Review: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A123 (January 2023)
Like clockwork, it’s time to check in again with Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, which recently launched its first release for 2023. This uncut bottling arrives at 62.8% abv, about in line with the last release, C922. I get a rather beefy note on first blush on the nose, complemented by black pepper and notes of…
Review: 2021 LifeVine Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Oregon’s LifeVine wines should be rightfully commended for their commitment to full and unapologetic transparency, with their website declaring their line pesticide-free, organic, and sugar-free. LifeVine is one of the first wine brands to post both serving facts and full ingredients on its label. It’s also keto-friendly, lab tested for any contaminants and over 200…
Review: Square 6 High-Rye Bourbon and Rye
Square 6 is a new brand from Heaven Hill, produced at its new artisanal distillery on Louisville’s Main Street. Some background: Square 6 designates the original plot of land where Evan Williams built Kentucky’s first commercial distillery in 1783, sharing the same block on Louisville’s Whiskey Row where the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience first opened…
Review: Angela Vineyards 2019 Chardonnay and 2018 Pinot Noir
Angela Vineyards has not popped up on our radar since autumn of 2020, when we were all doing the best we possibly could, albeit slightly dazed and in constant panic. Thankfully, brighter days have prevailed (somewhat) and we’re back to see what the Carlton, Oregon vineyard has been up to since then. 2018 Angela Vineyards…
Review: Batch & Bottle Cocktails, 4 Expressions
Batch & Bottle launched as a new ready-to-drink cocktail concept last year from William Grant & Sons, the idea being that premium spirits — with their names appearing right on the label — could drive the experience. (Naturally, it’s all William Grant-owned spirits that show up in the bottles.) Four offerings hit the market at…
Review: Bertani 2020 Valpolicella Ripasso and 2012 Amarone
Established in 1857, Bertani is a longtime producer of Valpolicella wines, including the two iconic bottlings we look at today — a 2012 Amarone and 2020 Ripasso. The brand is credited with inventing the Amarone style, so one can assume these are going to be on point. 2020 Bertani Valpolicella Ripasso DOC – Bertani’s Valpolicella…
Review: Engine Gin
It takes guts to bottle your spirit in a motor oil can. When Stillhouse puts moonshine in a can, it makes some level of sense. But a fancy Italian gin? Like I said, guts. Cleverly named Engine — Engine, per the label — this is a 100% organic gin made in the Langhe region of…
Review: 2020 Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon
Considering the current dystopian weather timeline the fine state of California is experiencing in 2023, you’d be forgiven if you failed to recall the horrible fires that ravaged Napa Valley in 2020. Most of the region, including an area our Editor-in-Chief then called home, was engulfed in smoke or fire for weeks before seeing some…
