Review: Sagamore Spirit Rye Bottled in Bond 5 Years Old
Maryland’s Sagamore Spirit is an exemplar of America’s craft whiskey scene. Having begun their whiskey production journey with sourced distillate, they’ve recently turned the corner and begun releasing products they distilled themselves. Sagamore Spirit’s new 5 year-old bottled in bond rye whiskey is a blend of two rye mashbills that showcases what the future will hold…
The Past, Present, and Future of Rose with Sainte Marguerite en Provence’s Olivier Fayard
Fifty years ago, most French enjoyed rosé during summer holidays. And the rest of the year, it was a dead category, forgotten for months until the beaches opened once more. At least, that’s according to Olivier Fayard, a second-generation winemaker at Sainte Marguerite en Provence. Fayard’s father started with three hectares to produce his own…
Review: Citadelle Extremes No. 4 “Sergent Pepper” Gin
Alexandre Ferrand sent me home from France with the fourth installment in Citadelle’s “Extremes” limited edition gin lineup, which was developed in 2021, with only 1000 bottles produced. Miraculously you can still find it for sale if you try. Citadelle Extrême N°4 Sergent Pepper is a spin on Citadelle which is built around two varieties…
Review: NV Mirabella Franciacorta Brut Rose DOCG
Pouring soft pink in the glass, this Franciacorta DOCG is made with 45% Pinot Noir, 45% Chardonnay, and 10% Pinot Blanc. It spends a minimum of 30 months sur lie and rests in the bottle 3 additional months after disgorging. The ample time on the lees is immediately apparent on the nose, which opens with…
Review: High West The Prisoner’s Share
Utah’s High West Distillery had a busy close to 2022. Not only did they produce the latest version of their highly sought after Midwinter Night’s Dram expression, they also produced a distillery exclusive alt-version of that annual release, The Encore, which saw a blend of their rye whiskey finished in white Port barrels instead of…
Review: Daniel Weller Bourbon
The first expression in Buffalo Trace’s new, experimental line exploring the impact of different wheat grains is finally here, and it’s called Daniel Weller. For a little background, Daniel Weller is the grandfather of William LaRue Weller and the man who originally brought the Weller family to Kentucky back in 1794 – the year…
Review: Whiskies of Single Cask Nation, Summer and Fall 2022 Releases
When we last checked in on Single Cask Nation, the indie bottlers had just released an impressive American single malt from Virginia Distillery Co. From the looks of it, they’ve gone much further afield for their recent releases, sourcing a wide variety of unique expressions from whisky-makers all over the world. As a reminder, these…
How Climate Change Is Transforming Wine: An Interview with San Felice’s Carlo De Biasi
A hotter climate will impact every branch of the beverage world, but nowhere is the change being felt more quickly than wine. Warming temperatures, new pests, and extreme weather events have already pushed winemakers to rethink how they approach everything from vine cultivation to blending. That’s especially challenging for heritage winemakers at scale, as they…
