Tasting Sagrantino Wines, Fall 2024
Montefalco is not a city commonly invoked when discussing red wine destinations. Umbria is not a region immediately surfacing to top of mind when thinking about Italian wines, and Sagrantino is certainly not a wine frequently discussed here in the United States. But this dense, fairly disease-resistant grape is starting to quietly make waves, with…
Talking Rebirth and Barley with Bruichladdich’s Frazer Matthews
Bruichladdich is arguably the poster child for the renaissance in Islay single malt over the last two decades. It caught the whisky world’s attention in 2001 after a group of investors led by Mark Reynier resurrected the mothballed distillery and gave an eager Jim McEwan in the prime of his career free rein to push…
Review: 2019 Mascota Vineyards Unanime Signature Cabernet Sauvignon
Whatever the vintage or varietal, red wines from Mendoza-based Mascota tend to lean in one direction: big and lively. Their sublabel, Unanime, and this Cabernet proves no exception to the rule. Based on the nose, one would be reasonably forgiven for assuming this was a Malbec if handed a glass free from contextual clues. Loads…
Review: Mount Gay Single Estate Series 24_02
Mount Gay launched its Single Estate Series rum last year to great acclaim, the end-product of an eight-year journey that began with acquiring its own 324-acre sugar cane estate in 2015 and using that cane to make its own molasses, ferment its own juice, distill rum from that juice, and age it in barrels —…
Review: Service to America Salute War Dogs Bourbon
Service to America Salute (SAS) is a brand owned and distilled by Heritage Distilling in Gig Harbor, Washington. War Dogs is the newest release under the Service to America Salute branding, and it honors the courage and sacrifice of America’s Military Working Dogs. Purchases of War Dogs and any expressions under the SAS branding fund…
Review: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon 2024 Edition
Someone once said that birthdays are nature’s way of telling us to eat more cake. At Old Forester, they’re nature’s way of telling us to drink more bourbon, I suppose, with Birthday Bourbon now in its 24th iteration. Coverage of this release, celebrating the birth of George Garvin Brown, founder of Old Forester, should come…
Review: Avivo Red, White, and Rose Wine, 2024 Releases
Avivo is a new winery located in Lodi, California. The region is best known for Zinfandel, but the wine makers at Avivo note that it has a climate similar to what we find in the Mediterranean and choose to cultivate grapes that are typically grown in Italy. Their vineyards are CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers)…
Review: Still Austin Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon 5 Years Old 2024
Still Austin‘s 2023 bonded red corn bourbon was such a hit that it spawned a sequel: For 2024, Bottled in Bond Red Corn is back, but at 5 years old instead of 4. The mash remains the same: 36% Jimmy Red corn, 34% white corn, 25% rye, and 5% malted barley — as does everything…