Review: Lonach Tomatin 43 Years Old
Lonach is a rarely seen independent bottler that, of late, has specialized in bottling some very old spirits at very affordable prices. This bottling of Speyside’s Tomatin was distilled in 1965 and bottled in 2009 at 43 years of age. It’s a cask strength release, but just 41.1% abv given all the alcohol evaporation it’s seen.…
Review: Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection – Wheated Bourbon Warehouse Floor Experiments
Last summer, Buffalo Trace released a series of three experimental whiskeys, each aged on a separate floor of its wooden-floored Warehouse K. These rye-heavy bourbons were as different as night and day — and now BT is back to do the same experiment again, this time with wheated bourbons. The experiment is otherwise the same…
Recipe: National Hot Toddy Day, 2015
With the majority of the nation under a bit of a cold spell (as I type this the wind chill in my town just hit a cool and breezy -21 degrees Fahrenheit), we thought it best to revisit one of the best winter drinks around: the hot toddy. A classic drink for these bone-chilling days,…
Review: Wildwood Spirits Stark Vatten Vodka and Kur Gin
Wildwood Spirits is a new craft distillery located in Bothell, Washington. We tasted the company’s first two products, a solid vodka and a uniquely flavored gin. Thoughts follow. Stark Vatten Vodka – Swedish for “strong water,” made from heirloom, local red winter wheat in a self-proclaimed European style. I think that’s a reasonably fair description. This…
Review: Koma Unwind Relaxation Beverage
Koma Unwind is another one of these newfangled beverages designed not to turn you into a bon vivant but rather into a slumbering snoozer. This canned, sparkling beverage includes mostly familiar active ingredients: B12, milk thistle, valerian root, rose hips, and melatonin. These goodies are dropped into a rather familiar soda format — sweet and…
Review: Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur
Yeah, you’re reading that right. The iconic producer of Irish cheeses and butter is now venturing into spirits, with this fitting Irish Cream Liqueur. The spirit is being made in conjunction with Imperial Brands, best known as the producer of Sobieski Vodka. The new product “features cream from grass-fed, Irish cows, aged Irish whiskey, and luxurious…
Review: Buffalo Trace Distillery Single Oak Project Bourbon Round Fifteen
The penultimate release of Buffalo Trace’s Single Oak Project is here, which means only a dozen bottles of the series of 192 bourbons remain to be released. For those keeping score, this makes 180 bourbons sampled to date over nearly four years of staggered releases. Need a primer on the Project? Here’s our past coverage to…
Review: Chateau du Tariquet Armagnac VS Classique (2015)
Armagnac, in the Gascony region of France near Bordeaux, has long played second fiddle to the better-known and more prestigious Cognac. Subtle production differences exist between the two. Cognac uses up to three grape varieties. Armangac can include four (Folle Blanche, Ugni Blanc, Colombard, and Baco). Cognac is distilled twice, Armangac only once. Bas-Armangac is the…
