Review: Lalo Tequila Blanco
OK, who’s Lalo? Not a celebrity, but rather Eduardo “Lalo” González, the grandson of the one and only Don Julio González — who you know best as Don Julio. As you can imagine, the concept with Lalo is to go ultrapremium, using Highlands agave to make tequila using traditional processes and Champagne yeast. The company…
Review: Coppa Cocktails Margarita
When I’ve got a hankering for a margarita, the Netherlands isn’t the first country that pops into my mind, so forgive me if I was a little skeptical when a bottle of Dutch-produced Coppa Cocktails Margarita arrived at my door. Packaged in a stylish bottle wrapped in botanical imagery, this ready-to-drink margarita is eye-catching, to…
Review: Heaven Hill Heritage Collection Straight Corn Whiskey 20 Years Old (2023)
Heaven Hill’s first installment of its new Heaven Hill Heritage Collection set a high water mark right out of the gate, earning a spot on our top 10 whiskeys of the year list — not to mention an aftermarket price that now hovers around $1500. For round two of this collection, released every spring, Heaven…
Review: 2019 Mary Taylor Filipe Ferreira Douro Red Blend
For those unfamiliar with her process, Mary Taylor works with individual growers in small villages throughout Europe who produce regionally-distinctive wines beyond the great grapes of the canon, but who may not have production resources or logistics to distribute globally. A few weeks ago, we reviewed a Sicilia Rosso offered by Taylor in partnership with…
Experiments Gone Right with Woodford Reserve’s New Master Distiller Elizabeth McCall
When she was named Woodford Reserve’s Master Distiller in February 2023, Elizabeth McCall knew she was in for a challenge. But that doesn’t mean she feels alone in taking the brand forward. She inherits the role from Chris Morris, who began mentoring McCall to take over the job around 2015. And while McCall and Morris…
Review: SouthNorte Cocktails Margarita, Paloma, Matador, and Mexican Mule
San Diego-based SouthNorte has introduced a line of ready-to-drink cocktails in time for summer, bringing its penchant for Baja-inspired flavors to the craft. We tasted the whole lineup, and found them consistently clean, light, and refreshing, if notably short on tequila flavor. SouthNorte Margarita – A classic blend of blanco tequila, triple sec, and lime,…
Review: Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila Cristalino
Cuervo’s Tradicional tequila line has long been an affordable way to get 100% agave tequila from a familiar brand, and while it started with a blanco, Cuervo’s been moving up the agave chain, offering a reposado, anejo, and now a cristalino version. This expression is actually built around a reposado, “matured in American white oak…
Review: Wines of Ancient Peaks, 2023 Releases
Today we’re heading back into the wines of Paso Robles’ Ancient Peaks, including a look at three big reds, all made from estate fruit at Santa Margarita Ranch vineyards. A peek at Ancient Peaks’ second label is also in the mix. Read on for more. 2022 Ancient Peaks Sauvignon Blanc Paso Robles – I would…
