Review: A. Smith Bowman Abraham Bowman Double Barrel Bourbon
This new whiskey from Sazerac-owned A. Smith Bowman is a semi-experimental offering from the Virginia-based distillery. It involves putting the spirit into two separate barrels… both of them newly-charred oak. From the company: “Originally put into barrels on December 12, 2006, this bourbon was transferred to new barrels on April 17, 2013. After aging an…
Tasting Report: Rhone Rangers 2014
It’s never hard to find good wines at the annual Rhone Rangers festival of Rhone-style wines made in California, and this year’s event was no exception. An easy standout: The wines of Big Basin, which released its first vintage back in 2002 but which I am only now discovering for the first time. Complete tasting…
Review: Villa Massa Limoncello
Villa Massa is real limoncello from Sorrento, Italy. Reportedly it is the best-selling lemon liqueur in Italy, so that’s promising. The slightly greenish liqueur (you can even get a sense of this in the photo) is largely transparent, with some modest cloudiness, typical of real limoncello. There’s a fresh lemon nose here, with touches of lime.…
Review: 2013 Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose
This rose of Cabernet hails from Mulderbosch, located in the Stellenbosch region of coastal South Africa. This wine has been in release since 1999 and was the first of its kind from South Africa. Fresh and fruity, this rose offers crisp notes of strawberry, with undertones of lemon, lime, and tangerine. There’s only the lightest touch…
Review: Founders Brewing All Day IPA Session Ale
Another entry into the growing category of sessionable (aka lower alcohol) IPAs, Founders Brewing’s All Day IPA clocks in at just 4.7% abv. Hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, the beer is now available in 15-packs of 12 oz. cans, a way, I suppose, to make up for the lower alcohol level. The abv is just…
Review: Celtic Honey Liqueur
Celtic Honey is Ireland’s other answer to Scotland’s Drambuie. As with Celtic Crossing, it’s a mild blend of Irish Whiskey and honey that goes down easy and won’t harm any sensibilities. The whiskey hits you first, vanilla and light wood tones, before the honey kicks in. Alongside the usual lightly earthy, caramel-driven notes, there are interesting…
Review: Wild Turkey Diamond Anniversary Bourbon
Celebrating sixty motherfreakin’ years in the business — Eisenhower was president, people! — Jimmy Russell is a distiller with no equal in the business. He’s the man who has singlehandedly defined Wild Turkey for decades, with son Eddie waiting in the wings for the day his dad, now 79 years old, retires. To mark the occasion,…
Tasting Report: Whiskies of the World Expo San Francisco 2014
Wet weather didn’t stop the masses from crowding onto the San Francisco Belle this year, a rite of passage for Bay Area whisky lovers attending the annual Whiskies of the World Expo. Lots of great stuff on tap this year, particularly from independent Scotch bottlers. Without further ado… Tasting Report: Whiskies of the World San…
