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…
Review: Old Line Aged Caribbean Rum – Single Malt Cask Finish
In addition to an impressive and diverse line of single malts (see here), Baltimore’s Old Line Spirits also includes several rums in its portfolio. Sourced from an unspecified Caribbean producer and aged in the Dominican Republic, Old Line’s founders reportedly worked with master rum blenders Luis and Margaret Ayala to finalize their rum blend, which…
Review: Luretta NV Principessa and 2018 Gutturnio Superiore
Luretta hails from the Gutturnio region, a new DOC in northern Italy, south of Milan. Frizzante style wines are most common here, and while the winery produces sparkling wine — in the metodo classico style — it also produces a still red wine, also reviewed here. NV Luretta Principessa Blanc de Blancs – A brut…
Review: The Real McCoy Distiller’s Proof Rum 5 Years Old
We’re finally working our way through the Real McCoy Rum portfolio. Chris enjoyed the distillery’s 5-year-old flagship offering (nearly a decade ago), and next up is this bottle, the Distiller’s Proof version of that same rum. As a reminder, Real McCoy is sourced from the well-known and well-loved Foursquare Distillery in Barbados. Unlike the standard…
Review: Hop Wtr Lime
Water and hops — you’re halfway to beer there — and that’s where Hop Wtr (aka HOP WTR) would like to keep it. This non-alcoholic, zero-calorie concoction is made with sparkling water, a blend of various hops (Citra, Amarillo, Mosaic, and Azacca), and some nootropics, including ashwagandha and L-theanine. Four different flavors exist, but we…
Review: Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey 114 Proof
Jim Beam’s Old Overholt lineup saw a major refresh back in 2020, along with the introduction of two limited editions available, at the time, only in Ohio and Pennsylvania: an 11-year-old offering (that still eludes us) and this bottle, Old Overholt 114 Proof. The release was in celebration of the 210th anniversary of Abraham Overholt’s…
