Review: Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition
Ready for the “ultimate expression of American whiskey?” Woodford Reserve recently dropped a surprise bottling called Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition. What’s in the bottle? Standard Woodford that spends three extra years in XO Cognac casks. Of course, the name of the spirit comes from the bottle it’s in, a handmade Baccarat crystal decanter. Per the…
Review: Rebel Distiller’s Collection Single Barrel Bourbon from Virginia ABC
We first encountered Lux Row’s new Distiller’s Collection private barrel offerings last month when we reviewed the Virginia ABC’s Ezra Brooks Single Barrel bourbon selection. Well, here’s another bourbon offering in the collection, and this one’s a wheater. Dubbed simply Rebel, this barrel was selected from Lux Row’s wheated bourbon stocks typically reserved for…
Review: 10 Barrel Brewing Smash and Clean Line Mango
Looking for something lighter? Try these libations from Bend, Oregon’s 10 Barrel — a fruit-heavy beer and a hard seltzer. 10 Barrel Brewing Smash – A slightly sour wheat ale, this passionfruit-infused beer hits up front with a big lemon note before it settles into a sweeter groove, with tropical elements in the mix. As…
Review: Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 14 Years Old Fall 2020 Edition
Old Fitzgerald’s second release of its Bottled-in-Bond series for 2020 is a 14 year old bottling, distilled in 2005. As always, this is a 100 proof expression made from a wheated mashbill. Let’s give it a taste and see how it commits itself. Spoiler: Very nicely. There’s an immediate softness here that will be familiar…
Review: 2019 Campo Viejo The Red Blend
Campo Viejo is one of the best-known wineries of Rioja, and this year it’s launching a new concept, a wine blended from three grapes — Tempranillo, Garnacha and Bobal — suitably known as The Red Blend. Let’s see how it fares. Inky purple and completely opaque, this wine takes everything that’s beautiful about Rioja and…
Review: Mount Gay Master Blender Selection – The Port Cask Expression
For everyone keeping track at home, we’re now on the third release of Mount Gay’s Master Blender Collection. They kicked things off in 2018 with an excessively unusual Islay whisky cask-finished rum but reverted to the more traditional in 2019 with a less adventurous, but rather tasty, all pot-still offering. The 2019 release was the…
Review: Angostura Cocoa Bitters
Although Angostura makes a line of orange bitters, it’s best known for its iconic, eponymous aromatic bitters, a paper-wrapped bottle which no bar should be without. Now the Angostura bitters line expands to a whopping 3 expressions, with the launch of Angostura Cocoa Bitters. These bitters are made with Trinitario cocoa which is grown on…
Review: Schloss Johannisberg 2016 Grunlack and 2018 Silberlack
Schloss Johannisberg, based in Germany’s Rheingau region, lays claim to being the first riesling winery in the world, established in 817, over 1200 years ago. Which is a long time ago. The wines reviewed here are 100% single-vineyard riesling from Johannisberg’s estate vineyards. Let’s give them a whirl! 2016 Schloss Johannisberg Grunlack Riesling Spatlese – A…
