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…
Review: Marques de Casa Noble Tequila
Casa Noble’s latest bottling, Marqués de Casa Noble, is an unusual tequila that defies easy categorization. It’s described as a blend 21 añejos and extra añejos, aged in French oak. Specifically, the blend includes 12 extra añejos and nine añejos aged one to five years. By blending unique aromas, Jose “Pepe” Hermosillo, Casa Noble’s Founder…
Review: St. George Green Chile Vodka
Chile-flavored vodka is typically described as usable only for Bloody Mary cocktails. And that is basically something I agree with. What else have I ever used pepper-infused vodka for? St. George’s expression of pepper vodka isn’t shy. Infused with California jalapenos, habaneros, serranos, and bell peppers, there is no shortage of capsaicin to go around…
Review: Benriach Single Cask 2022 Releases – 12, 23, and 24 Years Old
Big news from Benriach, which has just dropped its first single cask, single malt Scotch whisky bottlings ever available in the U.S. Three expressions are arriving, all extremely limited (only a few hundred cask strength bottles each) and ranging in ages from 12 to 24 years old, with each drawn from a different type of cask…
Review: Matusalem Gran Reserva Rum 15 (2022)
It has been over a decade since we last checked in on Matusalem rum. While the Gran Reserva 15 Years Old remains the brand’s flagship, their portfolio is rather extensive, including a white rum, Gran Reserva 18, and Gran Reserva 23 among others. We’ll hopefully get to some of those in due time, but before that,…
Review: Hercules Mulligan Rum & Rye
Hercules Mulligan is a minor figure in American history — and a somewhat larger figure in the musical Hamilton — and now the old Mulligan has a ready-to-drink cocktail named in his honor. It’s a complicated blend of three aged rums, three rye whiskeys, bitters, and fresh ginger — plus a splash of simple syrup. The…
Review: Wines of Dutton Estate, Late 2022 Releases
Dutton Estate‘s summer wine releases have arrived. Today we look at a quartet of offerings from this Sonoma-based pinot specialist. 2020 Dutton Estate Chardonnay Kyndall’s Reserve – No shortage of oak here, this aggressive chardonnay is punchy with vanilla, brown butter, and toasty lumberyard elements. Almost chewy in texture, with elements of coconut, white flowers,…
