Review: Baileys Pumpkin Spice
Fall is here, and that must mean it’s time for… special edition flavored liqueurs! Today’s comes from Baileys, which takes its iffy history with limited edition flavors and adds to it that biggest of crowd pleasers: pumpkin spice. Of course, pumpkin spice never really means much in the way of pumpkins, but “nutmeg/cinnamon/ginger/clove spice” just doesn’t have…
Review: Blandy’s Madeira Collection, 10 Years Old
Not too long ago, we rounded up the world of Madeira as Blandy’s sees it. I won’t go into the full Madeira backstory; click the link if you want the deep dive into what Madeira is and where it comes from. In that review we looked at five year old Madeiras. Now we kick it…
Review: Trail’s End Bourbon
In my daily life, Trail’s End refers to the popcorn that my son’s Cub Scout pack has to sell every year. Turns out it is also the name, completely unaffiliated of course, of a bourbon brand, produced by Hood River Distillers (which makes Pendleton) in Oregon. Trail’s End is sourced bourbon from Kentucky, where it…
Drinkhacker 2016 Wine Cheat Sheet / Vintage Chart
It’s a new year for the Cheat Sheet, that quick ‘n’ handy guide to various wine vintages, which you can cut out, fold up, and keep in your wallet or purse so it’s always at the ready when you find a wine list flummoxing you. As always, here’s how to use the cheat sheet: Only…
Review: Lagavulin 25 Years Old 200th Anniversary Edition (2016)
Islay is rife with 200th anniversaries this year. Up next is Lagavulin, which is putting out a special 25 year old anniversary bottling to commemorate the occasion (which is weird because it already had one 200th anniversary edition, an 8 year old). Some details from the distillery: Lagavulin 25 Year Old, matured exclusively in sherry…
Review: Vizcaya Black Rum Reserva
The Dominican Republic’s Vizcaya is a little-known but very high-end producer of rum, and its latest expression, Vizcaya Black, is no letdown. Some details: Crafted in small batches in the Dominican Republic using the traditional Guarapa method, Vizcaya Black Rum features pressed sugar cane juices as the primary ingredient, not molasses that is used for…
Review: Deschutes Brewery Black Butte XXVIII 28th Birthday Reserve
Deschutes keeps having birthdays and it keeps putting out experimental porter to commemorate it. This year’s Black Butte is less outright wacky than some of the recent releases, brewed with cocoa, vanilla, peated malt, and sweet orange peel. Half of the batch, as always, is aged in barrels — this time used bourbon and Scotch…
Review: Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon (2016)
Earlier this year, Elijah Craig became the latest Kentucky bourbon to lose its age statement. Formerly a 12 year old release, it is now NAS, though Heaven Hill says the product will be composed of stock aged from 8 to 12 years old (200 barrels at a time) and, of course, assures us that quality…
