Review: Old Forester The 117 Series – Bottled in Bond
Old Forester’s limited edition 117 Series — now under the purview of Melissa Rift — is cranking along with its latest installment which should be familiar to our readers: Bottled in Bond. As is widely known, the bonded whiskey category was created by the 1897 Bottled in Bond Act, and bonded whiskey must come from…
Review: 2022 Black Stallion Sauvignon Blanc North Coast
If there’s any perfect time to drink sauvignon blanc, it’s now, when the thermometers are regularly cruising past 100 degrees. As gentle a California sauvignon blanc as you’re likely to find, this 2022 from Black Stallion is a lemony Creamsicle of a wine, vanilla running through the experience alongside a mild tropical character that evokes…
Review: Clyde May’s Cask Strength Rye 9 Years Old
The Official State Spirit of Alabama, Clyde May’s of Conecuh Ridge Distillery, continues to release new expressions with a steady clip, with the latest rye whiskey coming fast on the heels from several 2022 releases that Drinkhacker recently dipped into. We’ve seen greater ambition and more boldness with each release, but their impression on us…
Review: Wines of Baldacci, 2021 Vintage
Summer is not the most ideal time for a visit to Napa, as it can be hard during the middle of a rather punishing heat wave to muster up excitement about indulging in big, burly reds. However, Baldacci’s Stags Leap Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon proved itself to be one of the top bottles I have…
Review: Brucato Amaro – Orchards, Woodlands, and Chaparral
The amaro craze continues with the launch of Brucato, a collection of three amari made in San Francisco with a heavy reliance on California-grown botanicals. The trio of expressions are markedly different, but all are widely versatile, able to be used as an aperitif, digestif, or — my pick — as a cocktail ingredient or…
Review: Capetta NV Asti DOCG and 2021 Braida Vigna Senza Nome Moscato d’Asti
The Asti Spumante and Moscato d’Asti wine regions hold importance in the world of Italian wine, with both regions carrying a reputation for venerable sparkling and sweet wines. Located in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, at the foot of the Alps, but still somewhat close to the coast. As well, the landscape of Langhe…
Review: Forbidden Bourbon
Forbidden bourbon is the bold and elegant next chapter in the storied career of Kentucky’s first titled female Master Distiller since prohibition, Marianne Eaves. Eaves, who has previously served as Master Taster for Brown-Forman, Master Blender for Sweetens Cove, as well as the inaugural Master Distiller at Castle & Key, enters her new role unfettered…
Book Review: Champagne Magnum Opus
Weighing in at a hefty 7 lbs. and 446 pages is Richard Juhlin’s… well, magnum opus… Champagne Magnum Opus, which will not only exercise your forearms and biceps in a healthy resistance training exercise but also your mind as you skim through one of the most expansive books ever written on the subject. Now in…
