Review: St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (2021)
St. Germain hit the scene in 2007 and was an immediate smash, including with this reviewer when we formally covered it in 2010. The lychee-like flavor of elderflower proved itself to be endlessly versatile, to the point where, today, putting St. Germain in a cocktail is considered a bit passe — almost cheating, depending on…
Review: GlenDronach Port Wood, Plus Cask Bottlings Batch 18 – 1993, 1994, 2005, and 2008
GlenDronach is hitting the market with a new full-time expression as well as four new expressions from its single cask Cask Bottlings line, denoted as Batch 18. Up first we have GlenDronach Port Wood, which should be self-explanatory (though more details follow below). The four bottlings from the Cask Bottlings Batch 18 line are all…
Review: Highland Brewing High Pines Imperial IPA
When you’re in the mood for a big and boozy IPA that’s full of classic, resinous and piney hop character, Highland Brewing’s High Pines will fit the bill. The beer, which recently joined Highland’s year-round lineup, is brewed with Mosaic, Simcoe, Centennial, and Comet hops, giving the beer a distinctly West Coast character. Notes of…
Tasting Virginia’s Best Wines, 2020 Releases
Our previous coverage of Virginia’s 2019 Governor’s Cup Gold Medalists — the best wines from the state’s annual competition — was so much fun that the state’s wine board offered us the chance to do it again, tasting the 12 winners from 2020’s competition, which was only recently concluded. Let’s dive in and see how…
Review: Puncher’s Chance Bourbon
Puncher’s Chance is a Kentucky straight bourbon from Eugene, Oregon’s Wolf Spirit Distillery, best known here for its Blood x Sweat x Tears Vodka. It’s obviously a sourced product — from Kentucky, not MGP — and it’s bottled with no age statement, though I’ve read it’s a blend of whiskeys 4 to 6 years old.…
Review: Gordon & McPhail Glenburgie 21 Years Old
Glenburgie is not a name widely recognized in America. It does not carry a celebrity endorsement or acclaim from the mass market, and it only makes occasional appearances on menus of the most specialized whisky bars. But this Pernod Ricard distillery remains a critical component to the mega-conglomerate Ballantine’s blend and therefore produces a considerable…
Review: 2015 Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva Vecchie Viti Chianti Rufina
The 2015 bottling of this wine is drier than the 2011, its cherry-fueled core tempered by a heavy tea leaf, bay leaf, and gentle oregano notes. Drying and almost astringent on the finish, this well-aged Chianti feels like it still has one foot planted firmly in the earth, dusty and tight with a hint of…
Review: La Adelita Tequila Black Cristalino
Several tequila distillers are lobbying to have cristaliño added to the four existing official tequila categories. A cristalino is an añejo or extra añejo tequila that after aging has been filtered to have color but not flavor removed, producing a spirit that is clear, but with all the flavor that the tequila has picked up…
