Review: 2023 Abbazia di Novacella Valle Isarco Gruner Veltliner Alto Adige DOC
While I can’t speak with full authority to the history of this site, I’m not fully certain we’ve tried a wine from a vineyard founded in the 12th century. However the origins of Abbazia di Novacella lie in South Tyrol, Italy in the year 1142. Grüner Veltliner is a varietal where we’ve yet to take…
Review: Natterjack Irish Whiskey The Mistake
It may seem odd for a distillery to label something a “mistake.” Wild Turkey’s Forgiven, a supposedly accidental blend of bourbon and rye, may have started the trend over a decade ago, but since then other happy hiccups have brought us all kinds of different and delightful whiskeys. It made for good marketing back when…
Review: Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie (2024)
How time flies. It has been well over a decade since we last tasted Bruichladdich’s flagship single malt, The Classic Laddie, when it was initially launched. I would say we’re way overdue for a revisit, but today’s Laddie is a big departure from what we tasted back then, so this is more like a belated…
Review: Deanston 18 Years Old and 2002 Organic American Oak 20 Years Old
Highland single malt producer Deanston‘s first release hit shelves in 1974. In 2000, they began distilling what the brand refers to as “the world’s first certified organic Scotch whisky,” as accredited by the Organic Food Federation. In late 2024, Deanston announced new American distribution of their core 18 year-old single malt, in addition to a…
Review: Halcyon Spirits Macallan 30, Clynelish 30, and Burnside 27
Halcyon Spirits is a new independent bottler exclusively devoted to Scotch, and they’re not pulling any punches. Of the 5 releases the company has put out so far, the youngest is 17 years old, and the oldest is 32. We got samples of 3 of the 5 to check out — corresponding to Releases #1,…
Review: 2024 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau
If it’s November, well, it must be Beaujolais Nouveau season, the love-it-or-hate-it wine experience that is bottled within months of harvest and intended to be consumed as quickly as possible. It’s always been something of an acquired taste, but with Georges Duboeuf’s 2024 vintage of the wine, either something has going very right or,…
Review: The Balvenie Bourbon Cask 14 Years Old, Pineau Cask 18 Years Old, and Single Barrel 12 Years Old (2024)
Kelsey McKechnie has been malt master at The Balvenie for two years now, and while she served alongside the venerable David Stewart for a year, she’s now at the top by herself, following Stewart’s retirement in 2023. For 2024, McKechnie is bringing us a trio of releases — two that are part of the distillery’s…
Review: Diageo Orphan Barrel Project Woven Honor Single Malt Scotch 18 Years Old
The latest whisky from Diageo’s Orphan Barrel Project returns us to Scotland and the world of single malts. This is actually something of a rarity for the Orphan Barrel Project, as most Scotches released to date from the OBP have been single grain. Woven Honor hails from Speyside’s Linkwood Distillery, which was originally founded in 1821…
