Review: St. George Single Malt Whiskey 40th Anniversary
It’s hard to believe that California’s St. George Spirits has been producing booze for 40 years, but here we are. To mark the occasion, the company has launched a 40th Anniversary Edition of its iconic St. George Single Malt Whiskey, limited to 1982 bottles (get it?) which ” bring together decades of craftsmanship and our…
Review: Ruddell’s Mill Bourbon and Rye – Double Cask Releases
We covered the whiskeys of Ruddell’s Mill about a year ago, all sourced whiskeys from Kentucky that are bottled in New Jersey. Now we’re back with two new, but very limited edition releases, both double-casked before bottling. You can get the whole backstory on Ruddell’s Mill at the above link. Production details and tasting notes…
Review: Benriach Malting Season and Smoke Season 2022
In 2021 Benriach launched two new editions called Malting Season and Smoke Season, annual NAS special editions designed to showcase floor malting techniques and the use of peated malt, both of which are rare in Speyside. Now the second editions of each whisky are here, so let’s dive in. Benriach Malting Season 2022 – Another banger…
Review: Sweet Gwendoline Gin
What do you get when you cross a creator of Sailor Jerry rum with “Queen of Burlesque” Dita Von Teese? Why, a new gin, made in the south of France! Sweet Gwendoline is the brainchild of Larry McGearty, featuing a dominatrix-like character, complete with whip, on the front label. She’ll have you sipping this gin…
How Do Celebrities Blend Wine? St Hugo’s Peter Munro on Virtual Blending with F1’s Daniel Ricciardo
With eight Grand Prix victories to his name, Australian Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo is no stranger to the champion’s circle. The 33 year-old — who will drive for Red Bull Racing starting in 2023 — is also a lifelong wine fanatic, an interest sparked by his father, who emigrated from Italy. Over the past…
Review: Village Bourbon and Bonfire
Village Garage Distillery (housed in a former garage for the local highway department, hence the name) can be found in Bennington, Vermont, where it was founded in 2018 and began releasing products in 2021. All of the company’s spirits are made in the state — though not necessarily by the company itself. In addition to…
Review: Ardbeg Hypernova
How do you top a whisky like Supernova? Simple, you just keep pushing the formula even further. Ardbeg’s Committee release for 2022 is Hypernova, which eschews curious barrel finishes and trips to space for more of what Ardbeg is known for: pouring on the peat. Peated to a phenolic level of 170ppm, Hypernova is Ardbeg’s…
Review: Fever-Tree Blood Orange Ginger Beer
Take Orange Crush and mix it with Fever-Tree’s winning ginger beer and you’ve got this unique yet versatile mixer, which was created in partnership with Maker’s Mark for its Blood Orange Kentucky Mule (1 part bourbon, 3 parts mixer). It doesn’t particularly evoke the Italian blood oranges with which it is made, but rather a…
