Review: Deschutes Brewery Swivelhead Red (2018)
Deschutes’ winter-spring seasonal, the Bond Street Series Swivelhead Red, has undergone little change since its 2017 debut. The “India Style Red Ale” has a malty attack but a bitter undercarriage, but it’s ultimately the sweeter malt that wins out. While a classic piney character hits first, the body quickly finds some raisin notes, a pecan-like nuttiness,…
Review: Midleton Dair Ghaelach Bluebell Forest Tree 1
Midleton’s experiments with wood continue with this whiskey, a blend of single pot still spirits each matured for 15 to 22 years in bourbon casks, then finished in barrels made from six ancient Irish oak trees harvested from the Bluebell Forest in County Kilkenny. Each tree gets its own barrel. This sample was drawn from…
Highlights from the California Artisan Cheese Festival 2018
As the winter starts to thaw, a young man’s fancy turns to cheese. What could be better than an evening at the California Artisan Cheese Festival, particularly The Best Bite event, where cheese-centric foods are paraded alongside some of Marin and Sonoma County’s best beers, wines, and ciders. This year’s event had plenty to enjoy,…
Review: Blood Oath Bourbon Whiskey Pact No. 4 2018
Luxco’s Blood Oath bourbon series continues its march forward with Pact No. 4. Some details: Pact No. 4 continues the tradition with a masterful union of three well-bred Kentucky straight bourbons that come together for a unique and complex flavor profile. The first is an extra-aged 12-year bourbon that provides a mellow finish with deep oak…
Review: UFO Pineapple
UFO is an offshoot of Boston’s Harpoon Brewery with a specific focus on unfiltered wheat beers. Kinda-sorta spun off as its own thing, UFO (for UnFiltered Offering) has been steadily increasing its output, with a particular focus on canning. UFO Pineapple is the latest edition, a hefeweizen (of course) infused with its namesake fruit. From…
Review: Charleston Distilling King Charles Vodka, Jasper’s Gin, Vesey’s Bourbon, and Calhoun’s Rye
Charleston Distilling is a South Carolina-based craft distillery that takes a farm-to-bottle approach to all of its spirits, starting with South Carolina-grown corn, rye, wheat, and millet that are milled at its own millhouse in Summerton, South Carolina, and then distilled at its operation in downtown Charleston. Its whiskeys are aged in new, charred oak…
Review: 2015 Poggio Alle Gazze dell’Ornellaia IGT
Bogheri, Italy’s Ornellaia is well known for its cult red wines, but lately it’s been moving into uncharted territory: Whites. Poggio Alle Gazze is the result of “Super Tuscan white wine” experiments that winemaker Axel Heinz began 10 years ago, and with the 2015 vintage, this wine is available in the U.S. for the first…
Review: Jura Seven Wood and Jura 18 Years Old
Jura, based on the Isle of Jura just one island over from Islay, has launched two new expressions, both of which join its permanent, national lineup. These will soon be replacing much of Jura’s current lineup, with Origin, Superstition, Diurachs’ Own 16 Years Old, and Prophecy all being sunsetted. Let’s look at each of the new…
