Review: ViB “Vacation in a Bottle” Chill-N Flavor
Vacation in a bottle? It’s like the Holy Grail of beverages… but is it too good to be true? Vacation in a Bottle — or ViB — is a non-alcoholic, lightly carbonated soft drink, sweetened with cane sugar (not corn syrup) and some sucralose, flavored with natural pomegranate and goji berry juices (at least this…
Review: Tres Generaciones Tequila – Plata and Reposado
Part of the Sauza mini-empire (along with Hornitos), Tres Generaciones is the company’s newest and most premium tequila, 100 percent agave, of course. We tried the plata (silver) and reposado bottlings (but, alas, the anejo wasn’t available). Both are 80 proof. Tres Generaciones Plata Tequila – This is a very respectable blanco tequila, extremely smooth,…
Review: Port Ellen 29 Years Old Limited Edition 2008
Look at the humble label on this bottle of Port Ellen Scotch whisky and you’ll probably see the big “8,” immediately assuming this is a simple, eight-year-old spirit. The pale yellow color certainly wouldn’t indicate otherwise… but check the fine print. Distilled in 1979 (some bottles may say 1978), this whisky’s been aging for 29…
Review: Cholives
Garnishing a dessert drink with chocolate is the natural thing to do… but how exactly do you accomplish that? Drop a chunk of Hershey bar into the drink? Serve with a Twix swizzle stick? Enter a solution: Cholives. Much to my disappointment, Cholives are not chocolate-covered olives. They are simply medium-hard shelled dark chocolates (55%…
Review: Godiva Caramel Milk Chocolate Liqueur
Butterscotch, toffee, coffee, chocolate… the whole world of candies awaits you in the world of dessert liqueurs, but where o where is caramel? Here it is: Godiva’s Caramel Milk Chocolate Liqueur, a blend of two flavors that I’m guessing you don’t need me to lay out here for you. I’m an unabashed fan of Godiva’s…
Review: Oban 18 Years Old Limited Edition 2008 and 1993 Distiller’s Edition
The Classic Malts Collection, which comprises a wide range of Scotch whiskys, recently announced a number of special edition, limited release Scotches. We got our hands on a few of them. Reviews will be posted over the next few days, but we’ll start with two from Oban. Oban Limited Edition 18 Years Old 2009 – It’s been…
Review: Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Batch #33
I’m not gonna pull any punches here. Stranahan’s is the strangest whiskey I’ve ever experienced. It looks harmless enough, a bright, orange-hued spirit with a relatively mild nose — almost rye-like. Though 94 proof, the nose isn’t particularly hot. Looks promising. Then the tasting. Hmmm. Stranahan’s is a rarity among American whiskeys, distilled from 100…
Review: 2005 Maryhill Cabernet Franc Columbia Valley
Washington state may be the next big region for American wine. Maryhill Winery, based in Washington’s Columbia Valley, has been pumping out a dozen or so varietals for years now, and we got our hands on a few of the company’s recent bottles, including this 2005 Cabernet Franc. This wine, black as squid ink (well,…
