Review: The Funk Heavy Pot Still Rum
You can smell The Funk’s funk before you even get the cap all the way off. This rum, distilled in St. Catherine, Jamaica and billed as “unaged heavy pot still rum,” wholly earns its name. It’s produced by Proof & Wood, the outfit behind the Deadwood line of whiskeys, and is the only rum in…
Review: Lonerider Bourbons and Whiskey Mule
Lonerider is a longtime Durham, NC-based brewery turned distiller (or at least bottler). With its first two whiskey offerings, it’s taking MGP bourbon and finishing it in house, alternately in sherry casks and in its own stout barrels. There’s not a lot of information on what goes into each bottling (and no age statements), but…
Review: Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion IPA Series No. 14
Firestone Walker’s Luponic Distortion is one of the most reliable IPAs on the market, but it’s a beer that’s in constant flux. Luponic Distortion’s base recipe remains the same, but each numbered release is crafted with different hops. Firestone’s revolving Luponic Distortion IPA Series is now on release number 14, with no end in sight.…
Review: Camus Cognac VSOP and XO (2019)
We’ve been fans of Camus since our first encounter in 2010, and the company’s continued efforts at innovation with a regular release of new expressions have only further cemented Camus as a top Cognac house. Recently, Camus took an unusual step and relaunched its core lineup of VS/Very Special, VSOP, and XO Cognacs. The brandies…
Book Review: Booze and Vinyl
A bar without music is a little like a martini without an olive — doable, but just not the same. In Booze and Vinyl, Andre and Tenaya Darlington don’t just make the case for combining music and drinking, they suggest firing up a listening party that pairs particular cocktails with classic vinyl albums. The idea of…
Review: Kentucky Peerless Straight Bourbon
Remember Kentucky Peerless, which launched two craft-distilled ryes over the last year and a half? Now the company is doing what Kentucky does best: Bourbon. A little history: Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. released its first bourbon in 102 years in June and it sold out on day one. It released a second batch in August…
Review: Wines of Clos du Val, 2016 Vintage
These wines were released at the end of 2019, representing some of Napa-based Clos du Val‘s most prized bottlings. All three of these bottlings are drawn from the 2016 vintage. 2016 Clos du Val Estate Cabernet Franc Stags Leap District – Immediately inviting, the nose of the wine finds the depth of cabernet sauvignon with…
Review: Knob Creek Quarter Oak Bourbon
Knob Creek has been on a tear for the last few years, firing out new expressions faster than we can keep up with them (literally). The latest is Knob Creek Quarter Oak Bourbon, which “takes the brand’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, crafted in the pre-prohibition style fans expect from Knob Creek, and finishes it for…
