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…
Review: Rhum J.M VO
We’re filling out our coverage of Martinique’s Rhum J.M line, finally looking at an oddity called Rhum J.M VO. The hitch: It’s aged for 3 years in toasted new American oak barrels rather than used bourbon barrels, which are the norm. The result is a rather sharp and heavy rum, at least on the nose,…
Review: 2017 Opolo Mountain Zinfandel Paso Robles
This Paso-born wine is more zin than zin, a boldly fruited wine that pours on notes of black currants, ripe raisins, and a skin of milk chocolate that feels like a touch of Hershey’s syrup is slowly dripping into the glass. An iconic example of the wine, the bruisingly high alcohol product (15.9% abv) is…
Review: Coalition Rye Barrel Proof
Coalition Rye is a spanking new brand from Kentucky Artisan Distillers (KAD) in Crestwood, Kentucky. You may know KAD as the spiritual home of Jefferson’s Bourbon, although to date only special finishes and wood experiments occur there while the whiskey used in Jefferson’s releases is distilled elsewhere. KAD does distill inhouse, however, and the Coalition…
Review: Earth Echo Cacao Bliss
Whipping up a hot chocolate or chocolate milk (spiked or otherwise)? Give Earth Echo’s Cacao Bliss a look. Rather than relying on processed cocoa powder, the base of this product is raw cacao which has been infused with 9 additional ingredients all designed to improve your overall health. Those include: turmeric, black pepper, MCT powder,…
Review: The Tyrconnell Single Malt Irish Whiskey 10 Years Old – Port Cask and Sherry Cask
Two new products from Ireland’s Tyrconnell are here, both single malts, both 10 years old, and both finished for 6 to 8 months in wine casks — one Port, one Sherry. Let’s give them a whirl. Both are 92 proof. The Tyrconnell Port Cask Finish 10 Years Old – It’s a bit muddy on the…
Review: Frey Ranch Single Barrel Bourbon Barrel #22
Nevada-based Frey Ranch recently jumped into the single barrel business, offering — you guessed it — single barrel expressions of its top shelf craft bourbon, all bottled at cask strength — which is prodigious. It’s the same stock as Frey Ranch Bourbon — 66.6% non-GMO corn, 11.4% winter cereal rye, 10% winter wheat, and 12%…
