Review: 2018 Etude Heirloom Pinot Noir Grace Benoist Ranch
Napa-based Etude recently dropped this new pinot, designed with holiday celebrations firmly in mind. A rich and sultry pinot, the wine finds cherry and chocolate notes melding into a dense, enveloping experience, dusted with notes of ground coffee, thyme, and sassafras. Modest tannins are tempered by plenty of fruit, a moderated acidity ultimately giving the wine…
Review: Little Book Blended Whiskey Chapter 6: “To The Finish” (2022)
Beam’s Little Book release for 2022 arrives as another very unusual blend, this time incorporating a bourbon and four straight malt whiskeys, each with a different finish, some quite unusual. What’s in the bottle? Here’s the breakdown of the blend: 4-year-old straight malt whiskey finished with cherrywood staves 4-year-old straight malt whiskey finished with applewood…
Review: Germain-Robin California Alambic Brandy 7 Years Old
Germain-Robin, founded by happenstance by Ansley Coale and Hubert Germain-Robin in 1982 (that story is wild), represents the epicenter of high-end American brandymaking, and even within its relatively new ownership as part of the Gallo empire, Germain-Robin continues to set the bar for how domestic brandy ought to be made. This 7 year old bottling…
Review: St. George Terroir Gin
California’s St. George markets four different gins as part of its permanent lineup, including Dry Rye and Terroir, reviewed here, which is inspired by the flora of Marin County — where Drinkhacker previously made its home before moving to Austin, Texas. The botanical list includes 12 products, including local Douglas fir, California bay laurel, fennel,…
Abruzzo Wine Review: 2020 Le Vigne di Faraone and 2019 Giuseppe Savini Rondineto Montepulciano
Italy’s Abruzzo can be found in the center of the country, surrounded on all sides by better-known regions (or the Adriatic Sea). While it’s known for its namesake bottling Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, other wines are common to this region, including the rose Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo and iconic whites Trebbiano d’Abruzzo and Pecorino. Today we look at a…
Review: Milam & Greene Unabridged Volume 1
Blanco, Texas-based Milam & Greene Whiskey has launched a whole new series of whiskeys called Unabridged, another blended bourbon that has been designed not just by CEO Heather Greene but also by Noah Rothbaum and David Wondrich, well-known whiskey nerds and writers. Per the company, “The three tasted numerous whiskey samples and ultimately created a…
Review: 4 Beers/RTDs From Karbach, 2022 Releases
Ordering a draft beer or canned saltzer in Texas? There’s a solid chance it’s a Houston-brewed Karbach — and probably one of these. Here’s a look at a collection of Karbach’s most notable offerings as of 2022. Karbach Hopadillo IPA – A darker style IPA than we’ve become accustomed to in modern times, this beer…
Review: Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum – Belize 2006, Jamaica 2007 ITP, Australia 2012, and Jamaica 2014 EMB
Fall 2022 finds Holmes Cay dropping four of its single cask rum offerings, including a pair of dueling selections from Jamaica and a bottle from Australia. Let’s dive in to the collection. Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Belize 2006 – A 16 year old molasses-based column still rum produced at Travellers Liquors Distillery in Belize.…
