Review: Victory Java Cask Bourbon Barrel-Aged Blonde Coffee Stout
We’re well into winter, so that means I start gravitating to more barrel-aged beers. While I love the traditional dark, malty stout with a healthy dose of bourbon barrel, I’m always up for something different in the category, and Victory’s Java Cask Gold certainly fits that bill. It’s a blonde coffee stout made with cascade…
Review: Uncle Nearest 1856 Whiskey
It’s often said that to succeed in the whiskey business a product needs to, of course, be good, but it also needs to have a good story. In recent years, with more and more new whiskeys claiming little more than the title of “First Distilled in ___ Since Prohibition,” it’s seemed like all the good…
Review: New Belgium Brut IPA, Voodoo Ranger Imperial Black IPA, and Voodoo Ranger Liquid Paradise IPA
Three new New Belgium brews — all IPAs — including a trendy brut IPA and two additions to the always-rotating Voodoo Ranger brand. New Belgium Brut IPA – Brut IPA is to 2019 what Hazy IPA was to 2018: The next big shift for the style, named thusly because it makes for a very crisp…
Review: Mortlach 12, 16, and 20 Years Old (2019)
In 2014, Diageo gave its storied Mortlach Distillery a big boost, relaunching its whiskies with three new expressions — a NAS release, an 18 year old, and a 25 year old, all beautiful monsters worth of Mortlach’s moniker, “The Beast of Dufftown.” And then they kind of disappeared. The promised increase in production never quite…
Book Review: Red Wine: The Comprehensive Guide to the 50 Essential Varieties & Styles
Kevin Zraly is a legend in wine education, and here with coauthors Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen he aims to dissect the world of red wine, clipping it into 50 “essential” varieties and styles. Organizationally, it couldn’t be simpler: Specifically, the book takes you through an alphabetical glossary of 41 grape varietals, then 9 styles (most…
Review: Speyburn Companion Cask
One of the best values in Scotch, Speyburn, is out with a new U.S.-only, no-age-statement release called Companion Cask. Per the website, the whisky is “a tribute to the enduring connection and rich traditions shared by Speyside and Kentucky.” To that end, Companion Cask is aged exclusively in ex-bourbon casks (reportedly from Buffalo Trace Distillery).…
Book Review: The Mezcal Experience
With mezcal on the rise as a category, it makes sense for enthusiasts to build their understanding of what mezcal is and why it’s such a unique product in the world of spritis. Tom Bullock’s treatise, The Mezcal Experience: A Field Guide to the World’s Best Mezcals and Agave Spirits, offers a solid foundation to the…
Review: Kilchoman 100% Islay Eighth Release and Sauternes Cask Finish
The end of 2018 saw a pair of late-breaking Kilchoman bottlings arriving. Details (and reviews) follow. Kilchoman 100% Islay Eighth Release – It’s year #8 for Kilchoman’s annual 100% Islay release, which is grown, malted, distilled, matured and bottled entirely on Islay. From barley harvest between 2007 and 2011, and matured in a combination of bourbon and…
