Review: Roe & Co Irish Whiskey
Ready for another contender in the rapidly crowding Irish whiskey space? Roe & Co is a new brand from Diageo, “perfected by bartenders for bartenders,” and devised by five Dublin-based stick men along with Diageo’s own master blender to “craft a unique Irish whiskey blend that would hold its own in cocktails.” A few details:…
Review: 2017 Scott Family Estate Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco Dijon Clone
Scott Family’s 2015 pinot noir was a bit of an outlier, beefy and aggressive. Two vintages later, this wine is exhibiting a much brighter and more iconic pinot noir profile, with bold cherry notes balanced by ample baking spices, particularly nutmeg and cinnamon, and a touch of almond. The finish is a bit drier and…
Review: Savage and Cooke Lip Service Rye
Savage and Cooke, which brought us the delightfully interesting Second Glance and Burning Chair whiskeys last summer, is back with a third installment, packaged in a matching black, opaque bottle and marked by a striking photograph that evokes the whiskey’s name. (This is the first time I’ve ever been approached to review a product by…
Review: 2016 Three Finger Jack Cabernet Sauvignon Lodi
Three Finger Jack is a new brand from Delicato Family Vineyards, with this 2016 release, East Side Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, its inaugural bottling. Who’s Three Finger Jack? “The story of Three Finger Jack is steeped in Lodi’s rich folklore and history. Three Finger Jack was a legendary outlaw who roamed the Sierra Foothills of California…
Review: Grand Macnish Double Matured Rum Cask 13 Years Old and Sherry Cask 15 Years Old
Grand Macnish is a blended Scotch best known for its unusual, dimpled bottles, but recently the brand has taken strides upmarket, with two new blends that carry age statements as well as distinct barrel finishing. The label drops the dimply bottles for these “Double Matured” releases as well, both of which we were able to…
Review: 2017 Terlato Friuli Pinot Grigio DOC
Terlato’s Pinot Grigio is the best-selling wine from the Friuli region. Let’s find out why. On the nose: Fresh herbs — tarragon and marjoram — with a racy acidity, heavy with lemon and some apricot notes. The palate is more focused on the fruit, heavy with lemon and more apricot again, with a ridiculous level…
Review: Nelson’s Green Brier Belle Meade Cask Strength Reserve Bourbon
We remain fans of the whiskeys coming out of Nashville’s Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery. In 2018, Drinkhacker took a look at several of their finished bourbons, among others, but by the end of the year they had already released yet another expression in their portfolio, Cask Strength Reserve. A blend of bourbons aged between 7…
Review: Takasago and Toko Divine Droplets Junmai Daiginjo Sake
Late last year I went shopping at one of the USA’s only sake specialty retailers, True Sake in San Francisco. When I mentioned that my favorite sake is Takasago’s Divine Droplets Junmai Daiginjo I was told some unpleasant news: 2018’s batch would be the last one. Devastated, I emailed importer Vine Connections looking for answers.…
