Review: Santera Tequila, Complete Lineup
Santera is a new Highlands-based tequila, 100% blue agave, and bottled in an understated, classy decanter. We tried all three standard expressions. Thoughts on each follow. All are 80 proof. Available in New York (for now). Santera Tequila Blanco – Unaged. Modest, but present, agave character is backed by earthy, stony, and flint-like notes. Some…
Review: Jameson Wild Sloe Berry Bitters
Unveiled for Tales of the Cocktail 2015, Jameson released its first-ever bitters, taking them to an unexpected and exotic place: the sloe berry. The sloe berry is primarily known — OK, exclusively known — for its use in sloe gin. Here, Jameson blends up sloe berry distillate, Jameson whiskey, a mix of bittering agents that includes…
Review: Mister Katz’s Rock & Rye
New York Distilling produces a number of craft spirits, including this Rock & Rye, which takes the company’s own young rye whiskey and blends it with rock candy sugar, sour cherries, cinnamon, and citrus. It’s both a balanced and flavorful spirit, with those cherries and cinnamon notes both strong on the nose and the palate. The body…
Review: Ardbeg Supernova SN2015
By now you have probably had your fill of news about how Ardbeg sent some whisky into space and how it became a magical superspirit after three years in microgravity. 2015’s Supernova bottling — Ardbeg’s mega-peated expression — is being released in honor of these findings. (Remember: There is no actual space whisky in the bottle.) What…
Review: 2010 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Cabernet Sauvignon
BV’s top-end wine is still in its 2010 release, a key indicator of the amount of care that goes into the production of one of Napa’s most classic bottlings. The 2010 BV Georges de Latour cuts an opulent and austere profile, in keeping with the general approach of this series. Strong cassis on the nose…
Drinkhacker 2015 Wine Cheat Sheet / Vintage Chart
Our popular Drinkhacker cheat sheet — the ninth version in our annual series of printable features designed to help you tell a good vintage of wine from a crummy one — is here! Just print, cut along the dotted lines, fold it up (into thirds), and keep a copy in your wallet next time you need…
Review: Rational Spirits Santeria Rum
Remember Lost Spirits, the guys making 20 year old rum in 8 days? Well, after my Wired article hit, the company got venture capital funding, commercialized its reactor, and made deals with pretty much every distillery you’ve ever heard of — either to make commercial products or to provide experimental services. Now the first third-party rum…
Review: Starr Hill Boxcarr Pumpkin Porter
As pumpkin beers go, Starr Hill’s Boxcarr Pumpkin Porter is a pretty good rendition. Or, at least, it’s a non-awful rendition that manages to shy away from an over-sweetened, gloppy mess while also not attempting to do something insane like actually brew pumpkin pulp and turn that into beer. Rather, Boxcarr is a lightly spiced…
