Review: 2017 Tornatore Etna Bianco DOC
This wine, hailing from the slopes of Mt. Etna, is made from 100% carricante, a grape indigenous to Sicily. Fans of pinot grigio and other floral/fruity wines will find this agreeable. Boldly acidic, the wine kicks off with notes of grapefruit and fresh lemon and orange notes, before finding a groove that runs to mineral,…
Review: El Mayor Tequila Cristalino
El Mayor has been on a tear lately, with two special edition tequilas landing spots in our Top 10 Tequilas of 2019 list. Up next for the brand is an on-trend Cristalino bottling, taking its anejo tequila (aged 12 months) and filtering the color out using charcoal. Let’s take it for a spin. The nose…
Tasting Persedo’s “Polished” Spirits
Persedo isn’t a spirit brand you can go out and buy. Rather, it’s a technology, known in full as Persedo Polishing Technology, which spirits producers can use to improve their finished product — the proverbial Philosopher’s Stone that can take rotgut and turn it into top shelf hooch. The proprietary system is not an accelerated…
Review: Aberlour A’bunadh Alba
Pro tip: When a distillery puts “Alba” in the name of a product, you can presume you’re getting into an ex-bourbon barrel-aged whiskey. American oak’s scientific name is quercus alba, and “alba” just sounds nice. Aberlour is the latest to go wild for Alba, having released a U.S.-exclusive version of its popular, full-proof A’bunadh single malt:…
Review: Founder’s Brewing Underground Mountain Brown Bourbon Barrel Aged Brown Ale
Founders Brewing is best known for their commendable Kentucky Breakfast Stout, but their Barrel Aged series aims to push the envelope beyond just one type of beer. Brewmaster Jeremy Kosmicki is a firm believer that if “you put the right beer in the right barrel… you’re going to create some pretty interesting flavors.” Enter their…
Review: James E. Pepper Old Pepper Rye “F.K.O.” K02
James E. Pepper’s “Finest Kentucky Oak” Rye came and went upon its initial release in early 2019. Now the company has reissued FKO Rye, a straight rye that is distinguished for its use of finishing barrels made from staves that have been air dried for 24 months. (For reference, 3 to 6 months is common.)…
Review: Atlas Brew Works District Common and Festbier
Here’s another pair from Washington, D.C.’s Atlas Brew Works. District Common is a craft lager inspired, according to the brewery, by the traditional beers of America’s westward expansion. Festbier is a unique take on a German-style Festbier but intended to be lighter and more sessionable than a traditional Oktoberfest. Let’s dig in! Atlas Brew Works…
Review: Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 15 Years Old Fall 2019 Edition
Remember the 11 year old and 9 year old Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon releases from 2018? How quaint: Up next is a 15 year old release of the bourbon, comprised of barrels produced in September of 2005 and bottled in February of 2019. As with all Old Fitz bonded releases, it’s a wheated bourbon that…