Review: Mommenpop Seville Orange Citrus Aperitif
I’m a sucker for a Spritz, but can anyone outdo Aperol? California-based Mommenpop recently hit the scene with an enticing pitch: Its aperitifs are made from Northern California wines fortified with Napa-made grape neutral spirit, to which real, whole, organic California citrus is added alongside “select botanicals.” Mommenpop’s aperitifs are as natural as you can…
Review: Michter’s US-1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon 2024
While they occasionally tweak the release calendar for some specialty, age-stated expressions, Michter’s limited release Toasted Barrel Finish line hasn’t skipped a beat in recent years, delivering a toasted edition of either rye, bourbon, or sour mash whiskey at a steady three-year interval. For 2024, we’re getting another US-1 Toasted Barrel Finish Bourbon. It’s something…
Review: Dovetail Cut Throat Oat Whiskey
When asked to name a distillery associated with Nevada, the bulk of whiskey drinkers will certainly come up with Frey Ranch or Smoke Wagon. After nearly 20 years of working as a chef in some of New York City’s finest restaurants, Nicholas Cataldo launched a small distillery in northern Nevada that hopes to catch the…
Book Review: The World Atlas of Whisky, Third Edition
Unsatisfied with authoring not one, but two of the best whisky books of the last decade, Dave Broom returns with an updated edition of his World Atlas of Whisky. Now in its third iteration, Broom made the creative call to replace 90% of the photography, increase the distillery profiles by 150% (500 distilleries now receive…
Review: Bardstown Bourbon Company Collaborative Series: Silver Oak
Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s latest Collaborative Series release returns to wine-finishing. In partnership with Napa’s Silver Oak Winery, this whiskey honors a more than 50-year tradition of aging Cabernet Sauvignon in American oak barrels. Specifically, it’s a blend of six different bourbons aged for 17 months in barrels that previously held Silver Oak Cab. BBCo. actually…
Review: Rums of Sugarfield Spirits, 2024 Releases
Sugarfield Spirits makes its home in Gonzalez, Louisiana and is the official vodka of Louisiana State University Athletics. However, rum is the true calling of this southern distillery. Louisiana is the top sugarcane producing state in America as it produces more than 2 million tons of raw sugar per year. As the American whiskey industry…
Review: 3 New Wines from Argentina, Fall 2024 Releases
Just arrived: Three new (to us) wines from two new (to us) vineyards from Argentina, just in time to make the shift from summer to autumn. Mendoza’s Argento has a solid reputation for its numerous sensibly-priced Malbecs serving well as introductions to the varietal without breaking the bank. Bodega Otronia, on the other hand, comes…
Review: L’Aperitivo Nonino and Amaro Nonino
The Nonino family has been distilling grappa and amari in Friuli, Italy since 1897, and has been helmed by three female distillers over its lifetime. The current boss is Francesca Nonino, the third generation of the Nonino family, and the creator of a new product, an Aperol-adjacent aperitivo that, of course, is also called Nonino.…
