Review: 2018 Kara-Tara Pinot Noir Western Cape
This South African pinot noir, from the Western Cape region, is quite light in color, a character which is immediately at odds with the intense, earthy nose, redolent with barnyard notes — even more so than is typical of South African reds. Black pepper emerges ahead of a lightly balsamic finish, which comes across as…
Review: 2018 Escudo Rojo Cabernet Sauvignon and Gran Reserva
Escudo Rojo is a Chilean winery founded by Baron Philippe de Rothschild, based in the country’s Maipo Valley. Cabernet sauvignon and syrah are the focus here, but the winery blends a range of varietals into its Gran Reserva bottling, which is reviewed below alongside its cabernet, both from the 2018 vintage. 2018 Escudo Rojo Cabernet…
Review: Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Drumshanbo is increasingly well-known for its delightful Gunpowder Irish Gin, and now the brand is moving into a spirit more associated with Ireland: Single pot still whiskey. This spirit is very traditionally made with unmalted and malted barley and Irish oats in the mash, triple copper pot distilled, and aged in a combination of Kentucky…
Review: 2018 Tinto Negro Malbec Uco Valley
I didn’t find the 2017 bottling of this wine to be particularly interesting, but the 2018 offers a dramatic reversal. While dry and earthy, with some of the same forest floor notes I encountered in ’17, its notes of licorice, allspice, and clove are just prologue to a finish that finds a lot more room…
Review: Talbott 2017 Chardonnay and 2018 Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard
Here’s a pair of new releases from Monterey, California-based Talbott Vineyards. These both hail from Talbott’s Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands, which encompasses 565 gently sloping acres planted in 1972. 2017 Talbott Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard – Overwhelming with oak, this wine has an almost aggressive focus on the barrel, heavy with a…
Review: Michter’s US-1 Toasted Barrel Finish Rye 2020
This 2020 release of Michter’s Toasted Barrel Rye almost slipped through the cracks here at Drinkhacker, but we’re squeezing it in here before the end of the year. This bottling, in line with all the toasted barrel offerings, is made by taking fully matured Michter’s US-1 Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye at barrel strength and…
Review: Clown Shoes 12 Beers of Christmas 2020
Our friends at Clown Shoes (a subsidiary of Boston’s Harpoon) have dropped a mixed case of brews (a dozen 12 oz cans), featuring 12 different offerings from their collection — including a number of expressions that are exclusive to this case. Here’s a quick look at all of the beers in the holiday pack —…
Alto Adige Review: 2016 Franz Haas Pinot Nero and 2019 Eisacktaler Schiava
Alto Adige, in the north of Italy along the German border, is known for a wide range of white and red wines, and for my money they’ve always come across as wintry in character, which is befitting their place of origin along the rugged Dolomite mountains. Here’s a look at two hearty Alto Adige reds…
