David Tao
As Benedicte Hardy likes to tell it, when she took the helm of Hardy Cognac nearly 30 years ago, Cognac was in a very different place compared to today. There was little international education around the spirit. A post-millennium cocktail revolution had yet to break the Cognac from its perception as an after-dinner drink for…
In his 26-plus years in distilling, George Teichroeb has seen whisky booms in two different countries. Now the General Manager of Alberta Distillers — known in the U.S. for their Alberta Premium 100% Rye releases — Teichroeb also spent years in Kentucky under the tutelage of figures like Fred Noe. Jim Beam and Alberta Distillers…
Lost Lantern has quickly built a reputation as an American independent bottler not afraid to take big swings and put bold flavors front and center. The Vermont-based founding team has thus far released an American vatted malt and dozens of single cask expressions. One of their new and ongoing initiatives is the single distillery series.…
Fifty years ago, most French enjoyed rosé during summer holidays. And the rest of the year, it was a dead category, forgotten for months until the beaches opened once more. At least, that’s according to Olivier Fayard, a second-generation winemaker at Sainte Marguerite en Provence. Fayard’s father started with three hectares to produce his own…
A hotter climate will impact every branch of the beverage world, but nowhere is the change being felt more quickly than wine. Warming temperatures, new pests, and extreme weather events have already pushed winemakers to rethink how they approach everything from vine cultivation to blending. That’s especially challenging for heritage winemakers at scale, as they…
Founded in 1875, shuttered in 1986, and reopened in 2008, Glenglassaugh has gradually released limited stocks of pre-1986 barrels in tandem with their aged new distillate. (A 50 year old expression aged in a PX sherry cask hit the market around two years ago.) Their latest limited release boasts an eye-popping 46 year age statement…
Based out of Colorado Springs, Distillery 291 has built their reputation on bourbon, rye, and unaged distillate releases, and their aged products are often finished with toasted aspen staves. (We’ve reviewed a number of their rye and bourbon expressions before.) With a new limited release, the company is exploring a 100% rye malt mash bill…
Since its launch in 2020, Bhakta — the namesake of multi-time spirits entrepreneur Raj Bhakta — has built its name on brandy releases with eye-popping age statements. Their Bhakta 50 releases utilized Armagnacs barreled between 1868 and 1970; more recent releases include both single barrel vintages and younger brandy blends. Now, Raj Bhakta and team…
It’s been over a decade since we last reviewed Knob Creek’s flagship rye whiskey, and there’s ample reason to revisit it now. As of March 2023, the previously non-age stated rye now carries a seven year age statement, the first since its national launch in 2012. That’s a noticeable change for a widely available and…
For those following craft distilling’s growth in the United States, Chattanooga Whiskey is no stranger. As the distillery approaches their 12th anniversary — and with more of their in-house distillate coming of age — they continue to pump out releases that bend contentions on blending and cask finishes. One of their latest whiskeys is a…