Review: Deschutes Brewery Late 2019 Releases
We’ve fallen behind on our Deschutes Brewery coverage, and are now playing catch-up with three bottlings (plus cannings) that hit at the tail end of 2019. Forgive the delay, please! Deschutes Brewery Jubelale Winter Ale 2019 – Memories of Guinness dominate my initial impression of the 2019 Jubelale, which features a heavier burst of carbonation…
Review: Talisker 15 Years Old Limited Edition 2019
Our final look at the 2019 Diageo Special Releases takes us to Talisker on the Isle of Skye. Diageo says this whisky was aged in “unusual casks,” which, like those in the Singleton release, are freshly recharred American oak hogsheads. A big slug of salt and seaweed kicks things off on the nose. Boldly briny…
Review: Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (2019)
Goose Island has been bottling its Bourbon County Stout for 15 years now, which makes them one of the longest running bottlers of bourbon barrel-aged beer. With that kind of track record, it’s not surprising that so many of their Black Friday releases have been well-received by the boozy beer-loving masses. Lucky for those folks,…
Review: The Singleton of Glen Ord 18 Years Old Limited Edition 2019
2019 Diageo Special Release #7 is this 18 year old malt from Highlands-based Glen Ord, which is part of the Singleton collection of three distilleries. This expression is unusual in that it is aged in freshly charred American oak hogsheads — in other words, recharred bourbon casks, essentially simulating new oak. The nose is pretty…
Review: Hangar 1 Honeycomb Vodka
Hangar 1’s latest infusion — billed as a “distiller’s exclusive” — is infused with honeycomb, not just honey, making for a unique flavored spirit. Note that the bottle is amber in color, not the vodka within, which is clear. Let’s give it a try. I was expecting a heavily sweet, artificial monstrosity, but Hangar 1…
Review: Pittyvaich 29 Years Old Limited Edition 2019
Now here’s a rarity from the long-shuttered Pittyvaich, 29 years old and the only whisky ever released from this Speyside distillery that is double matured, this one being aged in a combination of Pedro Ximenez and oloroso sherry casks. And wow, what a seductive dram it is. The nose is instantly evocative and enveloping, but surprisingly…
Tasting Yerba Mate
Still trying to cling to your Dry January? Consider perhaps a mug of yerba mate (or more correctly, just mate), the tea-like beverage made from the yerba mate plant. Born in Paraguay and native throughout a large part of South America (especially Argentina), mate is described by its proponents as “an antioxidant rich tea packed…
Review: One Eight Distilling Untitled Apple Brandy No. 1 and Untitled Whiskey No. 9 (Batch 2)
The team at Washington, D.C.’s One Eight Distilling has been dipping their toes into things other than whiskey as of late. Recently, they released their first ever apple brandy under its own Untitled line, which was distilled on their old Kothe potstill and aged in ex-bourbon barrels for over three years. In conjunction with the…
