Review: Milam & Greene Very Small Batch Bourbon Batch 1
Milam & Greene Whiskey‘s Very Small Batch Bourbon isn’t even close to the smallest batch release its ever made, but this initial release of 75 barrels — for a new permanent edition release — is nonetheless a pretty tiny one as whiskey releases go. The whiskey marks a handful of milestones for the Texas-based operation.…
Review: Soto Sake Junmai, Junmai Daiginjo, and Yamagata Masamune Omachi Kimoto
The Soto brand may be run from its headquarters in Florida but their sake is genuine, made using all natural ingredients and traditional practices in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. All three of the sakes we are trying today are junmai, which means “pure rice” and requires that the sake be made exclusively with rice, water, yeast,…
Review: Rock Town Bourbons – Small Batch, Toasted French Oak, and Cask Strength
Rock Town Distillery is not new to bourbon; the distillery started in 2010 in Little Rock, Arkansas and produces bourbon, as well as vodka and liqueurs. But then recently, the founder took a trip to Kentucky. The story goes like this: In March of 2020, Rock Town’s Founder and Head Distiller Phil Brandon embarked…
Review: Omage American Brandy – VS, VSOP, and XO
Inspired by Cognac, made in America, Omage is the brainchild of Julious Grant, a 30-year wine and spirits industry veteran with brandy in his blood. Omage is made from California-grown grapes (the varieties aren’t specified) with methods similar to those used in Cognac, all intended to mimic the king of all brandies. That said, it’s…
Review: Barmen 1873 Bourbon
Coors – yes, that Coors – is now making whiskey. In case this is news to you, check out Chris’s review last year of their surprisingly solid inaugural whiskey offering, Five Trail. That bottle was a unique blend of bourbon and single malt produced in partnership with Bardstown Bourbon Co., a distillery exceedingly adept at…
Review: Wines of Santa Cruz Mountains, 2023 Releases
Forget the Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley. The Santa Cruz Mountains represent some of the most rugged winemaking areas in California, if not the U.S. as a whole. This high, steep region towers over Monterey and Silicon Valley on one side, the Pacific Ocean on the other. Some of California’s earliest winemaking operations — including…
Bar Review: Antidote at Chemist Spirits, Asheville, North Carolina
The vibrant, artsy town of Asheville, North Carolina is synonymous with craft beer, but breweries aren’t the only place in town to quench your thirst. While beer may have put the city on the tourist map decades ago, that popularity has spawned a vibrant bar scene that’s as diverse and dynamic as the town’s craft…
Review: Drumshanbo with California Orange Citrus Gunpowder Irish Gin
We’re back with another new Drumshanbo gin from Ireland’s The Shed Distillery. Like the 2021 addition to the portfolio, Drumshanbo With Sardinian Citrus, the name is self-explanatory if a bit awkward. The focus for this new gin, once again, is on the citrus component in the ginbill. The distillery’s founder, PJ Rigney, apparently fell in…
