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…
Review: Wines of Lievland, 2017 Vintage
Hailing from South Africa, Lievland (“love land” in Afrikaans) is new to the U.S. Some details: “The winery is a new project from José Conde and brothers Tyrrel and Philip Myburgh, partners in MAN Family Wines. Located on the road to Paarl, known as the “Golden Mile” and home to many of Stellenbosch’s best-known wineries, Lievland was considered…
Review: BLK EYE Vodka
Just when you thought you’d encountered every vodka twist known to man — from marijuana to bacon — comes a definite first: vodka distilled from black-eyed peas from Muleshoe, Texas. It may reek of gimmickry, as does the very name, BLK EYE, all in uppercase. However, the striking black, white, and gold bottle, with artwork…
Review: Cooper & Thief 2016 Red Blend and 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon
The magical formula of wine aged whiskey barrels remains an elusive one, and next up to try is Cooper & Thief Cellarmasters, an outfit that’s become a staple at whiskey events, pouring its products for the whiskey-loving masses. Cooper & Thief has three wines in its arsenal (a sauvignon blanc isn’t reviewed here), and it’s got…
Review: Spirits of French Lick – Bourbons, Gin, Absinthe, and Aquavit (2019)
If I wanted to be perfect on style and grammar, I’d call this post “Spirits of Spirits of French Lick.” You see, the distillery is called Spirits of French Lick, not French Lick, which makes me realize that I’ve now typed French lick four times. Five. Spirits of French Lick can be found in West Baden…
