Review: Woodford Reserve Distillery Series – Toasted Oak Rye
We reviewed the last entry into Woodford Reserve’s Distillery Series only in June — and as promised, the second of three special edition ryes to be released this year is already here. Toasted Oak Rye is made from a mash of 53% rye, 33% corn, and 14% malted barley mash, matured in used Woodford Reserve…
Review: Q Drinks Mixers – Complete Lineup
Q is a leading name in the artisan mixer space, and recently the company fairly radically revamped its lineup, jettisoning a few products, adding at least one, and most importantly, dropping its bottle size from 9 ounces to 6.7 ounces — more in line with “single serving” size and, more importantly, allowing them to reduce…
Review: Barefoot Sangria
Here’s a cold hard truth: Bottled sangria is almost always better than you think, and Barefoot, which is hardly renowned for its luxe bottles of standard wine, produces a perfectly drinkable one here, a fruit-forward wine made even fruitier through the addition of extra citrus flavors (featuring lots of lime), plus hints of tropical fruits…
Review: Ferdinand’s Saar Dry Vermouth, Dry Gin, and Quince
Newly available in the U.S. is this collection of products from Germany’s Avadis Dsitllery. Bottled under the Ferdinand’s label, these products all involve a unique ingredient: Riesling wine from the Mosel region, where the distillery is based. Some additional details from the company: Ferdinand’s Saar Dry Gin is crafted from grain to bottle at Avadis…
Review: 2014 Invivo Pinot Noir Central Otago
New Zealand pinot noir can be hit and miss, often landing too heavily on a meaty note, but this bottling from Invivo fires on all fronts: Lightly peppery, loaded with dusky cherries, blueberries, and some raspberries, fading into notes of tea leaf and baking spices. A classic New World pinot, you wouldn’t be out of…
Tasting Report: Wines of Addendum, 2014 Vintage
Addendum is a brand new (and standalone) wine label from the team at Fess Parker. The winemaking operation is in Santa Barbara, but unlike Parker’s main label bottlings, these grapes come from Napa up north. The goal of this unique project: To make high-end, Bordeaux varietal wines from California fruit… though you’ll find a little syrah…
What’s the Best Way to Cellar Wine?
So you’re a fan of good wine, and you’ve just acquired a nice bottle. It’s not something you’re going to drink right away, and perhaps you want to put it down for a while and let the passage of time potentially improve what’s inside. If this is your first time cellaring a bottle of wine,…
Review: 2012 Chateau Haut-Logat Haut-Medoc Cru Bourgeois
What’s Cru Bourgeois? “A Cru Bourgeois du Médoc wine (a step below Cru Classe) is produced in one of eight prestigious appellations of Bordeaux (Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Listrac-Médoc, Moulis en Médoc, Margaux, Saint Julien, Pauillac, or Saint Estèphe) and has satisfied the strict quality selection procedure by which all applicant wines are reviewed annually.” This wine…
