Review: Michter’s US-1 Toasted Barrel Finish Sour Mash Whiskey 2019
Keeping up with the Michtersverse is hard enough as it is, with all the confusingly identical labels, annual releases, and variations on a number of themes that the company puts out. You might be surprised to learn that Michter’s US-1 Toasted Barrel Finish Sour Mash Whiskey 2019 marks the first time this particular bottling has…
Review: Lagunitas Born Yesterday Pale Ale 2019
Apologies for letting this limited release of Lagunitas slip by for so long. The holidays find us drowning in booze and it can be hard to keep up with it all. (Send your condolences via email, Twitter, or Facebook.) The recipe for Born Yesterday doesn’t really change from year to year — including “11 lbs-per-barrel…
Review: Porter’s Rye 95
We’ve been covering the spirits of Utah-based Ogden’s Own distillery for a few months now (beginning with Madam Pattirini Gin), and now we’re taking a dive into its first whiskey, Porter’s Small Batch Rye 95, a straight rye sourced from MGP and made from a mashbill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. The finished…
Review: Barrell Bourbon Batch 21 and 22
Barrell Bourbon is keeping the small batches flowing this fall. We recently received their two newest additions, Batch 021 and Batch 022. Let’s dive in! Barrell Bourbon Batch 21 – Like the two batches before it, this one is a blend of 10- and 14-year-old straight rye bourbons from Kentucky and Tennessee. The nose is…
Review: Jefferson’s Ocean Aged at Sea Bourbon Voyage 17 Private Selection for Caskers
Lately, our online retail partner Caskers has been on a tear as it snaps up private barrel selections of all manner of spirits. The latest is this expression from Jefferson’s Ocean Aged at Sea collection, dubbed Voyage 17 and exclusive to Caskers. This is from the standard bottling (i.e., not cask strength) and is as…
Review: 2018 Daou Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon
I’ve always wanted to visit Daou in Paso Robles, but they always seem to be closed when I’m in the area. Finally, the winery sent a couple of bottles our way, along with some backstory about what makes Daou so special. To wit: Daou, located in Paso Robles, was founded by two former systems engineers…
Review: Stella Rosa Peach, Rose, and Black
You can’t drive more than 5 miles in California without encountering a Stella Rosa billboard (“It’s a Stellabration!”), and it’s safe to say that the brand has ample production to serve everyone who happens to drive past. Stella Rosa’s bottlings range from traditional blends to various fruit-infused expressions. Many of its wines are very low…
Review: 2017 Bela Ribera del Duero
Here’s a look at Bela, a Ribera del Duero wine newly added to the CVNE portfolio, which has just put out its 2017 vintage release of 100% tempranillo juice. Aggressively fruity with notes of juicy prune, blueberry, and milk chocolate, this wine is atypical of Ribera’s spicy style, drinking with more of a California bent.…
