s only now legally trickling its way onto our shores, and man is it good. Aged up to three…
Talking Whisky with Maker’s Mark’s Rob Samuels
Rob Samuels has bourbon in his blood. He better: He’s an eighth-generation whiskeymaker and the heir to the Maker’s Mark throne, where is father Bill Samuels Jr. serves as President and where Rob spends his days criss-crossing the country, spreading the gospel of Maker’s Mark. Samuels gave me the full court press about his company’s…
Review: Firemans Brew Blonde Beer, Brewnette Beer, and Redhead Ale (2009)
What is it about firemen and beer? Hmmm, makes sense, I guess: When I get merely warm I reach for a brew. One can only imagine what actually being in a fire might do to one’s thirst for a beer. Firemans Brew comes out of Los Angeles, a microbrew crafted by two active-duty firemen who…
