Review: Astral Tequila Blanco
Astral is a new 100% Blue Weber agave tequila from the lowland region of Jalisco, Mexico. Currently, only a blanco, unaged tequila is available. The distillery’s website explains how it is made, all very familiar stuff: Our production process is steeped in tradition and features a unique milling process using a tahona, a stone wheel…
Review: Merlet Cognac VS and VSOP
We’ve reviewed some of Merlet’s premium Cognac expressions in the past, but never its two most affordable bottlings, the VS and VSOP expressions. Today, we rectify that. Both are 80 proof. Merlet Cognac VS – Eaux-de-vie mostly from Fins Bois crus, but also from Bons Bois and a little bit of Petite Champagne in the…
Review: Curamia Tequila Blanco
Curamia is a new tequila and the brainchild of Dafna Mizrahi, a chef from Guadalajara, Mexico. The brand launched late last year in the U.S. with only a blanco expression; a reposado has since arrived. Of special note is its female-centric street cred: Curamia is the first tequila brand 100% female-founded and made by women:…
Review: Few Spirits Four Grain Bourbon 10th Anniversary Edition
For its recent 10th anniversary, Evanston, Illinois-based Few Spirits dropped a special edition bottling, a bourbon made from a four-grain mashbill (no breakdown specified), aged six years in oak. It’s available exclusively in Illinois and on Few’s own direct-to-consumer channel, BuyFewSpirits.com. The bright, burgundy-hued whiskey keeps things on the level, aromatically. Peanuts and caramel corn, laced…
Recipe: Pop Quiz
Pop Quiz! Nah, I don’t have any actual questions for you, just this cocktail recipe created in 2010 by Devon Tarby of New York’s infamous Death & Company. As the story goes, someone challenged her to create a cocktail that used mole bitters (hence the name). Which, well, I’m not sure that’s much of a…
Review: J. Rieger Caffe Amaro
J. Rieger is based in Kansas City, Missouri, where it produces a variety of spirits that includes vodka, gin, and whiskey. Oddly, its best-known is this, a coffee-infused amaro made with local coffee and a blend of botanicals, including juniper berries, cardamom, orange peel, star anise, spearmint leaves, gentian, and vanilla beans. Aiming to combine…
Review: Bruichladdich Octomore 12.1, 12.2, and 12.3
Octomore — the self-proclaimed world’s peatiest whisky — is back for round 12, this time with a twist. While the “x.2” release is usually a duty-free release, Octomore 12.2 is available for the first time in general retail. Details from the distillery: This twelfth series of Octomore returns to explore a delicately balanced, soft smoke…
Review: Hella Cocktail Co. Bitters & Soda, Complete Lineup
Hella Cocktail Co. is leaning into the spirits-alternative category with five bitters-centered non-alcoholic sparkling beverages. The Bitters & Soda expressions all feature “gentian tincture,” aka a tincture (medicine) made from the root of flowering plants in the Gentiana genus. Gentian root has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries across the continents. Let’s dig right…
