Review: Penelope Classic Series Rye and Kentucky Bourbon
For years, Penelope built much of its reputation around carefully selected sourced whiskey, particularly bourbon and rye distilled by MGP in Indiana. June 2026 marked a meaningful shift with the arrival of two permanent additions to the Penelope portfolio: Classic Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Classic Series Straight Rye Whiskey. Released together as part…
Review: Wyoming Whiskey National Parks No. 5 Limited Edition Bourbon (2026)
Wyoming Whiskey’s National Parks-focused releases continue with the fifth official installment in the series, A Tribute to the Tetons, honoring the 97th anniversary of Grand Teton National Park. If you’re wondering why annual release #4 came out in 2024 and #5 is arriving in 2026 it’s because last year’s release, Acadia Edition, was an outlier…
Review: 2025 Frescobaldi Tuscan White and Rose
When one thinks of Tuscan wines, one usually imagines Italy’s most renowned reds, including Chianti, Brunello di Montalicino, and Super Tuscans. This makes sense since 86% of the region’s wine production is dedicated to red wines. But that leaves 14% unaccounted for, and the region produces some very nice whites and rosés, which we’ll be…
Review: Wheel Horse Rum Barrel Double Mash Whiskey
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau recognizes 53 classification codes across the full range of American whiskey. Most drinkers are acquainted with broad categories such as bourbon, but the TTB divides bourbon into several more specific classifications: blended bourbon whisky, straight bourbon whisky, bottled in bond bourbon whisky, straight bourbon whisky, and bourbon…
Review: Shock Top High Voltage
It’s been a decade since we last reviewed a Shock Top beer, a ten-year stretch that has seen the wheat beer specialist undergo a full rebrand/redesign — and now the launch of a wildly high abv bruiser to join the brewery’s collection. At 9.6% abv, it’s the booziest Shock Top release ever made, essentially the…
Texas Wine Country Visits 2026 – Ron Yates, Ab Astris, and Rebecca Caroline
The wine country in Texas Hill Country, situated in and around the town of Fredericksburg, is booming. Every time I travel here I’m greeted by a new tasting room, fresh vineyards, and more revelers looking to enjoy the state’s rapidly growing (and improving) wine scene. A recent Saturday took us to three wineries in the…
Review: The Whisky Exchange Zodiac Series 1 – Pisces, Aries, Taurus, and Gemini
Spirits merchant The Whisky Exchange is following up its Seasons Series with a new set of releases, this time linked to the 12 signs of the Zodiac. The releases will drop in three sets of four — all single casks of single malt Scotches sourced by The Whisky Exchange — each honoring the star signs of…
Review: Kooper Family Barrel Reserve Rye (2026)
Every barrel of whiskey has a story. The opening chapter is written at the distillery, where grain selection, fermentation, and distillation establish the spirit’s foundation. But a whiskey’s story doesn’t stop once it enters a barrel. In many respects, that is where the next chapter begins. The question is whether that next chapter can ultimately…