Review: A Trio of Pineau des Charentes – Tiffon, Reviseur, and Chateau de Beaulon
Pineau des Charentes is perhaps the most unique “wine” you’ll ever encounter — in part because there’s actually no wine in it. What’s Pineau? Pineau des Charentes hails from the Cognac region of France (and thereabouts), where winemakers take (typically white) wine grapes, crush them into must, then — before it ferments (and turns into…
Review: Mad River Hopscotch Vermont Single Malt Whiskey
Warren, Vermont-based Mad River Distillers makes some interesting rum products that we’ve previously reviewed, but it has recently stepped into whiskey, including rye and bourbon. Today we look at Hopscotch, Mad River’s single malt, a collaboration between Mad River Distillers and the creator of Lawson’s Finest Liquids, which provides the heavily hopped beer from which this…
Review: Evans Brewing Pollen Nation, Approachable Bastard, and Krhopen
Irvine-based Evans Brewing Co. bills itself as “Orange County’s oldest craft brewer,” and by all accounts the company has seen impressive growth since its 1994 opening, especially in recent years. Recently the company sent us three of its brews (out of many) to check out, representing some of its most popular offerings. Let’s take a look…
Whisky Brand Confusion: When Is It a Different Scotch Distillery?
The new Macallan Distillery will look quite different… In 2013 a new brand was launched by William Grant (owners of Glenfiddich and Balvenie distilleries) called Kininvie. You may see its little 35cl bottles in duty free shops. The 17 year old is the cheapest version of this whisky and it will cost you around £80…
Review: Twisted Tea Original and Half & Half
The march to imbue just about any type of liquid with alcohol continues with a natural next step: Alcoholic iced tea. Twisted Tea is a “malt beverage with select teas and natural flavors,” which is better than many of these types of things, which often don’t contain any of the actual ingredient they’re trying to…
Review: James Eadie’s Trade Mark “X” Blended Scotch Whisky
Scotland has no shortage of lost brands and silent stills, and it’s always fun when one re-emerges. The latest is James Eadie, a self-styled “ancient Scotch mixture” (read: blended Scotch) that is returning to the market after 70 years. James Eadie’s Trade Mark “X” first retailed in 1854 and was trademarked 1877. Today’s expression includes stock…
Review: Wines of Barefoot, 2018 Releases
Hardly the first name in high-end wine, Barefoot has made a major name for itself in the world of wines served exclusively at baby showers. But seriously, the number of wines this mass producer is churning out is incredible, and today we look at no fewer than six of them, none priced above $9.99, including…
Review: Sunshine Reserve American Whiskey
Remember Manhattan Moonshine? These folks, based in New York, have now turned their attention to real (aged) whiskey. There’s a certain family resemblance here, of course: Sunshine Reserve uses the exact same bottle. If you think this is another MGP bourbon or another young single malt, think again. Sunshine Reserve is primarily made from oats, with…
