Review: Nikka Discovery Yoichi and Miyagikyo 2021
Here’s a wild new idea from Japan’s Nikka Whisky: Taking the “house styles” of its two distilleries and spinning them around. The new “Nikka Discovery” series will release “distinctive limited editions” over the next three years, in anticipation of Nikka’s 90th anniversary in 2024. “Each year will focus on a different component of the whisky-making…
Book Review: Black Mixcellence – A Comprehensive Guide to Black Mixology
Author and hospitality industry leader Tamika Hall partnered with Former Discovery Channel star and spirits expert Colin Asare-Appiah (The Cocktail Kings) for Black Mixcellence, a compendium of 70 recipes culled from Asare-Appiah’s own repertoire and contributions of African-American mixologists from across the nation. The recipes are reasonably straightforward and easy to follow, with Asare-Appiah’s rum-based…
Review: I.W. Harper Bourbon Cabernet Cask Reserve
I.W. Harper’s lineup includes two (wildly) different, sourced expressions, and now they’re joined by a third, which is again a departure for the brand. This is a 4 year old Kentucky bourbon that is finished in casks that held cabernet sauvignon wine from California. Other than that (and the fact that it’s bottled at Stitzel-Weller),…
Review: Vida Mate Yerba Mate, Complete Lineup
Yerba mate is a caffeinated tea that’s been around for eternity, derived from the South American plant of the same name. You’ve probably noticed it appearing more and more as an alternative caffeine source in mood/performance enhancing drinks in modern times. This brings us to Vida Mate’s version, a series of non-alcoholic releases by Schilling…
Review: Batiste Rhum Reserve
We recently tried Batiste Rhum Silver and Gold, and today we taste their older sibling. As with the brand’s younger bottlings, Batiste Rhum Reserve is also a rhum agricole, distilled 100% from sugarcane and not from molasses. After distillation, it is aged in Tennessee rye oak casks for 18 months. Let’s give it a try.…
Tasting the Styles of Prosecco, 2022 Releases
Prosecco may often come across like an entry-level experience, but if you dive a bit deeper you’ll see that this essential sparkler comes in a variety of different styles, each representing a different level of sweetness, much like Champagne. As with Champagne, the categories are confusing and unintuitive. From dryest to sweetest, the categories go:…
Review: Arran Barrel Reserve, 10 Years Old, and Robert Burns (2022)
It seems like everyone in Scotland is getting in on the brand refresh game these days, including Arran — no longer “The Arran” — which is one of just a few whiskies found on the Isle of Arran, a small island nestled between Campbeltown and Glasgow. Despite the refreshed and re-labeled range, Arran continues to…
Book Review: Booze & Vinyl 2 and Booze & Vinyl Matching Game
Sequels are rarely as good as the first installment. However, leading your latest book off with quotes from legendary DJs Cosmo Murphy and John Peel provides a promising sign of good things ahead. Thankfully this is indeed the case with Tenaya and Andre Darlington’s follow-up to their most enjoyable Booze & Vinyl inaugural edition from…
