Review: Uncle Val’s Peppered Gin
The third gin in the collection from 35 Maple Street’s Uncle Val’s line, Uncle Val’s Peppered Gin starts with a juniper infusion… and diverges from there. Three kinds of peppers round out the rest of the bill — black pepper, red bell pepper, and pimento. The name doesn’t lie. As gin goes, this is a racy,…
Review: Bronx Brewery Belgian Style Pale Ale and Rye Ale
See if you can guess where Bronx Brewery is based. Not sure? Check out their website, then consider these two offerings from the company’s collection of (all canned) beers. Bronx Brewery Belgian Style Pale Ale – A bit musty and earthy from the get go, with muddy hops and overtones of forest floor. The finish…
Review: t1 Tequila Extra Anejo Sensacional
Four years ago, the t1 Tequila (aka Tequila Uno) line hit the scene, a Highlands bottling with the standard three expressions on tap. Now t1 is back with a rarer expression: an extra anejo with 3 1/2 years of age on it. As with the other aged t1 tequilas, there’s a twist: Those years are spent not in the…
Review: 2012 Frank Family Vineyards Petite Sirah Napa Valley
Frank Family has made a Reserve Petite Sirah since 2008, but it’s never released a standard bottling (with the “Napa Valley” tier appellation) until now. For this inaugural release, Frank has put out a 100% petite sirah that is definitely worth your time and attention. Lush berries and dense chocolate are layered with lightly smoky…
Review: High West Yippee Ki-Yay (2016)
High West’s latest little blend came out of nowhere, but here it is, for your frontier-style enjoyment. Yippee Ki-Yay, inspired by Buffalo Bill and his ilk, is a blend of two straight rye whiskeys: One is a two year old MGP whiskey that is 95% rye and 5% malted barley. The second is a whiskey…
Review: Wines of Umbria’s Falesco, 2016 Releases
Umbria, Tuscany’s little cousin, is the home of Falesco, which has been operating in the region since 1979. The company produces wine under a handful of sub-labels, the Vitiano brand representing its entry-level bottlings. We checked out two members of the Vitiano line and one wine higher up the chain. Thoughts follow. 2014 Falesco Vitiano…
Review: Tequila Herradura Coleccion de la Casa Directo de Alambique Silver Tequila, Reserva 2015
For the previous three years, Herradura has produced a limited edition tequila, each with a different twist. Those twists have all involved reposados with special barrel finishing — Port, Cognac, and Scotch casks, to be specific. This year Herradura is doing something different. Not only is the tequila not finished, it’s not aged at all.…
Review: Newcastle Foreign Extra India Pale Ale
Newcastle, in another collaboration with Caledonian, keeps hacking away at the IPA-brown ale hybrid. This time it’s a Foreign Extra, which means more hops, more alcohol, and more of pretty much everything. As with the prior experiments, this one comes across with that big nutty, malty character up front, lightly smoky at times with an…
