Review: Port Askaig 18 Years Old
The latest whisky from Port Askaig — the independent bottler that specializes exclusively in the whiskies of Islay — is an 18 year old expression from an undisclosed distillery. The single cask release was aged in a bourbon cask and yielded just 250 bottles. Considerable peat on the nose quickly blows off to reveal a…
Book Review: American Spirit: Wild Turkey Bourbon from Ripy to Russell
There are lots of whiskey books out there. I think I saw an entire shelf full on my last visit to a bookstore. Despite that abundance, it’s hard to find a brand-specific book that drills down into the history of a particular distillery. David Jennings’s new tome, American Spirit: Wild Turkey Bourbon from Ripy to…
Review: Acre Mezcal Cenizo Joven
Brand new operation Acre Mezcal — you’ll know it by the large “A” on the top of the twine-wrapped bottle — is an up and coming producer of the smoky, Mexican spirit. It makes four varieties of mezcal, all unaged/joven, each made from a different species of agave. Cenizo is a wild agave grown in…
Review: BenRiach Peated Cask Strength Batch 2
Drawing on this expression’s title alone, the keywords “peated” and “cask strength” promise a good time, even without the addition of an age statement. This second batch in BenRiach’s Peated Cask Strength series was matured in bourbon barrels and oloroso sherry casks, blended together by BenRiach’s master blender Rachel Barrie. The nose is just as…
The Best Peach Liqueur Roundup – Mathilde, Rothman & Winter, Merlet, and Pallini
Like all fruit liqueurs, peach liqueur is a tricky thing. Done right, a splash can liven up a cocktail with a burst of authentic fruit flavor. Done wrong, it can come across as cloying and saccharine, all but ruining the beverage. Peach liqueur (which is not the same thing as peach schnapps or peach brandy)…
Original Recipe: The Daddy Mack Cocktail
Since we can’t be together in person this year, I designed this cocktail for my father’s birthday, a riff on a French 75 that’s built around Jack Daniel’s, of which my dad — Daddy Mack to his grandkids — is an avowed fan. Happy birthday! The Daddy Mack 1 1/2 oz Jack Daniel’s Old No.…
Review: Alexander Murray & Co. Braes of Glenlivet 23 Years Old and Clynelish 14 Years Old
At the beginning of 2020, spirits mega-chain Total Wine offered up a range of single cask un-chillfiltered expressions at their stores, in partnership with independent bottler Alexander Murray & Co. Two made their way down to my local shop and were purchased immediately. Alexander Murray & Co. Braes of Glenlivet Single Cask 23 Years Old…
Review: Chairman’s Reserve Original Rum and Spiced Rum (2020)
Two years ago we took our first foray into Saint Lucia’s Chairman’s Reserve brand. Today we have another round with the Chairman, including both the mainline “Original” as well as the brand’s spiced rum. Both are 80 proof. Chairman’s Reserve Original Rum (2020) – This is a blend of column and pot still rum, average…
