Review: Virtue Cider Rose and Mezzo Spritz
Today it’s time for cider, with a visit to Michigan’s Virtue Cider. Specifically, we’re looking at one of the company’s oldest offerings (the Rose) — and its newest (Mezzo Spritz). Thoughts follow. Virtue Cider Rose – “A blend of hand-pressed heirloom Michigan apples aged in French oak barrels,” with added botanicals to give it color…
Review: Metaxa Greek Spirit 12 Stars
Founded in 1888, Metaxa has endured as one of the most unique spirits of Greece, a blend of brandy made from dried grapes that is infused with sweet Muscat wine plus rose petals and other botanicals, then aged in Limousin oak barrels. Metaxa is available in a wide range of quality levels — we reviewed…
Review: Wines of Butternut, 2019 Releases
Butternut is a brand from Napa- and Nashville-based BNA Wine Group, which — and I’m sure they would admit this — focuses on low-cost bulk wines packaged under a cute name. Butternut is also one of the pioneers in the burgeoning canned wine space, with four varieties available in familiar 12 oz. cans. The company…
Review: George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey Bottled in Bond 13 Years Old (2019)
George Dickel is awfully late to the Bottled in Bond party, but here it is at last, with a 13 year old Tennessee Whiskey spearheaded by Nicole Austin, the company’s new head distiller and general manager. Distilled in 2005, this release comes from the same mash as Dickel’s other whiskeys — 84% corn, 8% rye…
Review: Fabrizia Italian Style Lemonade
New Hampshire-based Fabrizia, which makes just about every type of alcoholic beverage you can that includes Sicilian lemons, is out with yet another lemon-heavy product: Italian Style Lemonade, a ready-to-drink, canned product that’s made with vodka, limoncello, and lemon juice. I love the idea of making lemonade out of limoncello, but Fabrizia’s rendition falls a…
Review: Los Vecinos del Campo Mezcal Espadin
Sazerac has recently partnered with Oaxaca-based Casa San Matias and a group of local mezcaleros to introduce a new family of mezcals called Los Vecinos del Campo. Some detail: These hand-crafted spirits are produced by 10 families in the Valles Centrales of Oaxaca who have been utilizing traditional methods to create rich agave spirits for…
Review: Bear Republic Challenge Series 06
In case you’re confused by our review of Bear Republic Challenge Series 11 a few months ago, the California brewery’s experimental series does not go in order (the numbers are generated from a random roll of Dungeons & Dragons dice — they don’t say which one). Challenge Series 06 is subtitled Smells Like Citrus IPA,…
Review: Penelope Bourbon Batch #1
Penelope Bourbon is a new brand that a pair of friends, Mike Paladini and Danny Polise, have constructed and named after Mike’s daughter. The duo bought six barrels of MGP bourbon (the staves are #4 char, the heads #2), each having spent a bit longer than two years in wood. Curiously, the six barrels comprise…
