Review: Oak Farm 2017 Barbera and 2018 Tievoli
You’ll find Oak Farm Vineyards in the sleepy area known as California’s Lodi region. While Lodi is virtually synonymous with zinfandel, Oak Farm also produces an unusual varietal for this region: Barbera. Let’s take a look at it, plus a zin blend. 2017 Oak Farm Barbera Lodi – This estate-grown barbera is sweeter than expected,…
Review: Old Overholt Straight Rye and Bottled-in-Bond Rye (2020)
One of the most venerable names in rye whiskey has received a major refresh: Old Overholt has been rebranded, relabeled, and reproofed, now hitting 86 proof instead of 80, as it has been for years. Per the company, “Bottles will now feature a grumpier likeness of our creator Abe Overholt, a red cap like the…
Recipe: Lake George
I don’t know about you, but winter has always been Rusty Nail season for me. I like my whiskey cocktails year-round, but colder weather seams to require a less high-toned or excessively herbal concoction. To that end, it’s hard to beat the sweet and soothing simplicity of a good Scotch and some Drambuie. The classics,…
Review: 2017 Luce della Vite Lucente
Luce’s second wine — a blend of sangiovese and merlot — remains a knockout for the price. The Tuscan offering is bittersweet but balanced for 2017, and the wine offers notes of cranberry and black cherry up front, filtered through hints of tea leaf, cola, and white pepper. Some licorice emerges on the finish, as…
Review: Pappy Van Winkle Bourbons – 15, 20, and 23 Years Old (2020)
In 2020, a review of the Van Winkle lineup is mildly comical: opinions or fanfare surrounding one of the spirit world’s largest cult of personalities will absolutely not be swayed with any velocity or traction, and will likely be met with a curiosity and a shrug before clicking onwards. But seeing as we recently reviewed…
Review: 2018 Cameron Hughes Lot 729, Lot 735, and Lot 730
A trio of new Cameron Hughes releases, all California reds from the 2018 vintage: 2018 Cameron Hughes Lot 729 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley – Tart with notes of cranberry and red raspberry, this is gentler than the typical Russian River pinot, and that’s not inherently a bad thing. Some licorice and a layer of…
Review: The Balvenie Tun 1509, Batch 7
The Balvenie’s Tun 1509 series is finally getting its long-awaited seventh release. For those unfamiliar, the series is designed to bring to life master distiller David Stewart’s 58 years of distilling and blending experience “through an expression of exemplary quality and character.” Here’s some detail: To produce Batch 7 of Tun 1509, Stewart continued his…
Review: Rabbit Hole Founder’s Collection Boxergrail Cask Strength Rye (2020)
We’ve been following Louisville’s Rabbit Hole Distillery since they first hit the crowded American whiskey scene a few years back. The original core lineup included a rye whiskey, dubbed Boxergrail, and now a select few barrels (just seven, in fact) have been chosen for bottling as the distillery’s first ultra-rare Founder’s Collection release. The standard…
