Review: 2015 Bougrier Chenin Blanc “V” Vin de France
Another Vin de France offering — composed of grapes sourced from anywhere in the country — this chenin blanc offers pungent aromas of honeysuckle and grassy notes, leading into a palate of lightly tropical notes, apricots, and a slightly perfumed floral character. The finish is surprisingly acidic and mineral-heavy, slightly sour but otherwise clean and…
Review: Amrut Spectrum 004 Single Malt Whisky 2017
In 2004, Amrut Distilleries, based in Bangalore, India, introduced the first single malt whisky made in India to the UK market. Since then, the distillery has released several expressions of single malt all over the world using Indian barley, as well as peated barley sourced from Scotland. Amrut bottles their whisky at a comparatively younger…
Review: Monday Night Brewing Serrano Eye Patch Ale
We haven’t heard much from Atlanta’s Monday Night Brewing in a few years, but at last the company is out with a new release: Serrano Eye Patch Ale, and IPA brewed with serrano peppers. The brew is actually a reissue of a beer that went off the market in 2015, and the company is finally bringing…
Review: Symposion Longmorn 1992
Symposion — the “House of Taste” — is a Sweden-based independent bottler of Scotch whisky and other spirits, with a particular eye on serving the Nordic market. I picked up this indie bottling of Speyside’s Longmorn — distilled in 1992 and bottled in 2012 at 20 years old after maturation in bourbon hogsheads — at…
Review: 2014 Las Rocas Garnacha
For most drinkers, garnacha is a seldom thought-of grape, though it is grown seemingly all around the world (either as garnacha or grenache). This garnacha from Las Rocas hails from Spain’s Catalayud region in between Madrid and Barcelona, and it showcases some of the more inspirational notes of the grape. It’s fruity for sure, loaded…
Review: Laphroaig Cairdeas Quarter Cask Edition 2017
Laphroaig’s annual limited edition release — dubbed Cairdeas, Gaelic for “friendship” — has arrived, and this one keeps the production process a little more familiar than many of its previous bottlings. To wit: Laphroaig Cairdeas Quarter Cask features different ages of Laphroaig matured for more than five years in first-fill bourbon casks, then laid to rest for a second…
Review: 2014 Pertinace Barbera d’Alba DOC
A classic, but simple, expression of barbera, this wine from the Mionetto empire offers a nose of sour cherry and mixed berries, filtered through wood and a touch of vanilla. The palate is surprisingly dense, that sour cherry character really amped up here, with slightly green finish. B / $15 / freixenetmionettousa.com Related posts: Review: Gran…
Review: Ghost Tequila
Have we reached the era of peak ghost pepper? The unavoidable “hottest pepper on earth” is used to flavor — a term used loosely here — Ghost Tequila, which actually begins with a 100% agave base spirit. Designed for consumption as a shot (perhaps the punishment the loser of a bar bet is stricken with),…
