Book Review: Passion for Wine
Jean-Charles Boisset is an almost ludicrously charming bon vivant whose winery holdings include Buena Vista, Raymond, JCB, and more. In Passion For Wine: The French Ideal and the American Dream, Boisset joins forces with writer and Boisset ambassador Marnie Old to produce a coffee table-styled tome designed to offer a somewhat unique perspective on the world…
Review: Aberfeldy Exceptional Cask Series 18, 19, and 24 Years Old (2019)
Recently, we covered two special, limited edition whiskies from Craigellachie called the Exceptional Cask Series. At the time, we promised coverage of three additional whiskies in this line from Aberfeldy would also be coming soon, and here they are. As a reminder, these are one-off releases each representing a few thousand bottles. Brand owner Bacardi…
Review: Wines of La Valentina, 2019 Releases
La Valentina can be found in the Abruzzo region of Italy, where it produces a collection of affordable, endemic offerings. Some back story: Rugged and picturesque, the Abruzzo region is a national treasure known for its towering Appenine mountain peaks, lush valleys, and miles of breathtaking Adriatic coast. We are pleased to present new releases…
Review: 2017 Chamisal Stainless Chardonnay Central Coast
Chamisal was the first vineyard planted in the Edna Valley on California’s Central Coast. Here we have Chamisal’s unoaked expression of Chardonnay, from the 2017 vintage. Mango notes pop immediately on the tongue on this wine, which showcases a much more tropical side of chardonnay than we’re used to. Creamy without being buttery, it features…
Review: Templeton Rye Maple Cask Finish
The rye fanatics at Templeton have released the first whiskey in their “Barrel Finish Series,” which will focus on unusual wood treatments applied to its long-running rye. While Templeton recently began distilling its own juice, this is still sourced from MGP. Unlike the usual bottling of Templeton, which carries a 4 year old label, this…
Book Review: Cocktail Italiano
Annette Joseph clearly loves Italy, but her book Cocktail Italiano isn’t just about drinking your way across the country. In fact, to be honest, cocktails occupy comparably few of the pages here. Most of the book — dense with full-color photography and divided into 12 chapters, each for one city or region along the Italian…
Review: Smooth Ambler Old Scout Bourbon (2019)
West Virginia’s Smooth Ambler made a big name for itself nearly ten years ago when it introduced the Old Scout line of MGP-sourced bourbon and rye whiskey. We reviewed one of the Old Scout Single Barrel releases a few years ago, but the true flagship, at least for a little while, was the standard Old…
Review: New Riff Kentucky Wild Gin Bourbon Barreled
We’ve already introduced you to New Riff’s Kentucky Wild Gin, the only spirit in the young Kentucky distillery’s portfolio that isn’t a whiskey. At the time of that review, we mentioned that New Riff’s gin wasn’t just a quick moneymaker for the company to sell while its rye and bourbon aged. But we probably didn’t…
