Review: Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum – Venzeuela 2007 and Barbados 2012 Port Cask
Holmes Cay says that its latest two offerings “are about us growing up as a company,” offering a retail bottling from a “mystery distillery” and round two of a previous hit. Details and tasting notes follow. Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Venezuela 2007 15 Years Old – Officially anonymous, this 15 year old expression of…
Bar Review: The Dead Rabbit, Austin
One of the most famous cocktail bars in New York is, of all things, an Irish bar. The Dead Rabbit has been slinging Guinness and craft cocktails alike since 2013 — and it’s won all kinds of hosannahs, including a spot on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. We’ve seen two cocktail books from the…
Review: Ironton American Single Malt Bottled in Bond
The Bottled in Bond Act dates to 1897 and established strict standards of quality for American whiskey that were much needed at that point in history. But in modern America, a bottled in bond designation does not carry remotely the same weight that it did in 1897. However, bottled in bond has taken on a…
Review: Eins Zwei Zero Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Blanc de Blancs and Riesling
These non-alcoholic sparkling wines, like many, are made in Germany (these hail from the Rüdesheim region) and sold stateside by online merchant The Zero Proof. Curiously, while the first wine on the list is bottled with a crown cap, the second has a Champagne-style cork to contend with. Otherwise, we don’t have a whole lot…
Review: Goslings Spirited Seas Ocean Aged Rum Vol. 1
It’s been a minute since we’ve seen anything from Bermuda’s Goslings Rum brand, but it’s back and with a vengeance. This new rum is finished on a container ship that travelled between Bermuda and somewhere in the Mid-Atlantic, back and forth, over and over, bobbing around for a total of 59,920 nautical miles before returning…
Review: American Single Cask 2bar Spirits Bourbon
Independent bottlers of whiskey are quite common in Europe, but have only recently started to create a presence within American whiskey. Within the American whiskey community, independent bottlers seek to transparently feature exceptional casks from some of the best small distillers. If an independent bottler chooses to work with a distiller, it can usually be…
Review: Old Forester The 117 Series – Rum Finish
Old Forester‘s effusive 117 Series — named after the distillery’s former address at 117 W. Main St. in Louisville — is back with its latest expression, featuring a rum cask finish. There’s a certain serendipity with this release thanks to new Old Forester Assistant Master Distiller Caleb Trigo, who I met in New Orleans at…
Review: Forthwest Whisky, Giant Peach, Shiny Apple, and Spice of Life
Move over Crown Royal. There’s a new kid on the flavored Canadian whisky block. Forthwest Whisky Co. launched earlier this year with a portfolio of three flavored offerings and one unflavored blend. The whiskies are all sourced from an unspecified Canadian producer and finished at Oregon’s Hood River Distillers with glacier-fed spring water from Mt.…
