Tasting the Wines of Carinena, Spain, 2020 Releases
Cariñena can be found in northeast Spain, about midway between Midrid and Barcelona. One of the oldest operating wine regions in the world, the region is considered the origin of the carignan grape, hence its name. (In Spain, however, carignan is more commonly known as mazuelo.) That said, a whole lot of wine varieties are…
Review: Balcones “1” Peated and Rumble Cask Reserve (2019)
Waco-based Balcones recently dropped two special releases, both twists on two of its mainline whiskeys — “1” Single Malt and Rumble. “1” Peated is, as the name suggests, a peated version of the “1” Single Malt. Rumble Cask Reserve is an update/rebranding of Rumble, completely revamped and bottled at cask strength. Let’s dig in. Balcones…
Review: Stella Artois Midnight Lager
The venerable Stella Artois recently put out a limited-edition winter seasonal: Midnight Lager, described as “a black lager with notes of Belgian dark chocolate and freshly brewed espresso.” (It isn’t brewed with any of these things, though — just dark malts to give it an inky brown color.) And… it’s fine. It’s a lager at…
Review: Dry Fly Distilling Straight Wheat Whiskey Finished in a Beer Barrel
It’s been several years since we last checked in with Washington-based Dry Fly Distilling, but we’re finally back with a look at a whiskey from its new Cask & Release Series, which involves partnerships with breweries to finish its whiskey in shared barrels. First up is this offering, a wheat whiskey finished in barrels from…
Review: 2018 Lucky Rock Pinot Noir County Cuvee
Last year’s County Cuvee from Lucky Rock was a marvelous pinot noir at a stellar price, and now the winery is back again with its 2018 vintage release. This year’s vineyard breakdown is 42% White Sage and Grava Ranch Vineyards (Monterey), 39% Vista Verde Vineyard (San Benito), and 19% Morelli Lane Vineyard (Sonoma). Once again,…
Review: Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon – Limited Edition (2019)
The annual release of the cask strength version of Angel’s Envy bourbon has arrived, and (as seemingly always) we’re a bit late in getting our review up. As always, this is Angel’s Envy Bourbon Finished in Port Barrels, but released uncut and at full strength. Otherwise it’s the same whiskey you’ll find in the standard…
Review: Stoll & Wolfe Rosen White Rye Whiskey
Lancaster, Pennsylvania is best known as the heart of Amish country, but it’s also the home of Stoll & Wolfe, a rising craft whiskey producer making spirits out of Rosen rye, a heritage varietal that’s being revived. Dick Stoll was the last distiller at Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania-based Michter’s Distillery — the original location before it abruptly…
Review: Underground Herbal Spirit
We’re taking another spin with Utah-based Ogden’s Own Distillery and looking at perhaps its most intriguing product, an herbal amaro called Underground. The nose immediately evokes a likable, Jagermeister-like elements of raisins, mulling spices, cardamom, and a significant licorice character. The palate continues the theme, pouring on the licorice and giving it a spin via…
