Review: Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon
Willett continues to be one of the hottest names in Kentucky bourbon and rye. The distillery, starting in 2008, built a cult following with its Family Estate line of sourced whiskeys, the origins of which still remain rumors (at least some barrels probably came from their Bardstown neighbor, Heaven Hill). In addition to Family Estate,…
Review: NV Blue Nun 24K Gold Edition
Blue Nun has a sparkling wine? With gold flakes in it? Your wishes have been granted, America: If you want to roll like a baller without having to shell out for Armand de Brignac, good old Blue Nun can get the job done for a little more than a ten-spot. What’s in this gold-encrusted bottle?…
A Visit to Islay’s The Botanist Gin Distillery
If you want to get ahead in the distilling business, it seems a good idea is to start as a tour guide. At the Bruichladdich distillery on Islay, the Scottish island renowned for peaty malts like Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg, two of the top men both began their careers as tour guides. Adam Hannett, the…
Review: 2018 Studio by Miraval Rose IGP
My wife had to remind me that Miraval wasn’t just a storied winery in Provence, it was also one with pop culture cred, being owned in part by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. (No idea how well that’s working now that they’ve split up.) Today the expression of Miraval you’re most likely to encounter is…
Review: Hazelburn 9 Years Old Barolo Cask Matured
Hazelburn is, quite famously, not a distillery but rather a specific style of whisky produced at Campbeltown’s Springbank Distillery. Hazelburn uses air-dried barley (with no peat, unlike Springbank’s other two styles) and is triple distilled, making for a light-as-a-feather spirit when it comes off the still. This unique version of Hazelburn spends 6 years in bourbon…
Review: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2019 Edition
The unofficial beginning of whiskey season is upon us with this, the 19th release of Old Forester’s Birthday Bourbon, celebrating the birthday of Brown-Forman founder George Garvin Brown. A slight amount of detail: “The 2019 Birthday Bourbon is presented at 105 proof, the highest proof to-date for this special expression. After showing exceptionally unique character…
Review: Wines of Marco Felluga and Russiz Superiore, 2019 Releases
Italy’s Felluga family operates two main estates: Marco Felluga is based in Gradisca d’Isonzo, a province of Gorizia (the farthest west you can go in Italy, on the border with Slovenia), and Russiz Superiore can be found in Capriva del Friuli, in nearby Collio. Today we look at a trio of these wines, one from…
Review: Tippsy “Sake Box” Service and Shirataki Jozen Sakes
We have long had online wine clubs and beer clubs, but sake? Tippsy, which launched in November 2018, is quickly positioning itself to be the US’s major online sake retailer and yes, online sake club. Is the quality of the service and sake worth the monthly cost? Drinkhacker was sent July’s box for a tasting.…
