Review: xBloom Coffee System
Coffee pod systems are convenient, but they beg a question: What the hell is really in that pod? How fresh is the ground coffee inside? xBloom is a bold new idea in the increasingly crowded coffee pod space, offering a machine that uses pods with whole beans instead of ground ones, grinding them on the…
Review: Benriach The Sixteen
With malts aged 10, 12, 21, 25, and 30 years old — all in its permanent line — Speyside’s Benriach decided it needed to fill in the middle a bit, and the year it’s adding a 16 year old expression to the lineup — officially denoted as The Sixteen. Benriach 16 Years Old was retired…
Bar Review: La Popular, Austin
Austin isn’t a city that’s exactly hurting for Mexican restaurants, but if yellow cheese and sizzling fajita plates aren’t what you’re in the mood for, consider a trip to La Popular, which is operated by a group out of Mexico City — which makes for a bit of a different vibe vs. the more traditional border-driven…
Review: High Horse Triple Sec
Austin-based Jeremiah Allen could have decided to make whiskey, vodka, or just about anything else as he entrée to distilling, but he instead decided on a decidedly atypical spirit: triple sec, that classic, clear orange-infused mixer. Why triple sec? Allen was disappointed with home-grown, artisanal products — most are either made in bulk or imported…
Review: Diageo Scotch Whisky Distillers Editions 2023
Diageo’s six Distillers Edition single malt Scotch whiskies are back. We last reviewed this annually released collection in 2021, and if you’re experiencing deja vu, don’t be alarmed. These whiskies do not change every year save for the time of production: The ages and bottling proofs don’t change, and the use of special finishing casks…
Review: Buchanan’s Pineapple
Just when you think you’ve seen everything along come something new: Pineapple flavored Scotch courtesy of Buchanan’s. Officially billed as a “spirit drink” — Scotch cannot legally be flavored — it is a product “crafted with Scotch whisky, pineapple, citrus, and other natural flavors.” While I would suggest this is exclusively a mixer for oddball…
Review: Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc – 2019 Windy Ridge and 2021 Estate
Chalk Hill‘s summer 2023 sauvignon blanc wines have arrived, and we received a pair of them for review. Thoughts follow. 2019 Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc Windy Ridge – Boldly tropical, one could easily mistake this for a high-end New Zealand sauvignon blanc, brisk with pineapple, lemon/lime, and a gentle mineral quality. Sweeter perhaps than it…
Review: Jefferson’s Ocean Aged at Sea New York Edition Bourbon
Jefferson’s is famous for taking various whiskeys — all sourced, no age statements — and putting them on a big boat for a trip around the world. The whiskey sloshes around in the barrel for months (and in the heat of the tropics) before returning back to the U.S. for bottling. Dozens of “voyages” have…
