Review: Pendleton Midnight Canadian Whisky (2015)
Oregon-based Hood River Spirits has a bit of a cult following with Pendleton Canadian Whisky. In 2012 the company launched a second, older expression, Pendleton 1910, and now it’s following that up with Pendleton Midnight. Pendleton Midnight is quite a different animal than those that have come before it. The big spin is that a portion…
Review: 2014 Paramus Verdejo Rueda
This wine from Spain’s Rueda region is made from 85% verdejo and 15% viura, classic varieties from this area that’s largely unknown in the U.S. If more wines like this make it here, that could change quickly. Paramus Verdejo is a crisp white that balances fruit, minerals, and herbs all in a single bottle. The…
Tasting Report: Robert Parker’s Matter of Taste, 2015
Wine events are a dime a dozen, particularly in Northern California, but Matter of Taste, launched in 2014 by Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, is something worth your consideration. The idea is simple: With a focus on (but not exclusive to) Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from California, Oregon, and New Zealand, every wine poured at the…
Review: Alaskan Brewing Company Winter Ale
Alaskan’s Winter Ale is brewed with spruce tips plus a selection of specialty malts and hops. The beer is sweeter than you’d think, think less evergreen and more winter spice mix — cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Very heavy with malt, it’s quite sweet and it leaves behind a lengthy, sugary finish before fading out with the aid…
Review: Sheep Dip Islay Blended Malt
Sheep Dip is a relatively well-known blended whisky, but few realize that there are multiple Sheep Dips (Sheeps Dip?) to choose from. The “original” Sheep Dip is easily the best known and most widely available, but producer Spencerfield Spirit Co. has also produced vintage bottlings from time to time. The latest expression is a (nonvintage)…
Drinkhacker’s 2015 Holiday Gift Guide – Best Alcohol/Spirits for Christmas
We at Drinkhacker have been busier than ever this year, and yet it seems impossible that it’s time for our eighth annual edition of the Drinkhacker holiday gift guide — our “best stuff of the year awards.” As always, the list comprises some of the best-rated products we looked at over the last 12 months but…
Review: J Vineyards 2014 Pinot Gris and 2013 Pinot Noir
Two new release from J Vineyards in Sonoma, California — a pinot gris and a pinot noir. Let’s try them! 2014 J Vineyard Pinot Gris California – A simple white, quite herbal and touched with notes of camphor and menthol. Light lemongrass notes up front give way to rosemary and sage. Best with food. B /…
Review: The Feathery Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Spencerfield Spirit Co. makes some relatively well-known blended whiskies (at least in whisky nerd circles), Pig’s Nose and Sheep Dip. Now it’s back with a new blended malt (no grain whisky added, only various single malts): The Feathery. The name is a reference to the first golf ball (golfing being sacred in Scotland), which were made of…
