Review: Starr Hill Warm Up and Double Bass (2017)
Two new seasonals (actually wrapping up their residency this month) from Starr Hill. Check them out while you can! Starr Hill Warm Up Winter Ale – This amber ale is spiked with cinnamon, cocoa, nutmeg and vanilla for wintertime drinking, but the proportions feel all wrong on my palate. Slightly sour and desperately lacking in malty…
A Visit to Jack Daniel’s Distillery
With sales of nearly 12 million cases per year, Jack Daniel’s is far and away the biggest whiskey brand in the world. No one else even comes remotely close. And if you spend any amount of time at the home of Old No. 7 in Lynchburg, Tennessee, you’ll be told in no uncertain terms who…
Tasting Report: Tre Bicchieri Italian Wines 2017
It’s hard to believe but it’s been a long four years since I’ve attended Tre Bicchieri, a celebration of the best Italian wines as judged by Gambero Rosso, a massive trade group that is pretty much the final word in fine Italian wine. Tre Bicchieri, or “three glasses,” is the highest rating the group offers…
Review: Mount Gay 1703 Master Select Rum 2017
Barbados’ Mount Gay Rum was launched in 1703, and it reserves the name for its rarest rum, a series launched in 2009 that is now called 1703 Master Select. This has become an annual release that has evolved over time, and 2017’s version is now here. (For example, in 2010 it was known as 1703 Old Cask…
Tasting Report: WhiskyFest Washington DC 2017
WhiskyFest remains one of the best ways to meet other spirits enthusiasts, hear from some of the industry’s biggest names, and of course try a wide variety of whisk(e)y, including many hard-to-find and expensive offerings. The VIP ticket, which provides an additional hour of sampling, is particularly useful for discovering the true rarities, as most…
Review: Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Decades
About a year ago, Wild Turkey announced the release of Decades, a rare blend of whiskies blended from Turkey stock up to 20 years old. And then… it disappeared. The whiskey was pulled right before it was supposed to hit the market, postponed to 2017. Well folks, 2017 is here, and so is Master’s Keep…
Review: Wines of Stags’ Leap Winery, 2013 Vintage
Note first that Stags’ Leap Winery (cursive label) is not the same thing as Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (block text label). It’s the apostrophe that’s important. Stags’ vs. Stag’s. Both are of course found in the Stag’s Leap District of Napa, and both are excellent wineries. Today we look at the wines of the plural possessive —…
Review: Anchor Distilling Junipero Gin San Francisco Strength
Craft gin arguably got its start with Junipero, one of the earlier products to come out of San Francisco’s Anchor Distilling. Made in the London Dry style, it was the first post-Prohibition craft gin to be distilled in the United States, and it’s still going strong. Now 20 years old, Anchor Distilling’s Junipero Gin brand has…
