Review: Ninkasi Heart and Science West Coast IPA
West coast IPA you say? This new juicy IPA from Ninkasi (previously a one-off release, now part of the permanent lineup) has me wondering whether the Oregon-based brewery has its directions mixed up. Unabashedly fruity with notes of pineapple, orange, and lemon up front, it takes a moment for a surprisingly healthy punch of bitter…
Tasting Report: 2016 St. Emilion Bordeaux Wines
As they did last year, over a dozen winemakers from Bordeaux’s St. Emilion region traveled to the U.S. to showcase their 2016 releases, many of which have just hit the market. (Surprisingly, a smattering of 2017s were also being poured.) We caught up with them during their San Francisco visit, tasting the new releases as…
Review: Collins Hot Buttered Rum Mix
Collins is a Chicago-based company that makes a variety of mixers, syrups, and garnishes — including Collins Collins Mix, of course — but what we’re concerning ourselves with here today is a holiday favorite: hot buttered rum batter. I love hot buttered rum but it’s a chore to make ahead of time. Having a little…
Review: 2017 Siduri Pinot Noir Wines
Siduri specializes in pinot noir, but while the winery is based in Sonoma County, California, it’s unusual in that it sources grapes from all over the west coast to make various expressions from this much-loved grape. Today we look at four wines from four different and iconic pinot noir appellations in California and Oregon, all…
Review: Kentucky Owl Straight Rye Whiskey (Batch 2)
Kentucky Owl recently released the third installment of its straight rye whiskey, but before we can get to that bottle, we need to catch everyone up on Batch 2. Kentucky Owl’s founder and blender Dixon Dedman set the bar pretty high with the inaugural release of Kentucky Owl rye. Batch 2 clocks in at a…
Review: Claim by Brannland Cider
Claim is made by Brannland Cider, but it’s not a traditional cider. It’s a “new generation ice wine,” or ice cider, made from nothing but apples, with a lower sugar level than traditional ciders. I’ll let the Swedish cidermeisters explain: Every year since its inception the final blend of Brännland Iscider has held a wide…
Review: Gregarious Gin
We’ve covered a couple of spirits from MISCellaneous Distillery in the past. Today we turn our attention to the Maryland-based operation’s gin, Gregarious. What’s most notable about Gregarious is not its botanical bill — which includes six ingredients, none disclosed — but rather its distillate base, which is made from Domino Sugar molasses. Let’s give it…
Review: 2017 Quinta da Fonte Souto Branco and Tinto
Quinta da Fonte Souto is another Portuguese table wine brand from the Portmeisters at Symington. These 2017 releases include one red and one white, both blends. (The two on the right pictured above are reviewed below.) 2017 Quinta da Fonte Souto Branco White Alentejo DOC – This blend of 75% arinto and 25% verdelho comes…
