Review: Infuse Spirits Grapefruit Vodka
We originally encountered Infuse back in 2014 and 2015, when the company was just a producer of flavored vodkas, distinguished by its inclusion of copious amounts of solid botanicals like long lemon peels and dried peach slices placed directly in the bottle. Since then, just about everything about Infuse has changed. The company has a…
Perfect Pairings: Wine and a Surprising Type of Chocolate
This will hurt some people’s feelings, so I’m just going to come right out and say it: dark chocolate does not pair well with wine. After a meal, nothing is classier than setting out some dark chocolate alongside a glass of 20 year-old tawny port. But the fact is that the dark chocolate and the…
Review: Backpack (Canned) Wine (2019)
When I first reviewed Backpack Wine — a line of wines packaged in single-serve cans — my comments were, for the most part, not so positive. I recently heard from the company, and its response to that review was quite a surprise. I’ll paste a portion of it here: The review was fairly negative and to…
Review: Eifel German Single Malt Whisky and Rye Whisky
German whisky is a rarely seen thing in the U.S., but even if you aren’t considering sipping on the stuff, you owe it to yourself to check out Eifel Whiskey’s website (link at the bottom of the page), which is the most German website ever. Based in the city of Koblenz, in western Germany, Eifel…
Tasting the Wines of Navarra, 2019 Releases
Navarra can be found on the northern edge of Spain, along the French border and near the Bay of Biscay. (The city of Pamplona, famed for the running of the bulls, can be found here.) While Navarra used to be known for little more than rose wine, improved farming techniques and technology have allowed this…
Review: Barrell Infinite Barrel Project Release #1
Back in early 2018, Barrell Craft Spirits introduced a completely new line extension, the Infinite Barrel Project. The inspiration for this one came from the ritual among many whiskey-lovers of keeping an “infinity bottle” containing the last dregs of otherwise finished whiskeys. While most of those bottles likely don’t end up tasting very good, Barrell…
Review: New Belgium Passion Fruit Kolsch and Voodoo Ranger Juicifer IPA
New Belgium’s summertime brews have arrived, so let’s dig into this duo of widely different beers — both solid hot weather choices. New Belgium Passion Fruit Kolsch – A lot of times you see “passion fruit” on a beer label and then you tuck into the beer and… there’s nothing there. New Belgium’s Passion Fruit…
Review: O’Donnell Flavored Moonshines
I could understand if you didn’t believe me when I say there’s a company in Berlin making moonshine. This five year old brand offers a straight moonshine but is better known for three flavored offerings. Fairly low in alcohol and all heavily sweetened, they drink more like liqueurs you’d find served warm at a German…
