Best Value
Some deals are just too good to pass up. Our Best Value category digests that rarest of breeds: Top-rated products at prices that are incredibly appealing. We include products across the board in this section.
Top Best Value Posts:
Top 10 Bourbons Under $20
Wines of Lula Cellars, 2018 Releases
Jim Beam Distiller’s Cut
One thing the bourbon world needs more of right now are value pours. Not slow sipping bourbons with quality surpassing their MSRP (a real rarity these days) but bourbon that was always intended to be someone’s daily drinker or mixer and priced accordingly. Once upon a time, the industry catered almost exclusively to those customers.…
Exciting things are happening at Clonakilty in County Cork, Ireland, and I recently had a chance to learn about them when I sat down again with Padraic Coll, co-founder of the Clonakilty Distillery, as well as Master Distiller Oisin Mulcahy. Meeting at the Hugh O’Neill’s Pub in Malden, Massachusetts, they informed me that Clonakilty has…
La Maison & Velier’s Transcontinental Rum Line (aka TCRL) is back with new editions, and unlike the 2023 bottlings, these are not single cask releases. (Many of these releases are presented at a much lower proof, too — and they’re priced more affordably as a result.) While not single cask releases, they are still vintage…
Bomfim is part of Portugal’s Dow group — known for its Port wines — which in turn is part of the sprawling Symington family. Unlike its better-known brands, Vale do Bomfim focuses exclusively on table wines — and affordable ones at that. Here’s a look at the latest blends from the operation, both white and…
Argentina continues to be an outstanding source of wines that hit well above their price point. Today we are looking at 6 wines, all made by winemaker Marcelo Pelleriti with grapes from the Uco Valley in Mendoza, Argentina. Five of the six are made either exclusively or primarily with Argentina’s signature grape, Malbec. The last…
Lost Irish burst on the scene a few years ago as the brain child of whiskey expert and writer Tim Herlihy, who figured he could do something a little different in what has long been the relatively sleepy yet growing category of Irish whiskey. The idea: “modernize the category and offer whiskey that travels beyond…
Bodegas Valdemar, located in the renowned Rioja region of Spain, has been producing wine since 1889. Today, we’re taking a look at two wines harvested from the Conde Valdemar vineyards, a significant part of this family-owned winery, located in the Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta sub-regions. We’re also revisiting its Crianza offering, which won a…
A new Cask Finished Series is underway from Lux Row Distillers’ Ezra Brooks brand: Up first is an expression finished in Port casks. Formally known as Ezra Brooks 99 Proof Cask Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Casks (whew!) this is a take on Ezra 99 Bourbon (made from a mash of 78%…
An odd little combination for you today: Two wines from Sicily, one table wine and a vintage bottle of Marsala. 2022 Corvo Irmana Nero d’Avola Sicilia DOC – A surprisingly fruit-forward expression of Nero d’Avola, this 2022 features a tart attack of rhubarb and black cherry, fading slowly to sweeter strawberry and raspberry notes. Moderately…
As the home of Sancerre, the Loire Valley is widely respected for its Sauvignon Blanc, but other grapes thrive there as well. Langlois winery is known for Chenin Blanc and has recently shifted its focus to making Crémant, which is French sparkling wine made outside the Champagne region. I am a huge fan of Crémants…