Review: Old Forester The 117 Series – Rum Finish
Old Forester‘s effusive 117 Series — named after the distillery’s former address at 117 W. Main St. in Louisville — is back with its latest expression, featuring a rum cask finish. There’s a certain serendipity with this release thanks to new Old Forester Assistant Master Distiller Caleb Trigo, who I met in New Orleans at…
Review: Forthwest Whisky, Giant Peach, Shiny Apple, and Spice of Life
Move over Crown Royal. There’s a new kid on the flavored Canadian whisky block. Forthwest Whisky Co. launched earlier this year with a portfolio of three flavored offerings and one unflavored blend. The whiskies are all sourced from an unspecified Canadian producer and finished at Oregon’s Hood River Distillers with glacier-fed spring water from Mt.…
Review: Maestro Dobel 50 Anniversary Series Tequilas – 1968, 1969, and 1970
In 2022, Maestro Dobel dropped a rare extra anejo tequila dubbed Dobel 50 1967, named in honor of its founder’s birth year. Now Dobel is back with not one follow-up but three, collectively dubbed the Anniversary Series — Dobel 50 1968, Dobel 50 1969, and Dobel 50 1970. While 1967 was finished in sherry casks, the…
Review: Hoopes 2022 Rose and 2018 Syrah
Napa’s Hoopes Family Vineyard has flown under our radar for years, but recently we got the chance to evaluate two of its latest releases, a surprising syrah and a rose made primarily from Napa’s benchmark grape, cabernet sauvignon. Let’s dig in. 2022 Hoopes Rose Napa Valley – Rose of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 10%…
Review: Green River Full Proof Bourbon
Last fall, right around the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Ownesboro’s own Green River Distillery launched their first cask strength expression, a single barrel of their rye bourbon mashbill (70% corn, 21% rye, 9% malted barley) available only at the distillery and by the barrel to select retailers. Now high-octane Green River bourbon is coming to the…
Review: 2020 Famiglia Cotarella Sodale Merlot Lazio IGP
Did you know you can get a merlot wine — 100% merlot — from Italy? Sodale is made from grapes grown in the Lazio region (the administrative region where Rome is located). It’s considerably spicier on the nose than your typical glass of merlot, with an equally atypical punch of juicy currants and plums. The…
Review: Cedar Ridge Amontillado Sherry Finished Bourbon
Iowa’s Cedar Ridge has been churning out regionally beloved spirits for years, including both acclaimed bourbon and American Single Malt. In fact, Cedar Ridge boasts the top selling bourbon across Iowa, an impressive feat for the local upstart in the face of Kentucky giants. Like operations big and small, Cedar Ridge has recently begun releasing…
Review: Chicken Cock Garden & Gun Double Oak Barrel Select
Billed as a Kentucky Whiskey, this expression of Chicken Cock is a unique offering of 12 barrels, made in partnership with the magazine Garden & Gun. What are you getting in the bottle? It’s a bourbon mash… but double aged, first in used bourbon barrels for 7 years, then in new oak for another 2 years.…
