Review: Wines of Aster, 2024 Releases
Bodegas Áster is a sub-brand of La Rioja Alta, focusing on offerings born in the Ribera del Duero region. These include the more traditionally styled Finca El Otero 2019 and the brand new contemporary El Espino 2020. An entry-level Crianza bottling is thrown in for good measure to round out the trio. All three wines…
Review: Diageo Orphan Barrel Project Indigo’s Hour Bourbon 18 Years Old
Diageo’s Orphan Barrel Project rolls right along with a return to familiar grounds: namely, three bourbon-making regions of the United States. Specifically, the whiskey in this bottle starts as a mash of 68% corn, 28% rye, and 4% malted barley. Distilled in Indiana, it aged 18 years in Kentucky, and was ultimately bottled by Cascade…
Rose Wine Roundup, 2024 Releases
The weather is getting warmer and it’s almost time to head to the pool. That means it’s time to pour some rosé! To be honest though, rosés can and should be enjoyed throughout the year. Once upon a time, rosés were overly sweet and disappointingly one-dimensional, but those days are long gone. Today, rosés are…
Review: Keeper’s Heart Irish + Bourbon Cask Strength and Single Malt 10 Years Old
Time to round out our Keeper’s Heart coverage with the final two offerings in their core portfolio. Last year, we had the chance to chat about the young Irish and American whiskey mashup brand with industry icon David Perkins, who serves as Liquid Collaborator and Advisor. Perkins had high praise in our interview for a…
Review: Ten To One Five Origin Select Rum
Ten To One has been doing great things with its rum blending efforts, and its latest release is a permanent addition to the lineup instead of a limited one-off. Five Origin Select includes — you guessed it — give different rums from Trinidad, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica, plus one special addition: An 11-…
Review: Spirits of French Lick Psyche Smoked Gin (Plus Interview)
For the better part of the last decade, Spirits of French Lick in southern Indiana has been under the distilling leadership of Alan Bishop. During this span, SOFL has come to be known for innovative spirits and thinking outside of the proverbial box. However, in April 2024, Alan Bishop announced his departure for an upstart…
Review: Found North First Date Canadian Whisky
The poet Justin Timberlake once quipped “What goes around comes around.” Early American whiskey culture revolved around rye and bourbon. However, the long thirst from 1920 to 1933 began a shift in American drinking habits. Legitimate and well-aged bourbon and rye were harder to come by during Prohibition. Lighter whiskies smuggled in from Canada and…
Review: Milam & Greene Bottled in Bond Bourbon
Well, would ya look at that? Our pals at Milam & Greene have released their first bonded whiskey, a permanent addition to the portfolio that is distilled in Bardstown, Kentucky (this one in Autumn 2019), aged in #4 char barrels in Kentucky, then bottled in Blanco, Texas (just a few months ago for this first…
