Review: Uncle Nearest Straight Rye
Uncle Nearest began its foray into rye whiskey earlier this fall with the limited release of Uncut/Unfiltered, a burly, cask strength bruiser that I came to appreciate (with some revisiting and a healthy splash of water). For their next addition to the rye side of the portfolio, the distillery is introducing Uncle Nearest Straight…
Review: Daviess County Bourbon Lightly Toasted Barrel Finish
In a world of “heavy char” bourbon releases, the Lux Row/MGP-owned Daviess County recently hit the ground with the opposite approach, a whiskey finished not just in the now de rigueur toasted barrel but specifically “lightly toasted” ones. It’s the first in a series of toasted barrel releases that will be coming out annually. Daviess…
Review: Kentucky Peerless Rum-Finished Bourbon and Absinthe-Finished Rye
Two new special editions from Kentucky Peerless — which has moved from the world of standard-grade bourbons and ryes into really wild territory. Absinthe barrel finishing? That’s a new one for us. To wit: Kentucky Peerless Bourbon Finished in a Rum Barrel – Rum-finished whiskeys often seem to be missing out on much of the…
Review: Luxardo Antico Sour Cherry Aperitif
Don’t call it a liqueur, because it isn’t: Luxardo Antico is a new type of aperitif, essentially a vermouth made from cherry juice. Per the company: Luxardo Antico is Luxardo’s own interpretation of a vermouth. When Luxardo marasca cherries are harvested at the beginning of every summer, part of the juice is separated and left…
Review: Waterford Distillery Peated: Fenniscourt 1.1 and Peated: Ballybannon 1.1
Waterford’s Single Farm Origin series is billed by the distillery as an “uber-provenance” range of single malts. When we first explored them back in 2020, they weren’t exactly uber, but their unique qualities were undeniable (whether terroir-driven or not). Since then, there have been so many of these Single Farm releases, we honestly haven’t been…
Review: Indri Trini – The Three Wood Indian Single Malt
More and more whisky from India continues to land on our shores, the most recent a single malt from Piccadilly Distilleries called Indri, which is distilled in Indri, Haryana, and made from indigenous barley grown in Rajasthan. This is the first Indian whisky to be produced in three different wooden barrels, hence the “Three Wood”…
The Top 10 Rums of 2022
The resurgence of once hard-to-find brands like Foursquare and Hampden — along with an increasingly impressive showing from independent rum bottlers — are driving the rum world to some incredible heights. If your last encounter with rum left you with a cloying, sugar-drenched taste in your mouth, it’s time to dip back into the category.…
Tasting the Wines of Georgia (the Country), 2022 Releases
Today we delve in to a handful of wines from Georgia — the country, not the state — mostly comprising indigenous grape varieties you’ve never heard of. Two of the wines in the mix are amber wines, which is essentially the O.G. version of modern orange wine — made with white wine grapes, aged on…
