Review: 2012 Forward Kidd Red Wine
I’m going to start by noting that “Forward Kidd” is a terrible name for a wine. (Forward and Kidd both refer to types of loamy soil common in the mountains of Napa, neither of which any wine drinker has heard of.) And this wine also has an even worse label. (“Forward” and “Kidd” are in…
Review: American Star Vodka, Complete Lineup
Look closely at the label — “Star Vodka” is a totally different product — and you’ll see a small “American” in the etching above the “Star” on this exceptionally hard-to-read vodka bottle from Ascendant Spirits (makers of Breaker Bourbon). American Star is distilled (at least) five times from corn (the bottle just reads “grain”) in…
Review: anCnoc Cutter, 12 Years Old, 18 Years Old, 24 Years Old, and 1975 Vintage
Knockdhu’s anCnoc recently flooded our mailbox with a collection of single malts, including three members of the age-statemented line, one new one from the NAS “Peaty Range,” and a very special offering from anCnoc’s vintage-dated collection of whiskies. We gathered them all up and put them through the Drinkhacker gauntlet. Thoughts follow. anCnoc Cutter Highland…
Review: Don Pancho Origenes Rum 8 Years Old, 18 Years Old, and 30 Years Old
First off, Don Pancho is a real dude. He’s Cuban, his real name is Francisco Fernandez, and he’s been in the rum business for 50 years, only he has been making it for other people. Don Pancho is the first brand he’s ever made for himself, so it better be good, huh? Produced in Panama,…
Review: Wines of Brazil’s Salton, 2015 Releases
Yes Virginia, it’s not all cachaca. They also make wine in Brazil. Vinicola Salton is my first exposure to Brazilian wine, via this trio of bottlings that span a range of styles from classic Old World expressions to oddball blends I’ve never seen before. Thoughts on all three follow. 2012 Salton Intenso Cabernet Franc –…
Nocciolata Spread Meets Partida Tequila?
To the guy gal who said he would stop reading the site if I kept covering unrelated food items, hear me out. Nocciolata — an Italian (and slightly creamier) version of Nutella — wants you to pair its chocolate/hazelnut spread with Partida Reposado tequila. And they sent us a bit of both to give this…
Review: Redd’s Green Apple Ale and Wicked Mango
Don’t call it cider. Redd’s is beer flavored with apples (and other fruits), not fermented from apples directly. The company (part of MillerCoors now) just put out two new versions: Green Apple and Wicked Mango Redd’s Green Apple Ale – It tastes just like sparkling apple juice with the tiniest of kicks, a clear nod…
Review: Ardbeg Perpetuum
Ardbeg Day (May 30) is almost upon us, and as usual that means a new Limited Edition whisky from this classic islay distillery. 2015 marks Ardbeg’s 200th birthday, and for this momentous occasion the distillery has produced a special bottling: Ardbeg Perpetuum, an expression “inspired by the man styles, ideas and quirks of fate which…
