Review: Highland Park 12, 15, 18, 25, 30, and 40 Years Old (2008)
It isn’t every day you get to taste the complete lineup of a serious Scotch producer in one sitting… and have a gourmet dinner to go along with it. While I’m still recovering from gulping down six glasses of Scotch in lieu of wine on Thursday night (pacing yourself when you’re thirsty during a meal…
Drinkhacker 2008 Vintage Chart / Wine Cheat Sheet
It’s been a year since we updated the “cheat sheet” vintage chart, designed to let you know what years are the best for certain wine grapes and regions, and which you can avoid. As with last year’s edition, here’s how to use the cheat sheet: Only the last two digits of a year are included…
Review: 2 Rooz Vodka
To call the label of 2 Rooz Vodka cartoonish would be an understatement: It really is a cartoon, and it really does have two kangaroos on it. The label of this Australian vodka proudly notes that it is “neutral vodka,” and that’s somewhat helpful: This is a flavorful spirit, with vanilla, cinnamon, and some light…
Review: NV Smith Woodhouse Lodge Reserve Port
Smith Woodhouse isn’t the biggest name in Port, but the company’s Lodge Reserve Port is a winner in the nonvintage world. This is a rich and vibrant ruby Port, full of fruit and jam flavors. The finish is impressively long. It stays with you in the back of your mouth for minutes, fading from sugary…
Review: The Glenlivet XXV
Glenlivet launches its oldest (permanent collection) Scotch this fall, a 25-year malt called XXV. It’s exceptional. Aged in oak and Oloroso Sherry casks, the XXV has a light playfulness and a near-perfect balance for a single malt Scotch. Bottled at 86 proof, it needs the tiniest splash of water to cut through some pretty intense…
R.I.P. Bill Leinenkugel
At age 87, Bill Leinenkugel has passed on. Leinenkugel was an early pioneer in the craft brew movement, when he took his long-running family brewery semi-national by positioning it as a microbrew in order to compete with the Buds and Millers of the world. Leinie’s ended up merging with Miller in 1988 and has continued…
Original Recipe: Tuesday Afternoon
This is the cocktail that launched quite a memorable evening. This one’s fun to watch, as the fig seeds float up and down with the Prosecco when you first serve it. The name is apropos of nothing, as I couldn’t come up with anything in the “fig” genre. Tuesday Afternoon 1 fresh fig, stem removed…
Tasting Report: Delamain Cognac Guided Tasting, 2008 Releases
All hail the House of Delamain. I reviewed much of Delamain’s exceptional cognac line earlier in the summer. This week, the company’s Managing Director Charles Braastad took the time to guide me and a handful of other wine and spirits writers through his company’s offerings. This tiny cognac producer makes some amazing products: The youngest…
