Bar Review: The Four Seasons, Austin
Spent New Year’s Eve in Austin, Texas this year — specifically at one of the classiest joints in town, the lounge within the Four Seasons hotel, a fixture of downtown Austin and a bar which I’ve visited dozens of times. (I had martinis here before hanging out with Leaving Las Vegas director Mike Figgis, even.)…
Review: Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select (2009)
Your excitement about getting a bottle of this “single barrel” whiskey may dim somewhat when you read the lengthy alphanumeric code identifying the barrel from which it came. In my case, I’m sampling barrel number 7-4229 from rick number L-35 (warehousing information). So, yes, it’s from a single barrel… but we’re talking about thousands of…
Review: Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Bourbon 15 Years Old
After enjoying — thoroughly — Pappy Van Winkle’s 20 and 23-year-old bourbons at WhiskyFest, I got ahold of some 15-year-old bourbon from the company. This is an older bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle — bottle number A5909 (not the exact one seen below, but the same style/branding) — and the brand has been repackaged…
Review: Glen Moray 16 Years Old
A Speyside Scotch, aged 16 years and matured in old Chenin Blanc white wine barrels. This amber/copper Scotch is rich with flavor, a solid malt core backed up with lots of fruit. A big fruit salad in this one, with apples, bananas, and some cinnamon/clove spices to top it all off. Though just 80 proof,…
Review: The Macallan Sherry Oak 18 Years Old (2009)
What a treat to try the distillery-bottled Macallan 18 Years Old after spending weeks with the Kirkland indie version. Here we see what Macallan had in mind — a honey and caramel-infused spirit with the lightest touch of smoke, layered with light fruit notes — apple and pear and a little citrus. The sherry wood…
Review: Glenfiddich Solera Reserve 15 Years Old
This 15-year single malt is matured in the solera style in three different types of wood casks — sherry, bourbon, and new oak. Despite being bottled at 80 proof, it strangely comes off as hot. Even after adding a moderate amount of water, it’s still got some burn to it. There is sherry here and…
Original Recipe: Midnight at the Oasis
This cocktail was born from looking for something to make with St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, a pungent liqueur that immediately overpowers just about anything you add it to. Tread lightly. Midnight at the Oasis 2 oz. brandy 1/4 oz. St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram 1/4 oz. Licor 43 1/4 oz. Damiana 2 dashes Fee Brothers Rhubarb…
Review: Johnnie Walker Green Label
For a long time Johnnie Walker Green Label was really hard to find — I ended up buying my bottle via mail order, then drinking very little of it. That all changed relatively recently: Now you can buy Green Label at Safeway. I set out to see what’s up with a good old-fashioned Green Label…
