Review: Wines of Benessere, 2014 Releases
Benessere is a small, family-owned vineyard and winery in St. Helena, where it focuses heavily on estate-grown grapes. Specifically, Italian varietals and Zinfandel dominate the bill. Today we look at a selection of five wines from the company. Thoughts follow. 2013 Benessere Rosato di Sangiovese Estate St. Helena Vineyard – Let this rose warm a bit…
Recipes: Fall Friendly Cocktails, 2014
We’ve been getting hit with several recipe ideas to share for fall, so we figured we’d pass them along as an alternative to all of the pumpkin stuff that seems to be quite the craze this time of year. Enjoy! Spicy Cutty Pear Cooler 1.5 oz. Cutty Sark Prohibition Edition 0.25 oz. Ancho Reyes Chile…
Review: Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2006
I was privileged enough to score a dram of this through a recent trade with another local fellow who enjoys the Laddie just as much as I do, if not more. Lately I’ve been revisiting some of the Bruichladdich I have in the cabinet, just to see if time away has altered my enjoyment of…
Recipes for National Coffee Day, 2014
Monday, September 29th is National Coffee Day; a holiday which all folks in love with the caffeinated bean can most certainly get behind and celebrate. We’ve received a few recipes to celebrate this festive occasion, although we suggest maybe not drinking them around the office (unless your boss is cool with that sort of thing).…
Review: Germain-Robin Old & Rare Brandy Barrel 351
Craft Distillers has made just 120 bottles of this brandy under the Germain-Robin label, all from a single cask of 26 year old spirit of 100% pinot noir — grown in a Mendocino vineyard that no longer exists. In its online notes, Germain-Robin calls this perhaps its “finest distillate” and notes its “almost feral intensity.”…
Review: El Luchador Organic Tequila 110 Proof
Tapatio 110 isn’t the only overproof tequila in the game. Now comes El Luchador, a tequila from David Ravandi that also hits the 110 proof mark. El Luchador (“the wrestler”) is made from organic agave, single estate grown. Grown at 4,200 feet, the agave hails from the upper reaches of what is considered a Lowlands spirit. Individually…
Review: Chieftain’s Tobermory 1995 18 Years Old Cask #1287
Chieftain’s is a venerable independent bottler operated by Ian Macleod (which owns Glengoyne, Tamdhu, and many other whiskey brands). This is our first review of a Chieftain’s release, an 18 year old Tobermory, from the Isle of Mull. Thoughts on this overproof limited edition follow. A well-aged dram, this whisky is showing well, with a nose of orange and…
Review: Wines of Taken and Complicated, 2014 Releases
What’s Liam Neeson’s favorite wine? Taken! Taken Wine Co. is a five year old winery that bottles under two labels — Taken and Complicated. Part of the Trinchero empire, these are most affordable wines designed to be crowd pleasers. Thoughts follow. 2011 Taken Red Wine Napa Valley – 60% cabernet, 40% merlot. A soft and ready-to-go…
