Review: Laws Bonded Bourbon 6 Years Old (2021)
They’ve dropped the “A.D.” at the front of the name and are now just “Laws Whiskey House” — and the Denver, Colorado-based operation has been busy adding expressions to (and tweaking older releases in) its extensive lineup. Today we look at the bonded version of its straight four-grain bourbon, which hits the bottle after 6…
Review: WM Cadenhead Glen Ord 12 Years Old
Glen Ord (or The Singleton of Glen Ord depending on whom one asks) quietly stations itself as one of the major producers of single malt in the world: behind only Glenlivet, Macallan, Glenfiddich, Roseisle, and Alisa Bay in terms of production capacity. Yet few people outside of dedicated malt maniacs know of Ord’s major contributions.…
Tasting Primitivo di Manduria, 2021 Releases
Primitivo is best known (to those who know it at all) as the Old World version of zinfandel, but while the grapes are extremely similar, they aren’t believed to be identical, at least genetically speaking. Turns out they’re both clones of a different grape called crljenak. The bigger difference between zinfandel and primitivo is where…
Review: John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend
John Walker opened his first grocery store in 1820, and would eventually (over 40 years later, in fact) dip his toe into whisky making. This bottling celebrates the 200th anniversary of that grocery store and calls back to Walker’s “Old Highland Whisky,” which was one of the first whiskies exported from Scotland. This Celebratory Blend…
Cocktailing with Chocolate and Earth Echo Foods’ Cacao Bliss
ADVERTISEMENT Whether you’re baking a sweet treat or mixing up a glass of chocolate milk for a loved one, cocoa powder is a staple that every home cook needs on hand. Standard cocoa powder is made from the seed pods of the cacao plant. It is processed and heated, then ground into a fine powder.…
Review: Signatory Staoisha Heavily Peated 5 Years Old
Staoisha releases originate from Islay’s Bunnahabhain distillery (write that down), and are an often-utilized pseudonym by the company for independent bottling purposes. A store pick for Chicago-based chain Binny’s, this Signatory release recently made its way down the interstate and into my hands courtesy of fully vaccinated, thoughtful friends passing through on their way to…
Book Review: Be Your Own Bartender
I love a good infographic or flowchart, and I know I’m not alone. For Carey Jones and John McCarthy (a husband and wife team), getting you to your perfect cocktail is a matter of science, and Be Your Own Bartender is built around the idea that if you answer a few simple questions, you can…
Review: WM Cadenhead Ardmore 8 Years Old
It feels as if Ardmore is popping up this year with greater frequency on the independent bottling circuit. That is most certainly all conjecture based on nothing at this point, but perhaps Beam Suntory is considering joining the trend of testing younger stock on the market, at first through independent channels, before introducing a similar…
