Review: A. Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey
No one would have guessed sleepy old Old Overholt would move upmarket, but somehow it keeps on happening. The latest Overholt isn’t “Old,” It’s “A.” — after founder Abraham Overholt — with a retro bottle and the original mashbill of 80% rye, 20% malted barley. (Standard Old Overholt’s mashbill is not disclosed.) This mashbill is…
Review: Jermann 2022 Pinot Grigio and 2021 Dreams
Jermann’s wines are Italian, not German, though I can understand the confusion: Even the font the company uses is Germanesque in design. Today we analyze two white wines from this Venezia-based winery, which you’ll find just miles away from Italy’s border with Slovenia. Thoughts follow. 2022 Jermann Pinot Grigio – A lightly sweet expression of…
Review: Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon Port Wine Cask Finish
A new Cask Finished Series is underway from Lux Row Distillers’ Ezra Brooks brand: Up first is an expression finished in Port casks. Formally known as Ezra Brooks 99 Proof Cask Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Casks (whew!) this is a take on Ezra 99 Bourbon (made from a mash of 78%…
Review: Copperworks Single Malt Cask 472
Bourbon and corn whiskey have a long history in Kentucky and Tennessee due to early westward expansion and the reality that corn was the grain at their disposal. Similarly, rye whiskey was king in the early northeastern United States because rye grew well in the region. Early styles of American whiskey were largely necessitated by…
Review: Argiano 2018 Brunello di Montalcino and 2021 Non Confunditur
Two wines from Argiano, a historic winery in Tuscany’s Montalcino area that dates back to 1580 (as an olive oil producer) and which is, more recently, the first company in the area to become plastic-free. 2018 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino DOCG – “The soul of the Argiano portfolio” is this unusually lighthanded Brunello, showcasing the…
Review: Mammoth Northern Rye No. 2
Bourbon is the premier whiskey of America. Michigan’s Mammoth Distilling prefers advancing the cause of rye. While the lion’s share of American whiskey is distilled from bulk commodity grains, Mammoth invests in research regarding the distillation of heirloom varieties of rye grain. Each specific variety of rye grain produces different qualities in a whiskey. Pre-Prohibition…
Review: El Buho Mezcal Espadin (2024)
It’s been 12 years since we first reviewed El Buho Mezcal made with Espadin agave, and today we swing around again to see how it compares today. “El buho” is Spanish for “the owl,” an animal which (their website explains) is “revered in Mexican culture as a spiritual link between the living and the dead,…
Review: Crittenden’s Cut Above Mississippi Blues Berry Bourbon
The spread of the concept of finishing bourbon in various types of casks is largely a result of the work of Woodford Reserve and Angel’s Envy. Today, the American whiskey industry is in a perpetual arms race to see who can come up with the next unique finishing cask to grab consumer intrigue. Despite their…