Review: Jack Daniel’s Rested Tennessee Rye
Hey, remember a couple of years ago when Jack Daniel’s decided it was going to make a rye whiskey? Give Jack credit: Rather than simply buy someone else’s rye and put their label on it, Jack decided to make its rye itself, legit. The catch: Making whiskey takes time, so in 2012, when the rye…
Review: Scotch Malt Whisky Society Casks 48.29 and 93.47
It’s been well over a year since we’ve encountered the Scotch Malt Whisky Society‘s always-interesting independent bottlings. These two recently outturned expressions showed up almost as a surprise. Thoughts follow. Scotch Malt Whisky Society Cask 48.29 – 12 year old Balmenach from Speyside. Big, malty nose, but also quite sweet, with hints of orange and…
Book Review: The Best Shots You’ve Never Tried
After a certain age, the word “shot” becomes anathema, and when pressed, the “discriminating drinker” is likely to sip a shot of tequila or whiskey for a good 10 minutes instead of in one, grimace-faced gulp. However you take your shots, by the slug or by the sip, Andrew Bohrer wants to elevate the game.…
Review: Spirits of Santa Fe Spirits – Apple Brandy, Wheeler’s Gin (2014), Silver Coyote Pure Malt Whiskey, and Expedition American West Vodka
Santa Fe Spirits is based, you guessed it, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Founded by Colin Keegan in 2010, the company now offers a range of five spirits, all with a southwestern bent and primarily column-distilled. We tasted four of them (all but the aged, single malt whiskey). Thoughts follow. Santa Fe Spirits Apple Brandy…
Review: Widow Jane “Heirloom Varietal” Bourbon Whiskeys
The Scots have messed around with single-varietal barley expressions of Scotch for years — so why not Bourbon? Does the type of corn used to make Bourbon make a difference, too? You’d think this kind of experiment would be performed by the brain trust at Buffalo Trace, which never stops experimenting and releasing the results…
Review: Neige Apple Ice Wine
You can make wine out of any fruit, including apples. So what about ice wine? From frozen apples? Why not. Neige (which means “snow”) is made in Canada and imported by Boisset. It’s not really made from frozen winter apples but rather from apples picked in the fall which are then juiced, the juice frozen…
Review: 2012 FEL Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Formerly known as Breggo, FEL is a new label for this winery, but little else has changed. Perhaps the biggest change, aside from a name switcheroo which now honors owner Cliff Lede‘s mother, is the discontinuation of Breggo’s old Riesling and Gewurztraminer bottlings. Thoughts on the remaining wines (the Pinot Gris wasn’t tasted) follow. 2012…
Review: Millbrook Distillery Dutchess Private Reserve Bourbon
That’s a mouthful of a name for this Dutchess County (Poughkeepsie area), New York-based spirit, a sourced whiskey made from a corn/rye/barley mashbill. Little else is disclosed, including age. Woody on the nose, there’s depth here that recalls brandied cherries and Christmas cake. The body, however, is surprisingly sweet, with a distinct honey tone to…
