Review: Samuel Adams Cold Snap (2014)
For the upcoming spring season, Sam Adams has bottled this experimental brew, originally rolled out at beer fests last October. It’s an unfiltered white ale, a golden wheat blended with ten fruits, flowers, and spices, including grains of paradise, anise, hibiscus, and orange peel. Tasting notes follow. Cold Snap pours, as expected, a cloudy gold…
Review: Abreojos Tequila Silver
Colloquially “open eyes,” this Lowlands tequila is the only 100% agave tequila you’ll find that features an enormous eye-meets-lobster drawing on the label. Inside the frosted bottle you’ll find a standard blanco (reposado and anejo, not reviewed, are also available from Abreojos), made sans resting or aging. The spirit’s nose is initially heavy on earth…
Review: Laphroaig Triple Wood
We’ve written an epic amount about Laphroaig over the years, but somehow one of its core bottlings has eluded a formal review. Laphroaig Triple Wood is officially a seasonal offering, but it’s pretty generally available, with 12,000 bottles produced for the U.S. market in 2012. (No figures were offered for 2013.) You’ll even find the…
Review: Exclusiv XO Napoleon Brandy-Flavored Vodka
Flavored vodka gets a whole new whaaaaaa? factor with the release of Exclusiv XO Napoleon, a brownish-colored vodka that is made “with natural brandy flavor and caramel added.” This may look like brandy — and that big “XO” on the front has to earn the award for the most misleading liquor designation of all time —…
Review: Charbay R5, S, and Release III Hop Flavored Whiskeys (2014)
It’s commonly said that “whiskey is made from beer,” though that’s typically not quite true. Most whiskey is made from a low-alcohol, fermented grain sludge that you would never want anywhere near your mouth (I know, I’ve tried it). Usually this is just called mash, but sometimes it’s colloquially known as beer, because it’s kind of…
Review: Charbay Brandy No. 89
Ukiah, California-based Charbay turned its alembic pot stills to crafting this brandy in the winter of 1989. The grapes used are 74% pinot noir and 26% sauvignon blanc. The distillate has since been mellowing in barrels made of oak from France’s Limousin and Nevers regions for 24 years. 22 of those barrels were bottled to…
Review: Lost Spirits Distillery Navy Style Rum (2014)
We thought it had been unusually quiet from our friends at Lost Spirits in Monterey for a little too long. Turns out we had cause for alarm. Best known for their ultra-peated American single malt craft whiskey, Leviathan, Lost Spirits suffered a catastrophe that ended with the bulldozing of its unique wooden stills and, essentially,…
Recipe: Super Bowl XLVIII Cocktails
In America, the Super Bowl isn’t just a game, it’s close to being a national holiday. This year, the Broncos and Seahawks are getting ready to battle it out in the sunny, balmy climate of East Rutherford, New Jersey. While people usually gravitate to more traditional fare for game time (hello, Pabst fans!), here are…
