Review: Canadian Club 100% Rye
I don’t remember the last time we saw something new from Canadian Club (turns out it was 2011), but with absolutely no warning or fanfare the blender has released a new whisky. As the name fairly freely suggests, it’s 100% rye, produced by the rye giants at Alberta Distillers Ltd. As a reminder, “rye” whiskey need…
Review: Cana Brava Reserva Aneja Rum 7 Years Old
Cana Brava was released by New York-based importers The 86 Co. in 2014, a Panama-sourced rum with three years of age. Now it’s back with an aged expression, bottled at seven years old after a lifetime of ex-bourbon barrel aging. (Note that 750ml bottles are easier to come by now; this is a one-time release.)…
Review: Guinness Dublin Porter and West Indies Porter
Guinness was experimenting with these two porter releases, based on old 1800s recipes, when I visited in the summer of 2015. Now they’ve made their way to the States, so everyone can see a bit about what Guinness might have tasted like — decades before it ever released its first stout. English Porter isn’t an…
Review: Wicked Dolphin Coconut Rum and Spiced Rum
Never mind the cringeworthy name: Wicked Dolphin is a quality rum made not in the Caribbean but in Florida (Cape Coral, specifically), where it has been distilled from local sugar cane since 2012. Wicked Dolphin makes a white rum (not reviewed here), but it’s best known for its spiced version. Below we’ve got a review…
Review: 2015 Dark Horse Rose California Limited Release
OK folks, get ready for a flood of rose reviews. They are arriving in force for what appears to be a very pink summer ahead. First up: Dark Horse, a Central Valley cheapie that sees only a seasonal release. Harmless (it’s a blend of 40% grenache, 20% barbera, 20% pinot gris, and 20% tempranillo), this affordable…
Review: Midori Melon Liqueur
I have never asked for Midori. Midori has only sought me out, squirreled away in cocktails, usually the kind served blended into a slushie and handed out in a locale where the sunset is meant to be admired over anything else. Midori is, surprisingly, owned by Japan’s Suntory and made exclusively in Japan from its…
Review: Crown Royal Noble Collection Cornerstone Blend
Crown Royal is embarking on a new collection of whisky releases called the Noble Collection. This will be a series of annual, limited releases (no time horizon has been announced), each designed to “showcase Crown Royal’s team of talented distillers and blenders and named for the whisky brand’s noble roots.” (Crown Royal reminds us that…
Review: Diageo Orphan Barrel Project Rhetoric Bourbon 22 Years Old
Diageo’s Orphan Barrel project has an ambitious goal with the Rhetoric brand. First released as a 20 year old in 2014, it was further aged and reissued as a 21 year old last year, and as a 22 year old this month. 23, 24, and 25 year olds will be forthcoming through the remainder of…
