Review: 2018 Gary Farrell Pinot Noir Russian River Selection
This brightly fruity pinot noir surprises not just with its bold cherry fruit but also cranberry and blueberry notes. Secondary notes of bay leaf, tobacco, and some baking spice offer nuance. But it’s the bold berry fruit that really resonates here, right through to the tart finish. A- / $45 / garyfarrellwinery.com Related posts: Review:…
Review: Bomberger’s Declaration Bourbon and Shenk’s Homestead Whiskey (2020)
The 2020 editions of Bomberger’s and Shenk’s, the duo of annual whiskey releases that make up the Michter’s Legacy Series, arrived briefly on shelves last fall. Each was limited to less than 2000 bottles, so there wasn’t a lot to go around, but we managed to get our hands on samples of each. For both…
Review: Virginia Distillery Courage & Conviction American Single Malt Whisky (Dr. Jim Swan Batch)
Virginia Distillery Co. hit a major milestone with the 2019 release of their long-awaited, house-made single malt, Courage & Conviction. A second release of that single malt, three times bigger than the first, hit shelves in the spring of last year. While the first release was dedicated to the distillery’s late founder, Dr. George G.…
Review: Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch C920 (September 2020)
We’re finally getting around to coverage of the final barrel proof release of Larceny from 2020, which dropped in September. As a reminder, these releases are coming out with roughly the same schedule as Elijah Craig Barrel Proof batches, with a rotating series of cask strength whiskeys hitting up to 4 times a year. Larceny release…
Review: Wines of the Cotes du Rhone, 2020 Releases
The Côtes du Rhône is a sprawling region in France’s Rhone Valley, and it’s actually home to a pair of similar-sounding levels of wine: Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Rhône Villages. The difference can be particularly confusing, because the areas overlap and intersect. The 411 on what you really need to know here is…
Review: Chicken Cock Master Distiller’s Pick Bourbon 15 Years Old
Here’s another special edition from the Chicken Cock gang, drawn from just 10 of the brand’s “best and oldest barrels.” For this 15 year old, Master Distiller Gregg Snyder offers a (sourced) Kentucky bourbon made from a mashbill of 78.5% corn, 13% rye, and 8.5% malted barley. Only 1350 bottles were produced, all at barrel…
Review: Cascade Brewing Contemporary Fashion
Cascade Brewing, located in Portland, Oregon, is not a typical brewery. The first detail to clue you in is a look at their line-up of beers: not one IPA. Heck, not even an amber ale, stout or lager in sight. In fact, I’m hard pressed to find a single beer that neatly falls into one…
Review: Penelope Bourbon Barrel Strength Batch #5 and Rose Cask Finish
Penelope Bourbon continues to crank out expressions of its triple-mashbill, MGP-sourced bourbons as it tweaks its release schedule and experiments with new finishes. Today we look at two new Penelope releases. First is its latest Barrel Strength Bourbon. While these were originally planned as annual releases (see 2019 and 2020 reviews), they’re now coming out…
