Review: Kentucky Peerless Straight Rye 2 Years Old
Kentucky Peerless — aka just “Peerless” — isn’t just any old craft whiskey startup in Louisville. While the operation makes bourbon, the bigger focus is on rye — not sourced from parts unknown, but made on site, reportedly in line with recipes that have been handed down for more than 100 years. Some details: When…
Review: 2016 Hahn SLH Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
Hahn’s latest releases from its SLH line are here, both made with estate fruit from the Santa Lucia Highlands. 2016 Hahn SLH Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highands – Surprisingly sweet on the attack, with an overload of red berries, sweet cream, tangerine, and some spice notes. While it carries some interesting flavors, the whole thing…
Review: Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum
Over the years we’ve reviewed a whopping 12 varieties of Captain Morgan rum — but never the original spiced variety. That finally changes today as part of our quest to fill in any holes in our database. Captain Morgan Original plays its cards close to the vest. Described as a “secret blend of Caribbean rums,”…
Review: Wines of Geyser Peak, 2018 Releases
Geyser Peak’s spring releases of its boldest wines — all based around cabernet sauvignon — have arrived. Today we look at three releases from this essential California winery. 2014 Geyser Peak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley – Though now four years old, this still drinks with ample youth, boldly forward with blackberry notes and lots of…
Review: Endless Summer Rum
If you’ve never seen The Endless Summer, it’s a movie about surfing. (Sorry, spoiler.) There’s probably not a much more appropriate theme to tie a bottle of rum to — and the label even evokes the key art for the movie. Endless Summer Rum is distilled in Barbados, “using a blend of rums from two…
Review: NV Apothic Brew Red Wine Infused with Coffee
I’m not going to lie: I’ve been dreading pulling the cork on this since the day it arrived. But finally it had to be done, and I forced myself to experience what the marriage of red wine (reportedly Rhone style grapes, but Apothic doesn’t say) and cold brew coffee is like. Apothic is no stranger…
Review: Sierra Norte Single Barrel Whiskey – White Corn, Yellow Corn, and Black Corn
“Mexican whiskey” isn’t just a euphemism for tequila. Turns out our neighbors to the south really do make honest-to-God whiskey, none of which is more visible than Sierra Norte, which markets three different expressions made from different strains of corn native to Oaxaca — white, yellow, and black. (The mash for each is 85% corn…
Review: 2016 Count Karolyi Gruner Veltliner
Hungarian gruner, eh? I suppose it’s not so strange — after all, Austria and Hungary used to be one country. This wine is extremely dry, offering notes of tart green apple, grapefruit, and a lengthy mineral character that offers notes of flint and steel. Hints of peach and apricot linger on the finish — though…
