Review: Troegs Joyous IPA
Tröegs’ latest installment in its Hop Cycle lineup of seasonally rotating IPAs is Joyous, made from a a yeast strain called Hothead Kveik and hopped with Citra, Sabro and Azacca hops. Per Troegs: “Joyous is the first Hop Cycle beer to emerge from Tröegs’ Scratch Lab, a new 3-barrel BrauKon nano brewhouse designed to replicate…
Review: Barrell Bourbon Batch 26 and Batch 27
It seems like it never takes long for Barrell Bourbon to come out with more batches. Thankfully, the overall quality in these releases makes them always something I look forward to sampling. We received samples of Batch 26 and Batch 27 for review. Batch 28, the first release for 2021, has already hit shelves, so…
Review: Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon – Limited Edition (2020)
The annual Cask Strength release of Angel’s Envy bourbon came and went last fall, but it took us a bit to run down a sample. Apologies for our tardiness, but if you’re a fan of this one, you already know it’s best to buy this bottle if and when you see it because it seldom…
Review: Torabhaig Legacy 1 2017
Opened on January 1, 2017, Torabhaig is the first new distillery on the Isle of Skye (where Talisker is the main offering) in nearly 200 years. The distillery is part of the Mossburn mini-empire, which much like an American craft producer, started as a blender of other people’s whisky — from all over Scotland —…
Recipe: The Earl’s Bourbon Cocktail
For the bourbon cocktail connoisseur, life is often about searching for the perfect Old Fashioned. Of course, it’s an impossible task, as there are too many delicious bourbon expressions and twists on the classic cocktail formulation to find a singular “perfect” glass. (Though in this instance, the journey is just as fun as the destination.)…
Review: Firestone Walker XXIV Anniversary Ale
Last fall, Firestone Walker released its 15th anniversary ale, somewhat confusingly dubbed XXIV because they actually started celebrating at X with the 10th anniversary. Anyway, as with all past celebratory ales, this one is a blend of various Proprietor’s Vintage offerings created with the help of some of their winemaker friends in California. Safe to…
How Long Does Vermouth Last?
Reader Evan asks (in a nutshell): Does vermouth go bad? Grab that bottle of vermouth that’s been sitting open in your liquor cabinet for a year and take a sip. Yeah, it goes bad. Real bad. Vermouth is basically just wine, after all. But how long does it last after you open it? Conventional wisdom…
Review: Laphroaig 30 Years Old – The Ian Hunter Story, Book Two: Building an Icon (2021)
The second release — or book, I guess — in Laphroaig’s collectable Ian Hunter Story series has arrived. Like the 2019 Book One, it’s a 30 year old whisky, though this one is completely aged in oloroso sherry casks instead of bourbon. Here’s the short of it: In over a decade of tasting at least…
