Review: The Exclusive Malts Batch #6 – Ledaig 1997, Speyside Port Matured 2004
New indie Scotch bottlings are hitting now from The Exclusive Malts, we got two to try. Thoughts follow. The Exclusive Malts Ledaig 1997 17 Years Old – Batch #5 featured a youthful 8 year old Ledaig (which is made at Tobermory on the Isle of Mull). This one’s over twice as old. Surprisingly pale for a…
Book Review: Proof: The Science of Booze
Wired editor Adam Rogers is an acquaintance and a colleague (he was my wingman at the HP50 tasting a few weeks back), so it’s not totally fair for me to rave about his new book, Proof: The Science of Booze. I will anyway. If, like myself, you’re as interested in the chemistry and biology of beer, wine,…
Review: Boathouse Distillery Colorado Bourbon Whiskey
Boathouse Distillery is based in Salida, Colorado, from which Colorado Bourbon hails. The back label copy of this whiskey alone is worth the price of admission: “Colorado Bourbon is especially formulated for Western women and men. We like adventure and the great outdoors.” And that’s it! Colorado Bourbon is sourced whiskey from whereabouts unknown, aged four…
Review: Oban Little Bay and Oban 14 Years Old
Next up in the NASverse is Oban, which is releasing its mew Little Bay expression just in time for Burns Day (January 25). This isn’t just another random collection of mysterious whiskies. Much like Laphroaig Quarter Cask, Little Bay is aged in part in smaller casks, giving it a distinct character. Says the company: “Crafted by…
Recipe: National Irish Coffee Day 2015
This Sunday (Jan 25) welcomes in a newly decreed holiday that we can get behind: National Irish Coffee Day. According to folklore, Irish coffee was invented by Chef Joseph Sheridan in 1942 to welcome visiting Americans. With it being quite the brisk night in Ireland, Sheridan added whiskey to their coffee and voila! The Irish take this…
Review: Guinness The 1759 Limited Edition Amber Ale
This limited edition Signature Series bottling from Guinness is an American Strong Ale brewed with both standard beer malts and peated whisky malts, making for a decidedly curious and intriguing beer. Thick and malty from the start, The 1759 (named in honor of Guinness’s founding) kicks off with a woody, slightly maple-syrupy nose. I catch…
Review: 2012 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
When I first tasted Faust’s 2012 Cabernet I thought it might be off — densely tannic with vegetal flavors that were massively overwhelming at first attack. I corked the wine up and put it away for a day, hoping things would settle down. Fortunately, they did, revealing a wine that’s a burly as all get-out, but…
Book Review: The 12 Bottle Bar
The 12 Bottle Bar is founded on a great idea: Build a home bar not by amassing hundreds of obscurities like Chartreuse and Punt e Mes (guilty!), but rather by focusing on the bare essentials. With just 12 bottles, authors David and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson say you can make hundreds of cocktails without breaking the bank or having to…
