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…
Review: 2016 Fetzer Sundial Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon
This year, Mendocino-based Fetzer celebrates its 50th anniversary, marking, as it says, “50 years of pioneering leadership in sustainable winemaking.” And, I would add, building a legacy of low-cost wines “for everyday enjoyment.” To mark the occasion, Fetzer is releasing one of its most iconic wines — its California Cabernet — in a special bottle…
Review: KO Distilling Bare Knuckle Bourbon, Rye, and Wheat Whiskey
KO Distilling calls Manassas, Virginia home, and this outfit, which opened its doors only in 2015, already has a significant portfolio to show off. Today we look at its collection of American whiskeys — a bourbon, a rye, and a wheat whiskey — all of which are made with grains sourced from local Virginia farms,…
Review: Starr Hill Front Row and Looking Glass IPA
Two new brews from Starr Hill — one a permanent, one a seasonal to get while you can! Starr Hill Front Row Golden Ale – This brand new offering, which joins the year-round core lineup, is made with Honey malt and Cascade hops, which makes it drink suspiciously like a lager, malty and crisp, but with…
Review: Bumbu Rum
Spiced rum tends to follow a pretty well-worn path. But Bumbu is something quite different, and well worth exploring. The rum starts with sugarcane sourced from all over Latin America: Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guyana, and Honduras. The cane is taken back to the West Indies Rum Distillery in Barbados where…
