Book Review: The One-Bottle Cocktail
Craft cocktail books are wonderful to flip through, but they invariably call for such obscure spirits that I rarely end up actually up making them. For the typical home mixologist, such concoctions rarely wind up as anything beyond aspirational. Maggie Hoffman offers a solution of sorts in The One-Bottle Cocktail, a compendium of 83 drinks that…
Review: Tequila Alacran Blanco
Tequila Alacran (Spanish for “scorpion”) was launched in 2010 and has slowly been expanding its U.S. footprint ever since. The 100% agave brand, sourced from Highlands agave and column-distilled, is notable for the opaque, black bottle in which the blanco is presented, which makes for a striking and decidedly new-school presentation. While a variety of…
Review: Wines of Left Coast Cellars, Summer 2019 Releases
We’ve covered the wines of Left Coast Cellars several times in the past, and today we’re taking a spin through some of the more warm weather wines of this Oregon winery, including a seasonal sparkler. 2017 Left Coast Cellars Queen Bee Bubbly Honey Tirage Sparkling Wine Willamette Valley – 100% pinot noir, for secondary fermentation…
Review: Pinhook Bourbon Country Cask Strength Bourbon 2018
While Pinhook is based on young MGP distillate, it’s expanding fairly dramatically as it positions itself as an inexpensive alternative on the premius shelf. Its 90.5-proof “Bourbon Country” bottling is becoming popular, and now Pinhook has released its first cask strength version of the whiskey. Will it pull ahead of the competition? Let’s taste and…
Tasting the Wines of Dry Farm Wine Club, 2019 Releases
Dry Farm Wines may sound like a hippie commune where they produce foot-trodden vino, but it’s actually a wine club, and a unique one in my experience. As oxymoronic as it might sound, Dry Farm claims to be “the only health-focused, low-alcohol, natural wine club in the world.” No, that doesn’t mean you’re getting alcohol-free…
Review: Joseph Magnus Vigilant District Dry Gin and Navy Strength Gin
Washington, D.C.-based Jos. A Magnus Distillery is best known for its whiskey. We’ve reviewed most of its offerings (see here and here), and even helped pick a private barrel for our friends at Bourbon Pursuit. But like most craft distilleries, there’s almost always a few clear spirits in the portfolio. We recently received samples of…
Review: 2 Roses from Etude, 2018 Vintage
Etude is based in Napa, but it sources grapes from all over California for various wines — with a focus on pinot noir and chardonnay. Today we look at two summery roses, both made from pinot noir (or mostly pinot noir), with very different heritages. 2018 Etude Rose Santa Barbara County – (White label.) A…
Review: Port Askaig 10th Anniversary, 25 Years Old, and 45 Years Old
It’s time for a trilogy of new releases from Port Askaig — the negociant bottler of Islay single malt whiskies from various distilleries on the island — including the company’s oldest release yet, a 45 year old expression. We got (small) samples of each. Let’s give ’em a try. Port Askaig 10th Anniversary 10 Years…
