Review: 2018 Apothic “Cab” Cabernet Sauvignon California
Apothic is known for its aggressively flavorful, low-price red blends, and now it’s making its way into varietal wines for the first time, with a 2018 cabernet sauvignon. Alas, the wine is unapproachable from any angle, a ballbuster of a wine that is unctuous with notes of cheap candy, way-overripe berries, and Russell Stover-class milk…
Review: Wines of Mt. Beautiful, 2020 Releases
Mt. Beautiful is one of the most visible, high-end wineries in New Zealand, and to prove its mettle, the operation recently sent a whopping nine bottlings our way — essentially all of its current releases. Let’s dig in. 2019 Mt. Beautiful Rose North Canterbury – Made from pinot noir and pinot gris. Fruit-forward with a…
How to Get a Broken Cork Out of a Bottle
The corks in spirit bottles rarely break, but when they do it’s a catastrophe. Little bits of cork can’t be left floating in your $300 bottle of whiskey for months. The particles will slowly disintegrate over time and will ruin the flavor of the spirit. So, if a cork breaks in a bottle, what do…
Review: 10 Barrel Brewing Snake Run Double IPA
We just checked out some new offerings from Bend, Oregon’s 10 Barrel Brewing, but we’re already back with a follow-up: a limited edition double IPA called Snake Run. I’m not finding any info on the hops used, but it drinks like the classics: Boldly piney with a strong vein of citrus, hoppy but not dank,…
Review: Crown Royal Salted Caramel
Crown Royal has been churning out flavored expressions in recent years, and this might be its most decadent to date: Crown Royal Canadian whisky blended with salted caramel flavoring. As with other flavored expressions of Crown Royal, the guy in charge of doctoring the whisky has certainly done so with a heavy hand. The nose…
Review: Tenjaku Blended Whisky
The popularity of Japanese whisky continues to grow unbounded, and as prices skyrocket we’re seeing numerous new players jump into the game — generally releasing younger spirits at lower prices (but with prominent Kanji script on the label). The latest of these is Tenjaku, a mystery blend — of both single malt and corn-heavy grain…
Review: Korbel California Brandy
Korbel California Brandy — made right here and aged a mere 2 years in oak barrels — is hardly the elevated brandy experience Cognac drinkers have become accustomed to, which is why this is usually sold in two sizes: 200ml and 1.75 liters, the latter of which will run you a mere 20 bucks. It’s…
Review: Wines of Oregon, 2020 Releases
A recent roadshow brought dozens of Oregon wineries to San Francisco to show off their recent wares — lots of pinot noir, and a smattering of white wine styles, namely. It’s especially interesting to see Oregon shift its reds to bolder, more aggressive and deeply extracted wines; it feels like alcohol levels are creeping upward,…
