Review: 3 Wines of Sonoma-Cutrer, 2019 Releases
Today we dig into three releases from the classic Sonoma winery Sonoma-Cutrer, including the winery’s first ever sparkling wine. 2014 Sonoma-Cutrer Grand Cuvee Russian River Valley – This wine is made from 100% Russian River Valley fruit, a blend of 60% chardonnay and 40% pinot noir. A bright and approachable wine, it’s got bold apple…
Review: Plantation Xaymaca and Extreme Collection No 3 HJC and ITP Rums
Jamaica’s Plantation Rum, owned by Maison Ferrand in France, has been pushing the boundaries of rum — particularly in terms of quality — for some years now. Its latest experiments have taken it into some unusual territory, which begins with a 100% pot still rum and moves from there into some truly wild territory: 21…
Tasting Report: 6 Prosecco Wines, 2019 Releases
Today it’s a deep dive into Italy’s native sparkler, Prosecco, all of which carry the Valdobbiadene DOCG marker, which indicates they were made in the prestigious Treviso region. While Prosecco can often be rather anonymous, this sextet shows what a wide range of flavors and experiences this wine has to offer. 2017 Perlage Canah Prosecco…
Review: Teaz Vodka
It’s the tequila guys who typically have all the fun with novelty decanters, putting their juice in vials shaped like everything from M-16s to the state of Texas. Amateurs, says Teaz, which puts its French vodka in a bottle shaped like, well, you really have to see it to get it. I’ll try to do…
Review: Townshend’s White Rose and Sweet Tea Liqueurs
Townshend’s is the Portland-based kombucha-distilling producer of a variety of oddball amari that are distilled from kombucha, and it also produces this pair of liqueurs, which might be more approachable to drinkers not looking for that bitter kick. Townshend’s White Rose Liqueur – This simple, floral-focused liqueur includes rose petals and white tea, with a…
Review: Glenmorangie Allta
For the tenth installment in its annual Private Edition (aka limited release) series, Glenmorangie turns its attention to a relatively unexplored aspect of whiskeymaking (at least by consumers): Yeast. Sure, a few folks — namely Four Roses — are incredibly nerdy about yeast, but most distilleries have a “house yeast” they rely on, rarely mixing…
Review: Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto Liqueur
Don’t let the transparent green bottle confuse you: This is not gin. Italicus is rather a new Italian citrus liqueur made from Bergamot oranges, created by barman Giuseppe Gallo, who gives a nod to the classic rosolio category (a liqueur derived from rose petals) by updating a classic 19th century recipe with his family’s own recipes. (The…
Review: Jack’s Abby Citra Brau Dry-Hopped Citra Lager
Opened in 2011 in Framingham, Massachusetts, Jack’s Abby Brewery has been garnering a lot of attention and drawing fans in the New England region for its bold, expressive take on lagers. The brewery only makes lagers (although it has a sister brewery, Springdale, that experiments with ales). The beers that come out of Jack’s Abby…
