Review: 6 Whiskeys from A.D. Laws – Hordeum Malt, Secale Ryes, and Four Grain Bourbons
Denver-based A.D. Laws, aka Laws Whiskey House, has quietly grown in stature to take a spot as one of the major craft distilleries in the U.S. Its focus is on whiskey and only whiskey: The company kicks out a dozen or so different bottlings, all with a focus on heritage grains, locally sourced ingredients, and…
Review: 2018 The Wolftrap Rose South Africa
The Wolftrap is a South African rose from the Boekenhoutskloof winery in the Western Cape region, made from a blend of 69% cinsault, 21% syrah, and 10% grenache. It’s not the most expressive rose you’ll find, a rather gummy body masking flavor notes that range from grapefruit peel to honeysuckle, with a curiously oily/margarine character…
Review: Lagavulin 16 Years Old (2019)
Despite the expansive number reviews and articles we’ve published (over 6000, if you’re counting), there are nonetheless a few bottles which are inadvertently absent from the canon. Today’s catch-up moment shines a spotlight on of one of the best single malts Islay has to offer: Lagavulin 16 Years Old, which was last seen in a…
Review: Dow’s Tawny Port 10 Years Old and 20 Years Old (2019)
Port powerhouse Dow’s recently rebranded its Tawny Port line, with Charles Symington “tweaking his rule-book to create and re-launch a striking range of tawny Ports.” Those changes involve aging the wine for a longer period of time in smaller oak vessels, with the goal of building up the body of the wines and darkening their…
Review: Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye Irish Whiskey
Ireland’s “oldest continually licensed distillery,” Kilbeggan, has rolled out a new whiskey that “pays tribute to the golden age of Irish whiskey.” Kilbeggan Small Batch Rye is a limited edition release that includes 30 percent rye in the mash (the rest is barley), a callback to the late 1800s, when high-rye mashbills were common in…
Review: NV Alma Negra Brut Nature Rose Mendoza
The spooky label alone is enticement enough to check out Alma Negra, a nonvintage sparkler from Mendoza, Argentina that’s part of the Ernesto Catena brand. This gentle rose is made from a strange blend of malbec and pinot noir, and the resulting wine is heavy with nutty, mushroomy, almost smoky aromas. On the palate the…
Review: Whiskies of Claxton’s, 2019 Releases
Claxton’s is an independent Scotch bottler based in Yorkshire in the UK, and if you’re like me, you’ve never once encountered its single malt whiskies in the States. There’s a good reason for that: They aren’t currently sold here. That could change in the near future though, as Claxton’s is actively looking for U.S. distribution…
Review: Deschutes Brewery Early 2019 Releases
A quintet of Deschutes brews has arrived on our steps in recent weeks. We’re rounding them all up here for your consideration. Deschutes Brewery Da Shootz! – The cleverly-named brew is a new low-abv pilsner, designed with summertime firmly in mind. Pale as can be and ever so slightly hazy, it’s light and bright with…
