Review: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C920 (September 2020)
The Elijah Craig Barrel Proof should need no introduction, but if you’re just joining us, Batch C920 was bottled in September 2020 at the usual 12 years of age. This bottling, the final of 3 releases for 2020, has been winning raves, but after multiple rounds of tasting it it just never fully gelled with…
Review: JK Williams Gold Zephyr Bourbon and Stormy River Rye
Did you know: Before 1837 and 1919, Peoria, Illinois was home to 73 distilleries and 24 breweries and was known as the Whiskey Capital of the World. Before Prohibition, Peoria paid more liquor tax than anywhere else. JK Williams was a Peoria-based bootlegger of the time, and last year Andy Faris and Stacy Shunk purchased…
Review: Virginia Distillery Journey Cask Collection Caledonia
While their flagship single malt, Courage & Conviction, has understandably taken priority for Virginia Distillery Co., the distillery did manage another, very small release last fall in their Journey Cask Collection, dubbed Caledonia. Caledonia is the third and final offering in the Journey Cask line, a series of single cask single malts that pays homage…
Review: 2017 Frescobaldi Tenuta Perano Chianti Classico DOCG
We reviewed the inaugural vintage of this wine — the 2015 vintage — back in 2019. Now we’re back with another look at Tenuta Perano, a DOCG wine “born on the hills of Gaiole in Chianti from vineyards 500 meters above sea level.” Again, it’s an extremely dry wine, dusted with notes of balsamic that,…
Review: Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Islay Barley 2012 Heavily Peated Islay Single Malt
For a recent Robert Burns night, our friends at Bruichladdich sent a selection of Port Charlotte releases, plus a number of delightful Scottish snacks, to celebrate the Bard of Ayrshire. New amongst the bottlings we received was this 2012 vintage release of Port Charlotte Islay Barley, a heavily peated single malt made 100% from barley…
Review: Guinness Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels (2020) and Imperial Gingerbread Spiced Stout
Guinness is no stranger to taking its stout and aging it in bourbon barrels, and for this winter it has two special editions on tap. Let’s dig in. Guinness Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels (2020) – This is not the same release as 2018’s Guinness Stout Aged in Bulleit Bourbon Barrels, but it’s probably…
Review: Off Hours Bourbon
Off Hours is a new bourbon launched just last year, and I’m not even sure where the company is located. It doesn’t entirely matter, I guess: The company’s eponymous product is a four-year old straight bourbon from MGP. Off Hours is authentically crafted for today’s modern bourbon drinker. It’s made for the moments in between.…
Review: BarBox Ready-to-Drink Craft Cocktails, Complete Lineup
Cocktails in a box have become such a fast-growing category that you wonder how come it took so long to happen. Wine has been available in boxes for decades and has long done away with the myth that boxed wine has to equal cheap wine. Of course it can be cheap, but it can also…
