Review: 2018 Talbott Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Block 50 South
A block selection of chardonnay from Talbott’s Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands, this is a prime example of California chardonnay at the height of its game. A rich vein of brown butter, applesauce, and sweet vanilla kicks things off, but the expected unctuousness and thick oak notes never materialize. Instead, the wine…
Review: Town Branch Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey Cask Strength
It has been seven years since having the opportunity to review Town Branch’s underwhelming bourbon offering. Making a return visit to reassess quality over time was always intended but never panned out. Four years later, Christopher reviewed the Town Branch Single Malt and was genuinely impressed with its overall quality and value, an assessment with…
Review: Graverobber Unholy Maple Syrup Flavored Rye
Whoops: Graverobber Unholy Rye, from New Hampshire-based Tamworth Distilling, is intended as an annual autumn release, and here it is, February! That’s on us, but all the same here’s a look at this flavored rye (distilled here, not sourced), which is “infused with maple syrup tapped from graveside maple trees.” Maple-flavored whiskey is great, but…
Review: Castle & Key Restoration Rye – Batch 1 & 2
It is finally here. After numerous stop-starts, years of restoration, courtroom battles, personnel changes, delicious gins, waiting for the barrels to age with great patience, and lord knows what else to which the public is unaware, we have whiskey from Castle & Key. For those not watching along at home, allow us to catch you…
Recipe: The Mr. Mancini
I’m always on the lookout for a new Manhattan recipe, and I love to experiment with all of the different amari that have started flooding our shores in recent years. Recently, I stumbled on a version of this cocktail, dubbed The Mancini, that was created by Greg Seider and named for a friend of his…
Preview: Green River Bourbon (Almost) 4 Years Old
Owensboro, Kentucky’s O.Z. Tyler Distillery, which got started producing spirits in 2016, is returning to the original name of the distillery that houses its operations: Green River Distilling Co., a brand which was originally founded in 1885 by John W. McCulloch, and was apparently a big deal back in the day. “Green River was known…
Review: Jacob’s Pardon American Whiskey #1 and Single Barrels 15 Years Old
The folks at Taub Family Selections (well known for their wine imports) know that stories sell booze, and this one has a doozy: Marc Taub’s great uncle Jacob Taub (and brother Abner) were bootleggers in the Prohibition era, and eventually went to prison for the crime. Six long years later, Jacob and Abner were formally…
Review: Wines of The Prisoner, Late 2020 Releases
The Prisoner — it’s not just for zinfandel any more, folks. Here’s a look at three new wines from The Prisoner label, only one of which has any zin in it, but all of which share a familiar name. 2019 The Prisoner Chardonnay Carneros – Made with the addition of Roussanne and Gewürztraminer. This wine…
