Review: The Glenrothes 12 Years Old (2018)
Earlier this year, The Glenrothes distillery made a massive shift in its whisky lineup. Out go the brand’s iconic vintage dates. In come traditional age statements. The hand grenade bottle shape, at least, is sticking around. The new core of the Glenrothes line is called the Soleo Collection, which color-codes its bottles in tune with…
Review: Tippy Cow Peppermint Bark Rum Cream
Tippy Cow is a line of rum-based liqueurs that includes flavors like Vanilla Soft Serve and Shamrock Mint. (It’s made and bottled by the same company that bottles RumChata — Midwest Custom Bottling.) For the holidays, a seasonal variant is here: Peppermint Bark, and we gave this curiosity the Drinkhacker treatment. Thoughts follow. As truth in…
Cocktails for Christmas 2018
Declare the holidays happy with a cocktail or two among friends. We offer up these suggestions along with a Christmas Cookie Cheesecake with Winter Jack Caramel Sauce recipe. Enjoy! Candy Cane Cocktail For candy cane vodka: 1 vanilla pod 6 six-inch candy canes 750ml bottle of Ketel One Vodka Cocktail Ingredients 1 ¼ oz. candy cane…
Review: “Art in the Age” Terra Luna Seasonal Bitters Kit
Ever wanted to make your own bitters, but didn’t know where to start? Art in the Age (makers of a number of specialty bitter liqueurs) has partnered with Terra Luna, an herbally-oriented company in Philadelphia, to make bitters-making easy at home. This box includes almost everything you need to turn Terra Luna’s herbal blend into…
Review: Clyde May’s Straight Rye Whiskey (2018)
Alabama’s Clyde May’s has been killing it with its peculiar Alabama-style whiskey for years, and recently the brand has moved into more traditional bourbon. Up next is a natural extension: rye. Like the bourbon, this is not distilled in Alabama but rather in Indiana at MGP. Bottled at three years old, it’s a young spirit, but…
Book Review: Ten Grapes to Know
Catherine Fallis, Master Sommelier, is a respected colleague and a fixture at San Francisco wine events whom I encounter with regularity. That makes it somewhat difficult to write about her new book, Ten Grapes to Know: The Ten & Done Wine Guide, but I’ll endeavor to be as impartial as possible here. As the name suggests, Ten…
Review: Cladach Blended Malt Limited Edition 2018
A first for the Diageo Special Release series, this is a “master blend” of malts from six coastal distilleries: Caol Ila, Clynelish, Lagavulin, Oban, Inchgower, and Talisker — all but one of which are otherwise represented in this year’s Special Releases as a single malt. A mutt of styles and ages, it includes whisky from…
Review: Bergamot Wine Co. Italian Wine Club
Tired of wine clubs that just send out mass-produced plonk with a bespoke label? Check out Bergamot Wine Co., a wine club that offers exclusively Italian imports, one of the most complicated wine regions in the world — and a region that’s ripe for exploration and education. $105 per month gets you four bottles, which…
