Review: Iron Hill Brewery Kryptonite Double IPA
Wilmington, Delaware-based Iron Hill Brewery’s latest is a monster IPA featuring a so-called “Legion of Hops,” including Columbus, Centennial, Chinook, Amarillo, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Citra. Kryptonite is every bit the beast you might expect. The nose is funky, leathery, shroomy even, a brooding expression of bitter savoriness that doesn’t let up. The palate sees more…
Review: 1220 Artisan Spirits Origin Gin
1220 Artisan Spirits grew out of St. Louis-based 4 Hands Brewing Co. in 2018, so it’s not even a year into operation. The distillery is focusing on vodka and gin, with this offering, Origin Gin, at the top of the permanent list. (A series of seasonal gin releases is planned going forward, along with whiskey,…
Review: Tequila Partida Anejo (2019)
We’ve encountered Partida Tequila (partida being Spanish for departure) a number of times over the years, and recently the distillery asked us to take a fresh look at its anejo, the first time we’ve formally reviewed it since my naive look way back in 2007. For those unfamiliar, the Partida brand only dates back to 2001.…
Review: Tequila Chamucos Diablo Blanco and Reposado
Chamucos is a Highland tequila brand, conceived in 1992 by an Oscar-nominated Mexican film director, Antonio Urrutia, and his close friend, a hand-blown glass bottle artist, Cesar Hernandez. Chamucos — “dark, shadowy, creatures who appear in dreams and only visit briefly at night” — dance on the label of the bottle, both of which are made…
Review: Rebecca Creek Spirit Whiskey
It’s not just whiskey, this is Fine Texas Spirit Whiskey — produced, blended and bottled in San Antonio. If you’re not familiar with the spirit whiskey category (and why would you be), it has that funny name because the bottle includes 21% grain neutral spirits. The other 79% is “a blend of premium bourbons. The…
Review: Shots Box Subscription Service
There’s an ever-growing number of liquor subscriptions out there, most of which can be broken down into two categories: cocktails or bottles. Cocktail subscriptions periodically supply you with all (or most) of the ingredients needed to make the a selection of craft cocktails at home. Bottle subscriptions provide you with a full or mini-bottle of…
Tasting Report: Bourbon & Beyond 2018
So apparently biblical amounts of rain and an outdoor world-class bourbon festival just don’t mix. You may have heard that the much anticipated, weekend whiskey and music extravaganza that should have been Bourbon & Beyond last October didn’t even make it 24 hours before the powers that be in Louisville deemed Champions Park unsafe to…
Review: Taconic Distillery Dutchess Private Reserve Bourbon Cognac Cask
New York-based Taconic Distillery (formerly known as Millbrook Distillery) was established in 2013, but it’s already winning praise for its homegrown whiskey, including this bourbon, a whiskey (reportedly 70% corn, 25% rye, and 5% barley) that spends 3 1/2 years in its original new oak cask (no size noted), then another 6 months in a…
