Review: Ardbeg Twenty-Something 22 Years Old (2018)
A lot of people may not know it, what with their constant stream of special releases and a devoted Committee of adoring fans, but Islay’s Ardbeg Distillery almost closed up shop in the 1990s. The operation had fallen on hard times and was run for years only sparingly by its previous owners until the Glenmorangie…
Review: A Smith. Bowman Abraham Bowman Rum Finished Bourbon
We’ve skipped a few beats recently with A. Smith Bowman’s annual Abraham Bowman experimental releases. The 2019 bottling was reportedly even more limited than usual (which is really limited) and last year’s release, an intriguing sounding bourbon finished in Virginia Port wine and Sauternes casks, managed to also elude us. But not this year (err,…
Review: WhistlePig PiggyBack Devil’s Slide Non-Alcoholic Whiskey
Ever since they converted an old Vermont dairy farm into a craft whiskey operation in 2007, WhistlePig has made quite a name for itself with their consistently highly acclaimed rye whiskeys. They ante up on their limited edition special releases year on year, which includes ultra-premium expressions such as the 17 year Boss Hog VIII…
Review: Barrell Gray Label Bourbon, Whiskey, and Seagrass (2021)
Barrell made its first upmarket moves in 2018 with what was then called the Barrell Craft Spirits line, a selection of extra-aged, cask strength bottlings that represented the cream of the crop from Barrell’s expansive spirits stocks. The initial lineup included a bourbon, whiskey, and rum offering. We only got the chance to sample the…
Review: Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch C921 (September 2021)
Belatedly, we’re finally getting around to the final Larceny Barrel Proof release from 2021, C921, which shipped in September. The wheated bourbon is one of the better offerings from the Larceny Barrel Proof catalog that I’ve encountered since the series launched in early 2020. The nose is ripe and rich with dark, stewed fruits…
Review: Red Door Highland Gin
Red Door Gin is produced by our friends at Benromach, best known for their upstart Scotch whisky distillery on the northern edge of Speyside. (Great place to visit, by the way.) It’s a classic London Dry style, made in Benromach’s pot stills, and flavored with just eight botanicals, a core of five classic ingredients —…
Review: NV Bruno Paillard Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
This luxe bottling from Bruno Paillard is made exclusively from chardonnay grapes sourced from grand cru vineyards, spending four years sur lie and 10 additional months in bottle after disgorgement. Formally classified as extra brut in style, the nonvintage bottling is a glorious expression of chardonnay that approximates a breadier, yeastier version of green apple-heavy…
The Top 10 Rums of 2021
Jamaica figures heavily in our look back at the previous year in rum, with its fingerprints appearing in whole or in part on four of our top 10 expressions released in 2021. Of course, there’s ample representation from other islands in the Caribbean – as well as some further-afield locations that stretch from South America…
