Review: 2015 Seghesio Home Ranch Estate Zinfandel Alexander Valley
Seghesio is a well-known zinfandel shop, but this bottling is unique in that it doesn’t say “Zinfandel” in it’s swirly font but rather “Home Ranch,” Seghesio’s original estate. It’s the winery’s top-end bottling, and it doesn’t disappoint. The jammy fruit notes are restrained (though at 15.3% abv, the alcohol is not), letting a fresher plum…
Review: 2017 Lucienne Pinot Noirs
Lucienne is a sub-label (not really a second label) of the Hahn Family Wines brand, and here we find Lucienne in three acts, all hailing from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Compare to last year’s reviews and, spoiler alert, you’ll find everything’s backwards. 2017 Lucienne Pinot Noir Smith Vineyard – Moderate body, plenty of fruit. Cherries…
Review: Sagamore Spirit Rye Cognac Finish
Following up on its recent Port-finished rye, Baltimore-based Sagamore Spirit again takes a blend of MGP-sourced ryes and finishes the whiskey in a unique barrel, in this case, one that previously held Cognac. The rye starts off spending four years in new, charred oak barrels, then gets an extra 8 months in the Cognac casks.…
Review: Guinness Over the Moon Milk Stout
It’s been a year since we saw a seasonal from Guinness, so it’s exciting to get to sample the brewery’s latest, which is made in its Baltimore-based Open Gate Brewery. Over the Moon is a milk stout, called thusly because lactose is used in the brewing process. This rendition is largely endemic of the style,…
Review: Austin Cocktails Cucumber Vodka Mojito (2019)
Austin Cocktails is a new creator of ready-to-drink cocktails based in, well, I’ll let you guess. It’s a story of entrepreneurs painstakingly looking for the perfect ingredients (or rather, “purveyors of natural juices, essences, and extracts”) for their premium, RTD offering. To date they’ve developed five expressions, and today we look at one, a cucumber…
Review: Dewar’s Caribbean Smooth Rum Cask Finish 8 Years Old
Up front I have to admit I already have a negative association with this whisky. The word “smooth” has been banned at Drinkhacker for years due to its overuse and utter meaninglessness… and “Caribbean Smooth?” Sounds like suntan lotion. That said, I am loathe to judge a book by its cover, so I came to…
Review: 2016 Talbott Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard
Here’s a pair of wines from Talbott, which can be found just south of Monterey, California. These wines are both single vineyard offerings from a Talbott-owned estate, Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, which is planted in the Santa Lucia Highlands around this region. 2016 Talbott Chardonnay Santa Lucia Sleepy Hollow Vineyard – Creamy, lemony, with notes…
Review: Yellowstone Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon 2019
The fourth edition of Limestone Branch’s (aka Luxco, aka Lux Row) Yellowstone Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon has arrived. For 2019, the brand continues its trend of blending younger and older stock to create a complex finished product. Per the company, “This year’s edition includes a hand-picked selection of the most unique barrels – those…
