Pairing Talisker and Oysters at Home with Real Oyster Cult
A common scene at food-centric events (back when we got to go to food events) would frequently be the Talisker booth, where one busy guy would be tasked with shucking oysters and dousing them with a splash of Talisker whisky to be fed to the faithful. It’s a fun combination — moderately peaty Scotch with…
Review: Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon (2021)
Blanton’s was one of the first whiskey reviews to grace the digital pages of Drinkhacker way back in 2007. Even then it was already held in high regard, but in recent years its popularity has skyrocketed like so many bourbons coming out of Frankfort (where Buffalo Trace Distillery is located, for the uninitiated). Master Distiller…
Review: Rootstock Spirits Applejack 5 Years Old
Rootstock Spirits is a craft distillery in western New York that focuses on the many fruits grown in this region, especially apples. One of the specialities of the operation is, of course, applejack. This bottling is a 5 year old expression (the black label in the photo above), which is an upgrade over the distillery’s…
Review: Rod & Hammer’s SLO Stills Distiller’s Reserve Rye Whiskey
The SLO in Rod & Hammer’s SLO Stills Rye isn’t a typo, it’s a (widely used) acronym for San Luis Obispo, the anchor city in California’s Paso Robles region. The produces four different whiskeys — two ryes and two bourbons; today we’re looking at its Distiller’s Reserve Rye, which is distilled from a mash of…
Review: 2020 Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough
Whitehaven’s 2020 sauvignon blanc at last tempers the brash character we’ve seen in recent years and provides a more balanced if straightforward expression of New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Plump with pineapple but crisp with lemony acidity, it settles into a groove that evokes chewy, slightly funky guava on the finish. Nothing here will blow your…
Review: Bombay Bramble Flavored Gin
Bombay Bramble is Bombay Sapphire‘s first new expression 10 years (since the launch of Bombay Sapphire East in 2011). It’s also the most unorthodox gin to come out of Bombay, a red-hued spirit flavored with “the essence of fresh blackberries and raspberries harvested at their ripest moment.” For the most part, that’s not hyperbole: The…
Review: Dignified Single Malt Whiskey
South Mountain Distillery is located in the South Mountains of North Carolina, where generations of Smiths have lived since the 1700s. The Smiths claim a long history of distilling spirits that dates back to the Gold Rush of the mid 1800s, including operation during the Prohibition era. They still distill whiskey and rum, although they…
Review: Swilled Dog Bourbons and Rye
Launched in 2016, Swilled Dog is a family-owned cider and spirits company based out of West Virginia. What started as a family basement operation has since grown into an independent cidery and tasting room in Upper Tract, WV, where they offer everything from tastings to craft exhibitions and a regular series of “Yoga & Cider”…
