Review: 2021 Daou Soul of a Lion Cabernet Sauvignon Adelaida District
While Daou‘s lineup is increasingly ubiquitous (we just bought a half bottle of Daou Chardonnay on a recent no-frills Allegiant Airlines flight), it’s still cranking out ultra high-end wines at the top end. Soul of a Lion is its most luxe offering, and we recently sampled the new 2021 vintage release. Dense but soulful, this…
Review: Copperworks Single Malt Releases 049, 050, and Cask 22-2
Bourbon and rye whiskey have had defined standards of identity for decades. However, as of this moment, the Federal government has not yet officially established standards of identity for American single malt whiskey. After years of debate, the Federal Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB) formally introduced a proposal to make the American single malt…
Review: Tin City Distillery Flavored Vodkas and Wine Shine Brandy Manhattan
Tin City can be found in Paso Robles, California. While the region is known for its wine production, there’s a thriving craft distilling scene here, too. The operation makes a huge range of products, including whiskey, gin, liqueurs, and ready-to-drink offerings, but it’s a pair of flavored vodkas (made from a corn distillate) that we’re…
Review: Wines of Wine by Joe, 2024 Releases
Wines by Joe is a second label for Dobbes Family Wines — Joe being Joe Dobbes. These are Oregon-based wines from all over the state — and nothing in the mix priced above 20 bucks. We received a trio of wines from the current vintage for review. Thoughts follow. 2022 Wine by Joe Pinot Blanc…
Review: Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin
Empress 1908, the famously fluorescent blue gin colored with butterfly pea blossoms, added a pink companion to its solo lineup last year with the introduction of Elderflower Rose, an expression colored with rose and black carrot that we’ve yet to sample. Now, Victoria Distillers is releasing a third Empress offering, Cucumber Lemon. This one is,…
Review: 2020 Brancaia Il Blu Toscana IGT
Il Blu — denoted by its blue label — is the wine that “put Brancaia on the map.” One would hope so, as it’s the Tuscan winery’s most expensive offering, a super-Tuscan blend of 80% Merlot and 10% each Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon which spends 20 months aging in French oak. Bracing tannins offer a…
Review: High N’ Wicked Bourbon and Rye (2024)
We first encountered Wyoming-based High N’ Wicked with one of its one-off releases back in 2021 — and there have been plenty more where that came from. Today we’re taking a step back and looking at the brand’s two flagship whiskeys — a bourbon and a rye, both sourced (but from different locales). We’ve got…
Review: Austin Eastciders Rico Tepache
I’d imagine anyone that likes hard cider, or alcohol, or has simply been into a gas station, grocery, or bodega in the last decade has at least a passing familiarity with Austin Eastciders’ branding (and font), if not their product. The stuff is everywhere. Given its ubiquity I was surprised to find that, 30-something releases…
