Review: 2018 Duck Hunter Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir
Duck Hunter is a relatively anonymous brand of New Zealand-based wines, with four varietals, typical of the region, on offer. These screwcapped wines tend to vary fairly widely in price, so shop around (or wait for a sale) if the tasting notes below interest you. 2018 Duck Hunter Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough – Slightly thin, this…
Review: Una Vida Tequila – Complete Lineup
The march of the “Vida” tequilas continues. Not to be confused with Dulce Vida, Pura Vida, Sangre de Vida, and just plain Vida, here comes a new brand, Una Vida Tequila. It isn’t entirely clear from what part of Jalisco the agave is sourced for Una Vida, but the brand is a partnership with the Orendain…
Review: Allagash Tiny House
Summer is here and breweries are trotting out session beers to enjoy in the hot weather. Tiny House is an Allagash limited release, based on its House Beer, which is low in alcohol and served only at the brewery. Tiny House is even lower in alcohol but shares its older sibling’s Belgian style and dry…
Tasting Report: Champagne Billecart-Salmon, 2019 Releases
In the Champagne world, Billecart-Salmon is a comparatively tiny operation, its 2 million bottles produced each year but a pittance in comparison to monsters like Moet and Veuve. But new CEO Mathieu Roland-Billecart seems to care not at all. At a recent lunch at Auberge du Soleil in Napa, California, Roland-Billecart poured several current releases…
Review: Lagunitas Lagur and Phase Change
California’s Lagunitas has recently dropped two brews built for summer sippin’. Let’s crack ’em open before the days start to shorten. Lagunitas Lagur – This limited release for summer 2019 is a zippy lager flavored with Loral 291 hops. Aggressively floral, the beer initially hits the palate with the hoppy force of an IPA, but…
Review: Old Elk Straight Rye Whiskey and Straight Wheat Whiskey (2019)
Former MGP master distiller Greg Metze’s Old Elk Distillery came out of the gate with a unique blended bourbon a couple of years ago, and now the line is expanding with two new expressions, a straight rye and a wheat whiskey. Like Old Elk Bourbon, both are sourced, their actual origins undisclosed. The company explained…
Tasting Report: Wines of the 1849 Wine Company, 2019 Releases
1849 Wine Company is a newish negociant brand, snapping up wines from smaller producers, labeling them under its own banner, and selling them off, typically as one-off releases. You’ll find them at various retailers, including wine.com and Total Wine, but these bottlings may well vanish once their stock runs out — or evolve into something…
Review: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B519 (May 2019)
Elijah Craig’s second release of its Barrel Proof series has arrived, coded as batch B519. As always, it’s 12 year old straight bourbon, bottled at cask strength — though considerably cooler than the 135 proof monster that was batch A119. The nose of B519 is classic Elijah Craig, a burly, lightly smoky monster that’s loaded…
