What Grains are Used to Make Whiskey (And Why?)
You might think that there’s not much to making whiskey: it’s just grain, right? Like beer, but distilled? But there’s actually more to it than that, and like gin, what goes into the whiskey can wildly change the taste of what you get in the bottle. It’s true that, at its simplest, whiskey is just…
Review: Sparkling Wines of Martini & Rossi, 2017 Releases
You’re probably singing it right now — Martin and Rossi / Asti Spumante. Well, Italy’s Martini & Rossi is still around and, it turns out, is trying to slowly move upmarket, God bless ’em. Yes, Asti Spumante is still here too — they just call it Asti now — but the brand has its sights on grander…
Review: Port Askaig 110 Proof
Before you book a flight to Islay, know this: There is no distillery at Port Askaig. This whisky is rather “created from carefully selected casks from distilleries across Islay. All whiskies from Port Askaig are truly ‘small-batch’ with as few as two, and no more than 40, casks used for each bottling.” Since it’s billed…
Review: Wines of Kelley & Young, 2017 Releases
Recently we attended Kelley & Young Winery’s first Meet the Winemakers Dinner and enjoyed a selection of this California-based operations products. Here’s our impression of the wines served. 2015 Kelley & Young Sauvignon Blanc finishes fermenting at a lower alcohol content a month after crushing the grapes. This Sauvignon Blanc has a clear pretty yellow…
Review: Glenmorangie Astar (2017)
Glenmorangie released Astar way back in 2008. The concept was a weird one: It was a single malt entirely matured in oak from the Ozark mountains of Missouri, “designed to impart the wood’s maximum flavor to the spirit.” These barrels were toasted then filled with bourbon for four years before being emptied and shipped to…
Review: Wines of Argentina’s Alamos, 2017 Releases
Someone has messed up a relatively winning formula at Alamos, which has taken a turn for the overly manipulated since we last encountered the wines in 2015. 2016 Alamos Torrontes Origin Salta – The lone hit in this bunch, this is a highly acidic torrontes with tons of white flowers, hints of peach, and a…
Review: Johnnie Walker Blenders’ Batch Wine Cask Blend
Johnnie Walker’s experimental, limited-time releases continue this month with the second expression in the series to be released in the U.S.: Wine Cask Blend. (Two more expressions from this series, Rum Cask Blend and Espresso Roast, have been released internationally and are not available in the U.S. That brings the total number of experimental releases…
Tasting the Wines of Chateau Magdeleine Bouhou, 2017 Releases
The Cotes de Bordeaux is the youngest AOC in Bordeaux, established only in 2009 when four smaller communes were joined together to become a single region (with a bit more of marketing muscle than they had before). Cotes de Bordeaux wines aren’t very common here — though that’s changing, thanks in part to wineries like Chateau…
