Review: Doritos Nacho Cheese Spirit
You probably never thought about boozifying a nacho cheese flavored Doritos chip, did you? But you probably also never thought about turning Doritos into Taco Bell taco shells either, and now look who’s laughing. In collaboration with “global flavor innovator” Empirical, a Delaware-based operation which makes all kinds of oddball spirits, the good people at…
Review: 2018 Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva Ducale Oro
Produced only in select vintages since 1947, Riserva Ducale Oro is hand-harvested, largely using estate fruit grown on Ruffino’s Gretote property. A classic expression of Tuscany, the wine hits all the highlights and expectations, including bright cherry, jammy plum, and gentle florals to keep the fruit in check. Some darker cocoa powder and nutmeg notes…
Review: Milam & Greene The Castle Hill Series Batch 3
It’s a bittersweet farewell to Milam & Greene’s Castle Hill Series in 2023, as the final barrels of its Dickel-sourced whiskey have now been turned out, blended, and bottled. Sure, last year Heather Greene said that Castle Hill Batch 2 was probably the final Castle Hill release, but this time she says for sure that’s it…
Review: Signatory Mortlach 15 Years Old 2008
As a rule of thumb when I see independent bottlings of Mortlach, I pick them up. While this Signatory Vintage release, from the long-running “Un-Chillfiltered Collection,” is matured only in bourbon hogsheads, the 15 year age statement — and reasonable price — spurred me to lie down my Visa card. This is a classic…
Review: Wines of Halter Ranch, 2023 Releases
We are entering the darkest part of the winter season, which means it is time to pull out some deep reds and hang by the fireplace for more than a few hours while the snow/ice/wind do their thing outdoors. Which brings us to this particular trio of wines. Set alongside the west side of Paso…
Review: Diageo Scotch Whisky Special Releases 2023
Diageo’s annually released Special Releases are always treasures, but they don’t always shake up expectations, often relying on slight twists to some well-worn formulas in the world of Scotch — some added age, virgin oak, higher proof, and so on. With 2023, that’s all changing. With this “Spirited Xchange” collection, Diageo is leaning on its…
Review: Glenfiddich Perpetual Collection Vat 03 15 Years Old
Glenfiddich’s duty free/travel retail lineup is designated its “Perpetual Collection,” as all of the whiskies in the lineup (four to date) are aged in solera vats. How many solera vats — which are constantly refilled, leaving some percentage of older stock behind — does Glenfiddich have? I’ve only seen the one — which is used…
Review: Wines of Montecucco, 2023 Releases
Montecucco isn’t a wine region I expect most people are familiar with — I wasn’t — so let me introduce you to this small part of the Maremma area in Italy, a locale you’ll find between Brunello di Montalcino and Morellino di Scansano. Sangiovese is of course the grape of choice here, but blending grapes…
