Review: Pinhook Kentucky Bourbon Cask Strength 5 Years Old 2024
Pinhook is a non-distilling producer of ryes and bourbons and has been on a steady clip of releases since 2014, albeit somewhat an uneven and quizzical one. After a run of limited releases, Pinhook only then began building a stable of core expressions. (Spoiler alert: Horse racing analogies abound, both in their marketing and from…
Review: The Busker Small Batch Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
When we first reviewed The Busker Irish Whiskey line in 2021 we found their Single Pot Still variety our favorite of their four offerings. Three years later, we’re excited to try Busker’s newest release, which is a Small Batch version of that Single Pot Still. The whiskey does not have an age statement, but it…
Book Review: How to Taste
Sometimes we eat and drink. Sometimes we taste. Many of us like to read the thoughts of those who taste and relay their experiences. Prior to purchasing a new spirit, it’s common to read the impressions given to us by others. Perhaps you run to Google to find a written review? Perhaps watching video reviews…
How Should You Store Non-Alcoholic Wines?
With the NA movement in full swing — and non-alcoholic wines getting better every day — it’s natural to ask the question: How should you store them? How long will they last? And how do you deal with open bottles? There’s lots of information on traditional (with alcohol) wine storage, but nothing I’ve ever seen…
Review: Pentire Coastal Spritz Non-Alcoholic Aperitif
Pentire is a UK-based brand of non-alcoholic spirits and ready-to-drink cocktails, and we open our coverage of the brand with this NA amaro, a hearty concoction made from “naturally distilled coastal botanicals carefully blended with Blood Orange, Sea Rosemary and Oakwood.” The idea, as the name of the product suggests, is to evoke the sea……
Review: Glengoyne 30 Years Old and Teapot Dram Batch 009
I had the chance to visit Glengoyne for the first time this spring. This smaller scale single malt distillery is famously the “slowest” in Scotland, reportedly producing spirit at a third the normal rate of most Scotch distilleries which allows for exceptionally long copper contact in the stills. The distillery campus also straddles the Highland/Lowland…
Review: Club Kokomo Barrel Finished Rum
Celebrity spirits are becoming more common every day. Some of the ventures turn out to be flops and some turn out to be quite formidable. Some feel highly gimmicky and don’t make much sense. But what about The Beach Boys and rum? Pairing the tropical imagery of the beach with rum works. Mike Love is…
Review: Casa Obsidiana Tequila, Complete Lineup
So this is the tequila with the wacky bottles. And the wild prices, too. Now look, I roll my eyes at stuff like this too. Those tall ceramic tequila bottles are gimmicks full of workmanlike product, and Obsidiana’s seem over the top. However… there’s some interesting production going on here, most notably in the aging, which…