Review: Billionaires Row Brandy Cuvee XO
Congrats to all our billionaire readers. Now you have a spirit to call your own: Billionaires Row Brandy, which is a product of France but is neither Cognac nor Armagnac, per the packaging (though it does show up online frequently as the former). Other than knowing it’s French, there’s just not a lot of information…
Book Review: Booze Cruise: A Tour of The World’s Essential Mixed Drinks
Andre Darlington seems to be on quite a roll. The co-author of one of our favorite drinks books from 2020, Booze & Vinyl, returns in 2021 with Booze Cruise: A Tour of The World’s Essential Mixed Drinks, another 200+ page resource designed to help you find the right cocktail for the right occasion. Equal turns…
Review: Benriach 21, 25, and 30 Years Old (2021)
Recently we covered the bold relaunch of Benriach, which ditched its complicated and seemingly ever-changing lineup now that master blender Rachel Barrie is running the show. Benriach originally relaunched with four core expressions — two 10 year olds and two 12 year olds, one unpeated and one peated in each age group. Now the core…
Gift Idea: MistoBox Coffee Subscription
If you’re like me, and most of the rest of planet Earth right now, you’ve been getting lots of things delivered to the house, from booze to baked goods. Subscription services have never been more popular or more practical, offering convenience with a side of safety for the many daily tasks of our pre-Covid lives.…
Review: WM Cadenhead Dufftown-Glenlivet 26 Years Old 1998
Located in Speyside, Dufftown carries more than its fair share of quality distilleries, including some of our favorites: Balvenie, Glenfiddich, and Mortlach. The city claims to produce a more single malt than any other city in Scotland, proudly affixing near the city limits a sign declaring itself “The Whisky Capital of The World.” Far be…
Review: Cool Cat Original Wine Spritzer
Before the holidays, we took a look at the Citrus offering from Cool Cat Wine Spritzers, and now we’re back with the other half of the lineup, Original. Like I mused previously, the name is rather, uh, unoriginal, but I’m hard pressed to come up with a better one given the mix of mint, lime,…
Review: Egan’s Single Malt Irish Whiskey Legacy Reserve Volume III 17 Years Old
Egan’s Irish Whiskey Legacy Reserve line is now an annual incarnation, and in year three it’s gained yet another year of age statement, bringing it up to 17 years old from its original 15. After 17 years in bourbon oak, this year’s finishing is done in French Cadillac AOC casks, which are used to age…
Review: 2015 Center of Effort Chardonnay
Center of Effort is arguably the strangest name for a winery I’ve encountered in 20+ years of writing about wine, but I’m told that the name of the San Luis Obispo-based operation “references a sailing term which is the point on the sail where the forces come together and act as a whole.” Center of…
