Review: Port Ellen 37 Years Old Limited Edition 2016
Though the Islay distillery closed in 1983, Diageo cranks out a Port Ellen Special Release every year. This is the 16th installment of the whisky. Distilled in 1978 and aged for 37 years, it is also the oldest Port Ellen ever released… and likely the most expensive, too. As is common, this release is a vatting…
Review: Firemans Brew IPA
L.A.-based Firemans Brew is back with its first new beer in over a decade. Being that this is a California brewery, it’s only fitting that it’s an IPA, made with Cascade, Columbus, Chinook and Galena hops. A touch maltier than many IPAs, it has a distinct but mild mushroom note on the nose, tempered with a bit of…
Review: Linkwood 37 Years Old Limited Edition 2016
Diageo hasn’t put out a Special Release bottling of Speyside’s Linkwood in eight years (and only one other one before that), and for 2016 it’s got a doozy: 37 years old, distilled in 1978. The whisky was aged in a mix of refill American oak hogsheads and refill European oak sherry butts. A clear standout…
Review: 2015 Pighin Pinot Grigio Friuli
This Friuli-sourced pinot grigio offers some of the usual tropical fruit notes, with ample acidity, but it is weighed down by a significant vegetal character that is particularly present on the nose. The finish winds things up with a brisk, almost sour, finish — but also a touch of mushroom. It’s a nice value, but…
Review: Auchroisk 25 Years Old Limited Edition 2016
This third-ever release of Diageo’s Special Release of Speyside-based Auchroisk was distilled in 1990 and aged in a mix of refill American oak and refill European oak casks. See also Diageo’s two prior Auchroisk releases in 2010 and 2012. The nose is mild and quite restrained, with light notes of iodine, roasted grain, baked apples, and…
Review: Wines of Frank Family Vineyards, 2016 Releases
Three new reds from Frank Family, vying for a spot on your winter table. 2014 Frank Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Carneros – A darker and denser pinot than we’ve come to expect from Carneros, complete with notes of bittersweet chocolate, licorice root, and gritty charcoal. Good thing there’s ample fruit to keep all of…
Review: Mannochmore 25 Years Old Limited Edition 2016
This unusual whisky in the Diageo Special Release series hails from a young Speyside distillery (established in 1971) that is largely unknown for single malt production, at least under its own name. While most Mannochmore produced ends up in Johnnie Walker, the distillery is probably best known for producing Loch Dhu, widely regarded as the…
Review: Stone Enjoy By 12.25.16 Unfiltered IPA and Xocoveza
More new stuff from Stone, just in time for Christmas. Stone Enjoy By 12.25.16 Unfiltered IPA – Like Stone’s other “Enjoy By” IPAs, this beer has a limited shelf life of a matter of weeks. For Christmas, Stone’s limited edition bottling is stuffed full of a whopping 12 different varieties of hops and is bottled…
