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…
Review: NV Nicolas Feuillatte D’Luscious Demi-Sec Rosé Champagne
Using the name “D’Luscious” is a bit, how do you say, jejune for something is ritzy as Champagne, but these are changing times, no, so let’s not judge iconic sparkler creators Nicolas Feuillatte for an unfortunate monker. The nonvintage D’Luscious is a demi-sec Champagne, which is one of the sweetest levels of Champagne on the market,…
Review: Brora 35 Years Old Limited Edition 2013
This is the beginning of a special week here at Drinkhacker, as we’re finally about to launch into one of the most anticipated and exciting annual events in the whiskey world. No, it’s not a new Pappy Van Winkle release, it’s the arrival of Diageo’s annual limited edition Special Release single malts. These whiskies are…
Review: Hammer & Son Geranium Gin
Only a few months back we reviewed Hammer & Son’s Old English Gin, a classically structured gin with old timey trappings. Now the company is already back to the well with Geranium, a gin fit for those with somewhat more modern trappings. There’s no botanical list published, but as the name implies, Geranium looks to…
Cool Goodies from HomeWetBar.com
Just a brief interruption to your holiday weekend to shout-out HomeWetBar.com, which sent us a sampling of its wares so we could let our readers know about their product line. Specifically, we’re checking out a couple of items from the store’s online catalog. These Port sippers are incredibly cute (pictured), if not entirely functional. I’m…
Tasting the White Wines of Lodi, California, 2014 Releases
Lodi is located up and east from Napa/Sonoma. The source of some of California’s less expensive wines, it’s nonetheless and “up and coming” region that has more of a pedigree than, say, California’s industrial Central Valley. Known for its heavy Zinfandel production, Lodi is also home to a prodigious amount of white wine. In a…
Tasting Mystery Whisk(e)ys with the Revamped Whiskey Explorers Club
We’ve been fans of For Whiskey Lovers’ Whiskey Explorers Club for years — since the beginning, really — and when founder Douglas Stone announced he’d revamped his Whisk(e)y IQ Game, I was excited. The Whisk(e)y IQ Game is one of the only places you can taste whiskey completely blind, offer your opinions on it, then…
