Review: Glen Elgin 18 Years Old Limited Edition 2017
This Glen Elgin release spent 18 years in sherry oak before bottling. It’s only the third time this Speyside distillery has been featured in the Special Release series. One of the more conventional (though perfectly well-made) bottlings in this lineup, this Glen Elgin is well sherried, to the point where the nose takes on a…
Review: Coravin Screw Cap
One of the (decidedly minor) challenges of the Coravin wine preservation system is that it doesn’t work with screw-capped wines. Because the system involves a thin needle piercing the cork, allowing the cork to re-seal after it’s withdrawn, it just isn’t possible to use it on a metal screwcap. Now, says Coravin, the problem is…
Review: Caol Ila Unpeated 18 Years Old Limited Edition 2017
This Caol Ila is a rare, unpeated version, aged in American oak hogsheads, that appears regularly in the Diageo Special Releases. This is the oldest unpeated Caol Ila released in the series to date. I’ll be straight up here: This is my favorite Caol Ila ever. The nose is rich with fruit, roasted grains, nuts,…
Review: 2014 Don Miguel Gascon Malbec Reserva Mendoza
This “purple label” bottling is the upscale release from Gascon. The mint on the nose is dense to the point of coming across a bit like spearmint gum, backed up with violet florals. The palate offers more in the way of fruit, though it features a semi-sweet, caramel-inflected core that takes it to a sweeter…
Review: Brora 34 Years Old Limited Edition 2017
Another release in the Diageo Special Releases series from Brora, which was shuttered in 1983. This Highlands bottling was distilled in 1982 and has spent its entire life in ex-bourbon hogsheads. (Oddly, that’s the only photo we were provided, above.) Brora is always a highlight of the Diageo Special Releases, and this year is no…
Review: Carnivor 2015 Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon
It’s the first wine ever designed solely for the meat eater who can’t spell! Turns out Carnivor’s intentional typo is the least of its problems… 2015 Carnivor Zinfandel California – A beefy zin that’s been pumped up with jam straight from the Smucker’s factory. Brambly blackberry and blueberry notes initially smell appealing, but on the…
Review: Blair Athol 23 Years Old Limited Edition 2017
Diageo’s Special Releases of Scotch whisky for 2017 are here, and as we do every year, we’ll be featuring a review of one each day for the next 10 days. As always, these represent some truly rare stocks, with prices commonly hitting four figures per bottle… of which only a few thousand or even hundred…
Make It a Boozy Christmas with Secret Spirits’ Advent Calendars
There’s no shortage of booze-centric Christmas gifts out there, but short of giving your loved ones a bottle of Pappy, one of the most exciting presents is an Advent calendar full of miniature bottles. The idea, in case you’re not in the know, is to open one little package on each day leading up to…
