Review: Flor de Cana Rum – 7, 12, 18, and 25 (2016)
Nicaragua’s best-known rum is Flor de Cana, which has grown in popularity and is available in nearly a dozen expressions now. Today we look at a full four of the distillery’s offerings, spanning the range from youngish to very old. Update: Originally I referred to these rums as “7 Years Old” and so on instead…
Review: Starr Hill Snow Blind Doppelbock and Hopfetti Triple IPA
Two new winter brews from the tireless innovators at Starr Hill — in two wildly different styles. Let’s dig in. Starr Hill Snow Blind Doppelbock – A burly brown monastic-style lager, toasty at first, with lots of caramel and chocolate notes coming up behind. The beer is so dense and bold it’s a little off-putting…
Review: Old Pulteney 35 Years Old
A rare treat of an old Highland malt, at 35 years old this expression of Old Pulteney is showing just beautifully, with notes of figs and plum pudding, raisiny Port, citrus peel, green banana, and a touch of cinnamon-spiced oatmeal on the back side. Slight salt-sea notes emerge from time to time, but only as…
Review: Nero D’Avola Wines of Sicilia DOC – Mandarossa and Morgante
Sicily is heavily pushing the newly-launched “Sicilia DOC” label, and rightly so — it’s the place to go for wines made from Nero D’Avola grapes, as close to a official wine for this region as you’ll find. The official group behind the Sicilia DOC sent us two current releases bearing the new AVA on the label.…
Review: Bonnie Rose Tennessee White Whiskey – Orange Peel and Spiced Apple
It hasn’t taken long, but flavored white whiskeys — most visibly in the form of brightly-colored flavored moonshines — are starting to gain in the marketplace as producers look for a way to make these very young spirits palatable to a wider audience. Bonnie Rose is white Tennessee whiskey (which alone is unusual), and it…
Review: 2014 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay
Paradoxically, the “Vintner’s Reserve” designation is pretty much Kendall-Jackson’s lowest-end bottling, but let’s not get too caught up in the names. The 2014 vintages of its iconic California white wines are finally here, so let’s give them a spin. 2014 Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc California – Almost New Zealand in style, this super-sweet sauvignon…
Review: Domaine Dupont Calvados – Fine Reserve, Vieille Reserve, Hors d’Age
These Calvados bottlings hail from the Pays d’Auge, the primary production area for the classic apple brandy in France’s Normandy region. The company produces over a dozen different expressions of Calvados (plus cider and other beverages). Today we look at three of the more common bottlings, all on the younger side of the company’s offerings.…
Tasting SakeOne Imports: Hakutsuru Draft, Tanrei Junmai, Superior Junmai Ginjo, and Sho-Une Junmai Dai Ginjo
SakeOne doesn’t just make interesting sakes in its Oregon home base, it also imports them — lots of them, in fact. In May 2014, SakeOne began importing the Hakutsuru line, which is Japan’s biggest export sake. All four of these sakes come from Hakutsuru collection. Let’s dive in, reader-san! Hakutsuru Draft Sake – Draft sake is…
