Review: Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch C922 (September 2022)
Ready for the third Larceny Barrel Proof for 2022? C922 has arrived, and we’re ready to dive in. The wheated bourbon’s nose is agreeable but initially indistinct, as if it’s being experienced through a coffee filter. A splash of water really helps bring it to life, where notes of peanut brittle, some coffee bean, and…
Review: 2021 Dobbes Family Estate Grenache Blanc
As you might expect, Grenache Blanc wine is typically made with Grenache Blanc grapes, a white varietal related to the red Grenache grape. Dobbes winery, however, makes their Grenache Blanc using red Grenache grapes, but excludes the skins. The grapes for this wine are harvested from the Crater View Vineyard in the Rogue Valley of…
Review: The Gospel Straight Rye Whiskey
Here’s a fun fact: The Gospel Straight Rye Whiskey is the first Australian whiskey that is legally labelled as “straight,” following the strict distillation and maturation rules required of American whiskeys. The whiskey is made form 100% unmalted rye grown on a single farm in the Murray Mallee region of South Australia, said to be…
Review: Famiglia Pasqua 2019 PassioneSentimento and 2012 Mai Dire Mai Amarone
Two new autumn releases from Italy’s Famiglia Pasqua — well known in these parts for its dazzling Amarone — have hit our desk. Let’s give ’em a try. 2019 Famiglia Pasqua PassioneSentimento Veneto Rosso IGT – A dense blend of corvina and croatina, with some merlot in the mix, this is a hearty wine thick…
The Top 10 Wines for Winter 2023
I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some cooler weather — and with it, some heartier, fireside-friendly wines. For the latest installment of our annual Top 10 Wines for Winter roundup, we’ve scoured our prior coverage for top selections as well as surfacing a few wines we haven’t formally reviewed, all in order…
Review: Sante Bourbon Pecans
OK, spoiler. There is no bourbon in Sante’s bourbon pecans. In fact, there are only five ingredients, though one of them — “natural flavor” — could at least refer to a bourbon-like flavor, no? Sante makes a whole bunch of candied nuts, but these bourbon-ish pecans are one of their best products, and the only…
Review: Botran Rum – No. 12, 15, and 18 (2022 Relaunch)
Guatemalan rum brand Botran has been unavailable in the U.S. market since 2019. Now the brand is back, with new expressions, new branding, and a new sustainability accreditation Basically: new everything. The bulk of the new Botran Rum line now carries a number on the label, unlike previous editions, but not that these are not…
Review: Whiskies of Bimber Distillery, 2022 Releases
Bimber is an ambitious craft distillery that’s fairly new to the UK whisky scene. Their founder, Dariusz Plazewski, established the distillery in an industrial corner of West London in 2015 and named it for the Polish word for moonshine. Bimber’s single malts are true grain-to-glass offerings, relying on traditional floor-malted, hand-mashed barley sourced from a…
