Review: The Balvenie Stories – American Oak, Week of Peat, and Dark Barley
Here’s a quirky oddity of sorts to come from The Balvenie, a trio of whiskies called The Balvenie Stories, designed to “tell a story” about the origins of this beloved single malt and the people behind it. The three whiskies are spins on past releases — some larger, some smaller — but all essential Balvenie…
Review: Single Prop Original Rum
Single Prop is a new rum brand with a new way of doing things: Rather than proof its rum with regular water, it uses coconut water, inspired by a popular cocktail combo (coconut water and rum) among Caribbean locals. Single Prop is careful to note that this is not a flavored rum a la Malibu:…
Review: Cabernets of Freemark Abbey, 2019 Releases
Napa’s Freemark Abbey has released four new cabernet sauvignons, the “low end” Napa Valley bottling (a mere 60 bucks), and three AVA-designated bottlings, designed to spotlight hyper-local characteristics. Let’s see how these bottlings from the 2014 and 2015 vintages pan out. 2015 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – Surprisingly underdeveloped, this cabernet starts off…
Review: Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin
Gin and the country of India are irrevocably tied together — British soldiers in the country received a gin ration, where gin and tonic was regularly consumed to ward off malaria — so it only makes sense that gin produced in India would become a thing. Though consumption remains high, surprisingly few brands of gin…
Review: 2017 Wente Chardonnay Riva Ranch Vineyard
Wente’s 2017 Riva Ranch chardonnay offers a surplus of flavors — almond butter, mango, lemon peel, and chamomile — all melding into a surprisingly apt summery concoction. The palate is big and buttery, while notes of cardamom and vanilla inform the finish. It’s a crowd pleaser, but it drinks with more authority than you’d think…
Review: Grand Mayan Reposado Tequila
We first encountered Grand Mayan in 2016 and were reasonably impressed with its “Very Special” Lowlands tequila that was — uniquely — triple-distilled instead of seeing the usual double distillation. Now Grand Mayan is expanding its footprint with a reposado version of the above. (An “Ultra Aged” expression, already on the market, has not been…
Review: 2018 RIFF Pinot Grigio
Alois Lageder’s RIFF label is designed to be an ultra-affordable option for those looking for the mountain-grown wines of northeast Italy (which means namely pinot grigio but RIFF also has a merlot-cab blend). Notes Lageder: Riff stands for reef, a reference to the terroir of the foothills of the Northern Italian Alps, where grapes for…
Review: Roulaison Rum – Barrel-Aged Reserve, Overproof, and Amer
We first encountered Roulaison Rum — pot-distilled in New Orleans from 100% Louisiana molasses — back in 2017. Since then, the company has significantly expanded its offerings from its single white rum offering to a quartet of them. Today we round out our coverage by looking at the three additional products in the lineup. Roulaison…
