Review: Kininvie Single Malt 17 Years Old (Batch 1)
Kininvie Distillery is a small, relatively new distillery owned by William Grant & Sons. In 1990 it opened its doors on the same grounds as The Balvenie with just a stillhouse, and it began producing single malt whisky strictly for William Grant & Sons’ blends (Monkey Shoulder chief among them). In 2010, it briefly closed…
Reivew: Hayseed and Housdon 2018 The 4:19 to Paso and 2016 Warrior
Paso Robles-based Hayseed and Housdon literally pours its wines in a garage on a downtown street here. Sourcing fruit locally and from Edna Valley, we tasted two of the winery’s recent releases. The donates a whopping 50% of its profits to local, SLO-based nonprofits, so hats off for some serious altruism from H&H. Oh yeah,…
Review: Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch A120 (January 2020)
When Heaven Hill’s wheated bourbon Larceny was originally released in 2012, I had a mixed opinion about it. I initially found the whiskey overly wooded and unbalanced, though plenty of fruit helped it showcase its charms. Since then, I’ve retasted Larceny on many occasions and found it more mellow and well-rounded than I initially declared,…
Review: NV South Shore Wine Company Pét-Nat Riesling
Pennsylvania-based South Shore Wine Company makes this Pet-Nat from Riesling, a popular choice for this rustic, sparkling style thanks to its high acidity. Here, the nose immediately evokes oxidized fruit and a sort of Champagne vinegar quality. On the palate, a similarly oxidized character immediately rushes the tongue, with notes of apricot, lemon peel, and…
Review: Sierra Nevada 40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale
Holy crap. Sierra Nevada has been brewing beer for 40 years. 40 years! When they introduced the world to their iconic Pale Ale, the Berlin Wall was still up, music and movies were things you could hold in your hand, and people actually talked to each other. How things have changed, but not Sierra Nevada’s…
Review: Evan Williams Red Label 12 Years Old
Fans of Evan Williams bourbon have lived many years now without much in the way of age statements. In the early 2000s, long before folks were lamenting the loss of age-stated bourbon, Heaven Hill dropped age statements from the line almost completely. Today, you have to look overseas (mostly in Japan) or to the Evan…
Review: The Rum Cooperative Blended Rum Vol. 2
Bully Boy Distillers’ original Rum Cooperative blended rum, released just a few months ago, was a delightful oddity, a mashup of rum sourced from five different countries. Now, Volume 2 has arrived, and it’s also a blend from five nations — only one of which coincides with the quintet from Volume 1. Here’s what you’ll…
Review: Firestone Walker Parabola 2020
In recent years, we’ve reviewed several offerings from Firetsone Walker’s Proprietor’s Vintage Series (Helldorado, Sucaba, Stickee Monkey, and Velvet Merkin among others). There’s been a glaring omission, however, in the absence of their iconic Russian Imperial Stout, Parabola; although we did review the limited release of Napa Parabola last year. We correct that mistake today with…
