Review: Banfi Chianti Classico, Chianti Reserva, and Brunello, 2022 Releases
Banfi produces a huge range of Italian wines that are widely available. Today we are looking at fresh vintages of three of their more popular red offerings, all built around Sangiovese. Let’s give them a try. 2019 Banfi Chianti Classico – Chianti Classico wines are tannic and tend to be quite dry, and this is…
Review: Old Line Spirits Single Malt – Port Cask and Madeira Cask
We’ve been tinkering with the single malt whiskeys and rums of Baltimore’s Old Line Spirits for a little over a year now, and the operation seems to be hitting its stride with the release of new products, including a recent bonded whiskey expression. We’re back at it for the third time in 2022 with our…
Review: On The Rocks Cocktails – Aviation, Cosmopolitan, and Mai Tai
Launched in 2016, On The Rocks ready-to-drink cocktails seem to have held a solid footing in the RTD space and chances are high that you have already seen bottles of On The Rocks at your neighborhood stores. The beverages aim to stick with traditional recipes and start with premium well-known branded spirits as their base.…
Review: Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B522 (May 2022)
Larceny Barrel Proof #2 for 2022 is here, and it offers only a few moderate surprises compared to its predecessors. For starters, the experience feels quite a bit more youthful than prior releases. Notes of peanut brittle and milk chocolate give the whiskey something of a Mr. Goodbar aroma to start, punctuated by red pepper…
Review: 2018 Chalk Hill Syrah
We are big fans of Chalk Hill around these parts, and with good reason: It’s one of the more engaging and consistent vineyards in the Sonoma region. But don’t just take my word for it: Chris has been shouting about their greatness for years now, most recently with its 2020 Estate Sauvignon Blanc. Today we…
Review: Diageo Orphan Barrel Project Fable & Folly Whiskey 14 Years Old
Diageo’s latest Orphan Barrel Whiskey is a curious blend — a marriage of “the last remaining stocks of Barterhouse, Forged Oak, and various Rhetoric releases with a proprietary blend.” Bourbon and rye, a minimum of 14 years old, all mixed together into a wild infinity barrel. Like most of the Orphan Barrel releases to date,…
Review: 2018 2Hawk Malbec
2Hawk swoops in (sorry) via the Rogue Valley of southern Oregon, 81% Malbec, 19% co-fermented Cabernet Franc & Merlot, aged 21 months in 29% new, 30% 2-year old, and 41% neutral French oak. Like other Malbecs originating stateside, this is quite fruit-forward up front with notes of plum and raspberry and a secondary layer of…
Review: Alias Straight Rye Whiskey
MGP had a busy 2021. It began the year with the acquisition of Luxco and its impressive family of spirits producers which now manage the George Remus and Rossville Union whiskey brands. Then they finished the year with a wholesale renaming of their campus in Lawrenceburg, Indiana where those brands are produced. While the new…
