Review: Bell’s Oberon Ale
Summer is reaching its wonderful peak days, and while searching around for a review in our archives, I was surprised to find the glaring omission of Bell’s Oberon in our collection. I now seek to provide remedy to this matter. I’ve been drinking Oberon since arriving at the legal age to tend to such important…
Review: Lagavulin 12 Years Old and Lagavulin 37 Years Old Limited Edition 2013
These two Lagavulin single malts are our #4 and #5 entries into the 2013 Diageo Special Release series. For the uninitiated, Lagavulin’s standard bottling is a 16 year old, but Diageo puts out a younger 12 year bottling pretty much every year as part of the annual Special Release program. This year it’s backing that up…
Gelateria Naia Puts Frozen Whiskey on a Stick
Now here’s a fun item I never thought I’d see in my local supermarket: A gelato popsicle flavored with St. George Spirits Single Malt Whiskey. Both companies are local to NorCal: Gelateria Naia is based in Hercules, St. George in Alameda, both in the East Bay. This popsicle is quite a little delight, flavored with…
Review: Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers
No guessing about this one. The recipe’s right there in the name. With this limited edition (summertime) beer, Stone brews up its year-round, peat-smoked porter, made with Magnum and Mt. Hood hops, then adds Mexican chipotle peppers to the bill. The results are impressive. The nose is big and malty, with notes of leather and…
Review: Convalmore 36 Years Old Limited Edition 2013
Diageo 2013 Special Release #3 of 9 is a very rare offering from Convalmore, a Speyside distillery closed in 1985. Distilled in 1977, this is only the third release to come from Convalmore in the Special Release series. The beautiful amber color is instantly mouth-wetting, but the nose is elusive. After the alcohol vapors fade,…
Review: 2012 Banfi Rosso di Montalcino and Belnero
Drinking Tuscan wine doesn’t have to mean choosing between ultra-luxe bottlings and rank rotgut. These two 2012 vintage wines from Castello Banfi show that there’s a middle ground, with premium presentations of classic wines that manage to come in at under 30 bucks a bottle. Thoughts follow. 2012 Banfi Rosso di Montalcino – A simple sangiovese,…
Interview: Paul Draper of Ridge Vineyards on Wine Labeling
Last fall I spent a day with Paul Draper at the famed Ridge Vineyards. That interview became the basis of “Juiced!,” a piece on high-tech wine manipulation techniques, which appeared in the April 2014 issue of Wired magazine. A lot of readers of that story have asked me “Why doesn’t someone do something about this?” and…
Review: Caol Ila Stitchell Reserve Unpeated Style Limited Edition 2013
Diageo 2013 Special Release #2 of 9 is this whisky, from Islay-based Caol Ila, which is a well-known bastion of the peated style of malt whisky. This however is a very rare unpeated malt from the distillery, made just once a year by the company. Made from a mix of casks using refill American Oak, rejuvenated…
