Review: Trianon Tequila, Complete Lineup

Trianon is a 100% agave tequila hailing from the Lowlands, available in the usual three expressions. All are 80 proof, and we review all three below. Trianon Tequila Blanco – Sedate and seductive on the nose, the agave here seems dialed way back, and a touch sweet based on the honeyed aroma. The body plays down…

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Review: Samuel Adams Kosmic Mother Funk Grand Cru

Keep your eyes open for the KMF: Samuel Adams’ limited edition grand cru beer, formally known as Kosmic Mother Funk. An aged Belgian style ale, it spends a full year in Hungarian oak casks, and here’s why: The inspiration for Kosmic Mother Funk is Belgian beer styles and brewing techniques including blending, aging and conditioning…

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Review: The Last Drop 1950 Fine Aged Cognac

The Last Drop is a company with an amazingly fun story: It sources its spirits from shuttered, abandoned, or “lost” distilleries. When you buy the company’s product, that’s it. They’re gone and no one is going to make them again. That’s a powerful promise of rarity. The Last Drop says it “found these casks in a tiny…

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Review: CapaBubbles Sparkling Wine Cap

CapaBunga makes a pretty cool rubberized still wine stopper. It would therefore make sense that the company would want to do the same thing for sparkling wines, which are frequently resealed after opening and saved for another day. The problem of course is that you can’t just jam a cork into the neck. The gas…

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Review: 2012 Vineyard 29 Cru Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Distinctly smoky on the nose, this second-label wine from Vineyard 29 offers a body that pushes plenty of currants, blueberries, and gooseberries, with a healthy slug of wood, ash, and fresh leather to back it up. This sweet-meets-savory character is so full of body it can be almost overwhelming. Give it time, let it aerate…

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Drinkhacker 2014 Wine Cheat Sheet / Vintage Chart

Another year, another Drinkhacker cheat sheet — our eighth annual version of the popular chart designed to help you tell a good vintage of wine from a crummy one. Just print, cut along the dotted lines, fold it up (into thirds), and stow it away in your wallet or purse. Next time a wine list…

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“Dark” Wine Roundup: 2012 Menage a Trois Midnight and 2012 Gnarly Head Authentic Black

Teeth not stained enough for ya? Try Midnight, a new “dark red” wine from Menage a Trois, or Authentic Black, Gnarly Head’s take on the theme of vinified darkness that suddenly seems to be all the rage in the wine world right now. Which “dark red” wine should earn your late night affections? Read on.…

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Review: LA1 Louisiana Whiskey

Our final review of three product lines from Louisiana-based Donner-Peltier Distillers, we at last turn to what is something of a flagship for the company, LA1 Louisiana Whiskey. LA1 is made from corn, barley, rye, and — most curiously — local rice. There’s no information on proportions in the mashbill or the aging regimen, but…

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