The Top 20 Whiskeys of 2024
One of these days the world of whiskey is going to stop giving us the embarrassment of riches we’ve become accustomed to, but for now, the train is still rolling along unabated, and it seems like every week we see a new whiskey that we’re falling in love with. As is always the case, we…
Review: El Mayor Tequila Rosado Reposado – Cabernet Sauvignon Cask Aged
After years of cranking out extra anejo special editions, for 2024, El Mayor has turned its attention elsewhere: to the humble reposado, in the form of this “Rosado” tequila, which presents itself in a vibrant shade of pinkish orange. The color comes from finishing in cabernet sauvignon casks for nine months — which means it…
Review: Wines of Cos d’Estournel, 2024 Releases
Chateau Cos d’Estournel is a second-growth wine in the St. Estephe region of Bordeaux, but the operation is producing much more than its $75-a-bottle flagship offerings. The operation — the “s” in Cos is not silent, by the way — has six levels of wines, both white and red, most of which don’t actually carry…
Review: WhistlePig Ryes – Shafer, Kick Sauber, Beyond Bonded 2024, and PiggyBank 2024
Yes, there are four reviews of WhistlePig products — all of them rye — in this roundup, and while that’s not the way I’d prefer to do it, let’s be real: WhistlePig cranks out a ton of whiskey, and keeping up on it all is daunting. So here we go: Four recent releases from our…
Review: Ron Zacapa Edicion Negra
Guatemala-based Zacapa is well-known for its iconic Zacapa 23 (and Zacapa XO) expressions, but less commonly seen is this third bottling, the “black” Zacapa Edición Negra. It’s made from a blend of rums aged 6 to 24 years, and is “inspired by the natural elements of Guatemala including the dark fire of its volcanoes.” Some of…
Review: 2020 Pio Cesare Barolo
Barolo — “the wine of kings” — is normally a dense, austere affair that involves lengthy amounts of airtime, a decanter, and probably crossed fingers that the wine will open up in time for the main course to arrive. This 2020 from Pio Cesare is not that wine. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a…
Review: Chattanooga Whiskey Triple Islay Cask Finished Malt Whiskey
Tennessee craft distilling darling Chattanooga Whiskey recently dropped the sixth edition in their Finishing Series, a line that we admittedly haven’t kept up with well enough. Luckily, this latest offering is a reprise of sorts of an earlier expression that we missed (the Islay Scotch Cask Finish), which sees peated expressions of Chattanooga’s unique Tennessee…
Review: Oakside Cocktail Co. Manhattan
A fresh-made cocktail is always preferable, but life gets busy and sometimes we just don’t feel like squeezing citrus or measuring ounces or even stirring, especially if it’s for a big group of friends or family. Large format pre-made cocktails are a good solution to this conundrum, but there still aren’t a lot of options…
