Review: Lagunitas Sucks (2020) and Born Yesterday Pale Ale 2020
Lagunitas’s late 2020 seasonal beers are here, and we drank them. Lagunitas Sucks (2020) – An old seasonal reissued in honor of 2020, this dry-hopped double IPA is made with four types of cereal grains — barley, oats, wheat, and rye. It’s creamy and immersive, punchy with bitterness but never overdone. Instead it lets the…
Review: Lost Lantern American Vatted Malt Edition No. 1
What do you get when you put a former Whisky Advocate writer and an Astor Wine & Spirits sales manager together? Why, a blend of American single malt whiskies all vatted together and released as a wildly unique experience. Inspired by Scotland’s independent bottlers, Adam Polonski and Nora Ganley-Roper are releasing Lost Lantern as a series of…
Review: 2017 Archery Summit Vireton Pinot Gris Willamette Valley
This Oregon pinot gris is whole-cluster pressed, which really brings out the wine’s substantial and exotic fruit elements. Boldly floral with notes of orange blossoms, the flowery notes nicely complement elements of red apple and melon — before a curious tropical character emerges. Archery Summit’s tasting notes peg this as guava, and they’re dead on…
Review: Wonderland Blend of Straight Whiskeys
Wonderland Distilling can be found in Muskegon, Michigan, and recently it dropped its very first product, a Blend of Straight Whiskeys. Not much is known about the source of these whiskeys — they appear to be distilled on site, and at the very least are distilled in Michigan — but we do know what’s in…
Review: Dow’s Tawny Port 10 Years Old and 20 Years Old (2020)
It’s only been a year since we looked at Dow’s two entry-level Tawny Port releases, one a 10 year old and one a 20 year old. We just got fresh bottles of each, so let’s take a spin back into these expressions to see what, if anything, has changed. Dow’s Tawny Port 10 Years Old…
Review: Teremana Tequila – Blanco and Reposado
2020 has seen a raft of celebrity-branded wines and spirits, but none is arguably bigger than Teremana, which is backed by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Teremana is a pot-distilled spirit made with 100% Highlands agave. It’s currently available in blanco and reposado expressions; no anejo at this time. We received both for review. Let’s drink…
Review: 2018 Scheid Family Wines VDR
VDR stands for Very Dark Red, and the name is no lie. This Monterey County-born blend, dominated by Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot, is an opaque enigma in the glass, described unapologetically as “one-of-a-kind, over-the-top, and full-bodied.” There’s no exaggeration on any of those fronts. This intense monster hits the palate with a rush of…
Review: 2017 Seven Hills Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon SHW Founding Vineyard
Here’s a look at two hearty, winter-friendly reds from Washington’s Seven Hills Winery. 2017 Seven Hills Merlot Walla Walla Valley – A tad on the bitter side but otherwise approachable, this merlot is a bit more austere than expected, with a relatively unripe plum core, notes of blackberry, and dried flowers. The finish dries up…
