Review: Mezan Chiriqui Moscatel Cask Rum
Mezan produces a range of rums from all of over the Caribbean and Latin America, and its latest is this offering born in Panama, which starts with column-distilled molasses that is aged in second-fill American white oak casks, then finished in Portuguese Moscatel wine casks. No sugar is added. Rich and earthy on the nose,…
Review: 2019 Vurria Di Giovanna DOC
Sicily is an important wine region in Italy, producing mostly red wines with substantial body and flavors. The region has a Mediterranean wine climate, with long, warm and sunny days and an overall dry growing season. Nero d’Avola is the dominant black grape in Sicily and is cultivated throughout the entire island. This grape is apt…
Review: Breckenridge Buddy Pass – Imperial Oatmeal Stout and Stout Finished Whiskey Batch 1
It’s hard to believe but Breckenridge Brewery and Breckenridge Distillery are not owned by the same company. (Breckenridge Brewery is actually part of Anheuser-Busch, while the distillery is still independently owned.) Buddy Pass is nonetheless a natural collaboration between the two operations, a barrel exchange in which Breckenridge Brewery brewed an Imperial Oatmeal Stout which…
Review: One Eight Distilling District Made Ivy City Gin (2022) and District Made Vodka
We’ve covered plenty of whiskeys from Washington, D.C.’s One Eight Distillery over the years, but their earliest spirits, like most craft operations, were of the clear variety. We never got around to their vodka, and although we explored Ivy City Gin in its early days, it has apparently seen some tweaking recently. Let’s tie up…
Review: Rampur Asava Indian Single Malt
This is our third round with India’s Rampur whisky, and I can assure you up front of its distinct uniqueness. The single malt carries no formal age statement, but it’s a double casked expression, spending the bulk of its time in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in Indian Cabernet Sauvignon wine casks. Rampur says that’s…
Review: Dogfish Head Camp Amp Milk Stout
Since its merger in 2019 with craft beer behemoth Boston Beer Co. (maker of Sam Adams), beachy brewery Dogfish Head has added several new offerings but also eliminated some of the old standbys from their initial craft lineup. Lighter pilsners and IPAs, like Hazy-O, have taken the place of darker beers like Burton Baton and…
Recipe: Teatro
Tequila cocktails don’t always have to be summery or fruity affairs. It’s easy to relegate the agave-based booze to poolside margaritas, but there’s a world of possibilities out there for what is actually a very versatile spirit. Case in point: the Teatro. It’s a riff on the gin-based Bijou, crafted by Sother Teague for the…
Review: Patron Anejo Tequila Sherry Cask Aged
Alternatively known as Patron Cask Collection Sherry Cask Añejo, this special edition of Patron Tequila is unique in that it spends its two-plus years of aging in oloroso sherry bottles. No finishing here; it’s sherry all the way. The sherry gives the tequila a brightly vivid orange hue, and its aromatic on the nose as…
