Book Review: Steve the Bartender’s Cocktail Guide
Steve the Bartender’s Cocktail Guide prides itself on accessibility, with both classic cocktails, and variations that will pique the curiosity of seasoned drink masters. With well over 100 recipes, it is quite easy to find something which can appeal to every taste and situation and doesn’t require previous knowledge or advanced expertise. It’s also quite…
Review: Samuel Maverick Private Reserve Bourbon
We’re kind of doing things backwards here, as in 2022 we reviewed San Antonio-based Samuel Maverick’s Barrel Proof Bourbon — and only now are we stepping back to the tamer release, Samuel Maverick Private Reserve. At a mere 90 proof, the whiskey is a big step down from the 114 proof of the Barrel Proof…
Review: 2020 San Felice Chianti Classico
We’ve profiled numerous bottles from Italy’s San Felice in the spring and summer of 2022, mainly on the label’s higher-end price range. Today, we look deeper into one of the label’s more affordable offerings: the 2020 Chianti Classico. It’s easygoing but hearty, with gentle notes of violet and peak-season raspberry on the nose. There’s a…
Review: Sunday’s Finest Gold Fashioned Craft Cocktail (2023)
Remember The Gold Fashioned, unofficially the most expensive ready-to-drink bottled cocktail on the market? Well, it’s back, reformulated — slightly — by adding a touch of 15 year old bourbon to the blend, joining the existing complement of 8 year old bourbon, 5 year old rye, and saffron bitters. The orange oil atomizer included for…
Review: NV Sandeman Founder’s Reserve Ruby Porto (2023)
It’s been a couple of years since we’ve had the privilege to review a port from Sandeman, and thus we felt ready for a refresh. With a deep garnet color in the glass, there is certainly much to appreciate on the nose of Sandeman’s Founder’s Reserve, with roasted plum showing first, along with earthier notes…
Review: Dewar’s French Cask Smooth Calvados Cask Finish 8 Years Old
Round five of Dewar’s “Smooth” whisky series is upon us, this one a “French Cask Smooth” bottling that sees its blended whisky finished in Calvados apple brandy casks. As with the rest of the line, an 8 year old age statement is provided, but no additional details are forthcoming. If you like apples — or apple…
Review: 2019 Baldacci Family Vineyards Stags Leap Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon
This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon was harvested from the Baldacci family’s Stags Leap AVA vineyards in October 2019, and spent 24 months in 75% French new oak, and it certainly shows. It starts off in fine form with ripe strawberry, blackberry, and dark chocolate on the nose, but the oak influence makes its presence felt, eventually…
Review: Morris Australian Single Malt Whiskey – Signature and Muscat Barrels
Australia is on the rise as a whiskey producer, and the latest brand to enter the fray is Morris, which was officially launched in the U.S. last September — becoming only the third Aussie whiskey brand to be sold in the country. The goal of Morris: “to capture the provenance, climate, and terroir of Australia.”…
