Review: Spirit Lab Distilling Single Malt Whiskey (Batch 3)
There’s plenty of debate about what defines a “craft” distillery. Production volume tends to be the most common measure, but plenty of “craft” distilleries argue the purity and proximity to their ingredients, the farm-to-glass element, is an important distinction, as well. Plus, there’s how you distill, with less automation often equating to a more handcrafted…
Review: 2009 Screaming Eagle Second Flight
I’ve been writing about wine for 20 years, but one label has long eluded me in tasting after tasting: Screaming Eagle. Tonight I had the opportunity to tuck into a full bottle of Screaming Eagle Second Flight — the “cheap” version of this top-of-the-top cult California cabernet sauvignon wines, although a bottle of this 2009…
Review: American Freedom Distillery Horse Soldier Bourbon – Complete Lineup
Horse Soldiers? American Freedom? If you’ve pegged a military connection to this new whiskey brand, you’ve got your finger on the pulse. The distillery was started by a group of Special Forces Veterans who were the first soldiers in Afghanistan after 9/11. Horse Soldier is a reference to the Green Berets who were featured in…
Review: The Balvenie Stories – American Oak, Week of Peat, and Dark Barley
Here’s a quirky oddity of sorts to come from The Balvenie, a trio of whiskies called The Balvenie Stories, designed to “tell a story” about the origins of this beloved single malt and the people behind it. The three whiskies are spins on past releases — some larger, some smaller — but all essential Balvenie…
Review: Single Prop Original Rum
Single Prop is a new rum brand with a new way of doing things: Rather than proof its rum with regular water, it uses coconut water, inspired by a popular cocktail combo (coconut water and rum) among Caribbean locals. Single Prop is careful to note that this is not a flavored rum a la Malibu:…
Review: Cabernets of Freemark Abbey, 2019 Releases
Napa’s Freemark Abbey has released four new cabernet sauvignons, the “low end” Napa Valley bottling (a mere 60 bucks), and three AVA-designated bottlings, designed to spotlight hyper-local characteristics. Let’s see how these bottlings from the 2014 and 2015 vintages pan out. 2015 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – Surprisingly underdeveloped, this cabernet starts off…
Review: Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin
Gin and the country of India are irrevocably tied together — British soldiers in the country received a gin ration, where gin and tonic was regularly consumed to ward off malaria — so it only makes sense that gin produced in India would become a thing. Though consumption remains high, surprisingly few brands of gin…
Review: 2017 Wente Chardonnay Riva Ranch Vineyard
Wente’s 2017 Riva Ranch chardonnay offers a surplus of flavors — almond butter, mango, lemon peel, and chamomile — all melding into a surprisingly apt summery concoction. The palate is big and buttery, while notes of cardamom and vanilla inform the finish. It’s a crowd pleaser, but it drinks with more authority than you’d think…
