Review: Disaronno Amaretto
One can’t get far in the drinking world without encountering the iconic Disaronno bottle. Disaronno brands its almond-flavored liqueur as not just the best amaretto around but “the world’s favorite Italian liqueur,” and the product has become an endemic part of the drinking world. Why, the first drink I had when I turned 21 was…
Review: 2017 Tinto Negro Malbec Uco Valley
This Argentine malbec is a real beast: Hugely meaty, with intense notes of mushroom and forest floor, any sense of fruit and spice is fully trampled by this overwhelming savoriness to the point where it’s hard to recognize any sense of varietal character in this dense monstrosity. The one saving grace is actually some black…
Review: Game of Thrones Lagavulin House Lannister and Clynelish House Tyrell
Confession: I do not know much about the HBO series Game of Thrones, nor am I versed on the novels upon which the show is based. What I have been able to ascertain from friends whose opinions I respect is that involves gratuitous nudity, people talking about winter, dragons, a throne, and the supremely underrated…
Review: 2015 Quinta do Ataide Douro Vinho Tinto DOC
Quinta do Ataíde is the Symington Family’s latest table wine offering, pulled from a vineyard that’s been farmed since the 18th century. This field blend of Portuguese classics that include touriga nacional, touriga franca, tinta barroca, and other varietals has been organically farmed since 2007, and in this new dry wine it all comes together…
Review: Ardbeg Drum
When summer draws near, it must mean Ardbeg Day is coming, too. Ardbeg has long chosen the last Saturday of Islay’s “Feis Ile” Festival of Music and Malt to celebrate, well, itself, by releasing a new, limited-edition “Committee Edition” single malt. This year, the Distillery is resurrecting the island’s carnival traditions. In an Islay time…
Review: Avery Brewing Tweak Barrel-Aged Coffee Stout (2018)
We’ve liked the creativity coming out of Avery Brewing with beers like Tequilacerbus, but there are plenty of more traditional barrel-aged beers in their portfolio that deserve our attention. Tweak, a coffee stout that sees four months of aging in bourbon barrels, is part of Avery’s Annual Barrel Series released every November-December. A barrel-aged coffee stout…
Review: Luxardo Sour Cherry Gin
Gin and Luxardo (aka Marasca) cherries go together wonderfully (they’re the core of one of my favorite cocktails), so it makes perfect sense that Luxardo would invent a new category, infusing gin with its own Marasca sour cherry juice — kind of an Italian spin on sloe gin. Here’s some additional backstory from the company:…
Review: 2018 Wente Niki’s Pinot Noir Rose Arroyo Seco
Rose styles have lately been drifting closer to white wine, with less of a floral/berry element to them. Wente‘s Niki’s Pinot Noir says to hell with all that: Here’s a big, flowery, juicy rose that’s closer to strawberries and cream than apples and vanilla. This rose of pinot noir offers notes of the aforementioned strawberry,…
