Review: Wheel Horse Rye Batch 1
Wheel Horse is a sourced whiskey distilled at Kentucky’s O.Z. Tyler — and in fact it’s the first rye (95% rye, 5% malted barley) to come out of O.Z. (and its forebears) since the company was founded. The bottler is Ocean State Distillers, based in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. The whiskey itself carries no age statement…
Review: 2019 Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva
This year Veramonte has rolled out a new look for its wines. As well, after making a bug push into organic farming over the last 8 years, it’s moving many of its vineyards to biodynamic practices. This simple and bargain-priced wine — now billed as a Reserva — is one of the Chilean operation’s flagship…
Review: Quarantine Vodka
Our friends at Flaviar and Caskers are known for their limited edition whiskey, rum, and even brandy releases, and with Quarantine, the company is moving into the vodkaverse. It’s made in San Diego and distilled six times, but otherwise details are scant. If you want to get down to it, the most distinctive aspect of…
Review: 21st Amendment Tropical Sparkale
Brewed with pineapple, coconut, and apple, Tropical Sparkale is the latest in a long line of fruit-centric beers from San Francisco-based 21st Amendment. This one’s billed merely as a “sparkling beer,” and is crafted to reduce both alcohol and gluten. And hey, I hope you like fruit. This is a monster full of coconut and…
Review: Gran Centenario Plata Tequila (2020)
The last time we encountered Gran Centenario’s Plata tequila was way back in 2008! Has 12 years changed anything about this unique joven-esque tequila, which spends a short 28 days in French Limousin oak barrels before bottling (and rendering it a very pale yellow in color)? (One thing that’s changed is the price, driven down…
Review: Ciroc Summer Watermelon Vodka
Ciroc has been making a play for the tropical fruit vodka market, with an enjoyable Mango Vodka and now a re-release of its Summer Watermelon vodka. Calling it a Limited Edition maybe adds a little cachet to what could otherwise be just another flavored vodka, but it does mean that when it’s gone, it’s gone……
Review: Four Gate Bourbon Batch 6 The Kelvin Collaboration II
We only recently had our first round with Four Gate Whiskey Company, a custom blending operation in Louisville. We’re skipping ahead here from batch 4 of its unique bourbons to batch 6, which is in turn an update from its inaugural batch 1. (Not reviewed here, alas.) Like batch 1, the whiskey is made from…
Review: Black Stallion 2018 Heritage Chardonnay and 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Gaspare Vineyard
Here’s a yin-yang of wines from Napa’s Black Stallion Winery, a low-end chardonnay alongside one of its vineyard designate cabernets. 2018 Black Stallion Heritage Chardonnay Napa Valley – This is Black Stallion’s entry level chardonnay, and if you’re a fan of oak, well, you’ll love it. The overwhelmingly buttery wine features a heavy extraction of…
