Review: 2020 True Myth Cabernet Sauvignon
Operating out of the Edna Valley in the Paso Robles region of California, True Myth and its various affiliated labels have been offering up sensibly priced Chardonnays and red blends since the early 1970s. But for now, we’re pouring a glass of its Cabernet for consideration. A blend of 85% cabernet sauvignon, 10% syrah, 5%…
Review: Del Maguey Vida Puebla Mezcal
God bless Ron Cooper and Del Maguey for the instruction of “Sip it. Don’t shoot it.” printed directly on the bottle of his mezcals, the latest of which is a single village version of the entry-level Vida called Vida Puebla. Made in — you guessed it — Puebla, Mexico, Vida Puebla joins Vida Clasico and…
Review: Cameron Hughes 2020 Lot 905 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2021 Lot 887 Petite Sirah
For those unfamiliar with the premise behind Cameron Hughes’ operations, it goes a bit like this: Cameron and company scour the world sourcing a wide range of wines from vineyards, bringing them to market under their own label at financially feasible price points. Today, we’re pouring two reds to complement summer grilling, a Sonoma Valley…
Review: Chicken Cock Double Oak 8 Years Old
Chicken Cock‘s latest — billed as Double Oak on the front label and Double Barrel Aged 8 Years on the reverse — is officially a Kentucky Whiskey, not bourbon or rye. The producer doesn’t do a lot of explaining as to what’s going on here, but some internet research reveals the truth: The first 7…
Review: Elysian Odd Water and Hazy ’96
Seattle’s Elysian recently dropped two new beers — or rather, one beer and a hop-flavored sparkling water. Let’s try both. Elysian Odd Water – Pretty simple: This is just moderately sparkling water flavored with Citra and Amarillo hops. Much less overtly hoppy than other hop-flavored waters I’ve encountered, this has a refreshing, lightly fruity quality…
Review: Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B523 (May 2023)
Summer is here, which can only mean that a fresh expression of Larceny Barrel Proof has arrived. Unlike Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B523, there are no big plot twists on Larceny’s latest. As always, it’s a full-strength expression of Heaven Hill’s modern classic wheated bourbon, Larceny. B523 is right on target for the Larceny line,…
Review: 2020 Daou Soul of a Lion Cabernet Sauvignon Adelaida District
Paso Robles-based Daou has been moving heavily into the mainstream — it’s a mainstay on many a by-the-glass wine list these days — but its Soul of a Lion bottling remains a luxe option that you’ll find only on thick, reserve wine lists. We loved the 2017 bottling of the wine, and now the 2020,…
Review: Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Rye Barrel Proof
After making an initial splash into the cask strength rye arena back in 2020, Jack Daniel’s is back making waves with a new ongoing expression – Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Proof Rye. This brand new barrel proof rye marks a permanent extension of Jack Daniel’s increasingly crowded single barrel collection which also contains a…
