Review: Bright Cellars Wine Club
With an overabundance of subscription services of all sorts being delivered to mailboxes and front porches, standing out and earning a loyal customer base in a crowded market can prove challenging to even the most stout-hearted of operations. So it should come as no surprise that the wine world is saturated with services promising to…
Review: 2017 Austrian Reds – Esterhazy Blaufrankisch and Brundlmayer Pinot Noir
Among wine drinkers, Austria is normally associated with gruner veltliner, if it’s associated with anything. But a variety of red wines hail from this country as well, including a few varietals you might have heard of. Here’s a look at a pair of Austrian reds, both from the 2017 vintatge. 2017 Esterhazy Blaufrankisch Austria –…
Review: The Whistler Oloroso Sherry Cask, Imperial Stout Cask, and Calvados Cask
Boann Distillery’s Whistler Irish Whiskey brand is back with three new expressions, all built around particular wood finishes — some expected, some unusual. “The Imperial Stout and Calvados Cask Finishes are annual releases that will be produced in February of each year with limited availability. Currently 3,000 bottles for each of the Imperial Stout and…
Review: Shady Vodka – Recount 2020 Limited Edition
Ft. Lauderdale’s Shady Distillery makes its spirits using a “blend of old world and new world technique along with the best ingredients,” including a vodka distilled from corn and bottled with no additives or sweeteners. This special “Recount 2020” edition ups the proof from 80 to 81, and features a custom label designed to celebrate…
Review: Dry Land Whiskeys and Cactus Spirit
Longmont, Colorado is home to Dry Land Distillers, a true grain-to-glass craft operation “influenced and inspired by Colorado’s landscapes.” “With a focus on single grain 100% wheat whiskeys, prickly pear cactus spirits, native Colorado gin and pure cane sugar rum, Dry Land spirits represent the authentic flavors of the American West,” per the company. Today…
Review: 2017 Benovia Blanc de Blancs Russian River Valley
Just because it’s January doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate. Benovia’s 2017 sparkler is 100% chardonnay, a bright and lively wine that offers a substantial, fizz-focused base against which notes of honeydew melon, tangerine peel, almond, and some coconut all emerge at various points in time. The finish — again, heavy with carbonation, almost racily so…
Review: Bacardi Spiced Rum (2021)
Bacardi Spiced Rum isn’t exactly a new product: Bacardi launched it back in 2011 as Bacardi Oakheart. For whatever reason, the brand is relaunching the product, dropping “Oakheart” and revamping the packaging with a more classical, refined look. It’s still a Puerto Rico-distilled product, aged rum blended with natural flavors and spices — and priced to…
Recipe: Junior
Who doesn’t love a classic daiquiri? And I’m not talking the coconut milkshakes you get at an all-inclusive resort. I mean the original daiquiri, the simple rum, sugar, and lime juice cocktail that helped Hemingway win a Pulitzer. I, for one, really enjoy them, but only when the temperature outside is above 60 and preferably…
