Top Rated
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Earlier this year, we had the chance to review Balvenie’s new French Oak 16 Years Old aged in Pineaus des Charentes casks. That bottle is actually part of a trifecta of new cask-finished releases launched in the spring of 2022. Two others, a 15-year-old expression finished in Madeira wine casks and an 18-year-old expression finished…
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The tiny Scottish island of Islay counts around 3,000 people as full-time residents but welcomes tens of thousands of tourists annually and counts hundreds of thousands, if not more, fans around the globe swearing regional allegiance. That may prove to be an unsubstantiated hot take in the end, but right now Islay seems to be…
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Perhaps the greatest informal dad holiday of the entire year, Oktoberfest stands as the king of the brewing calendar. Numerous beers styles are common at these events, with the ironically named Märzen the prevailing style and guiding light for offerings from breweries around the globe for this cereal celebration. Festbier and its variants have become…
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It’s been two years since Drew’s review of Stagg Jr. Batch 15, and we’re now taking another spin with the whiskey — RIP to the “Jr.” designation — after a short hiatus. It’s understandable: in the time since Drew’s review, bourbon has, somehow, managed to become even boomier, the average consumer is exceedingly educated, and…
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Social Hour is back with another canned cocktail made with high-end ingredients. Like its previous Harvest Whiskey Sour, the new Dickel Bourbon Smash is made with age-statemented George Dickel Tennessee whiskey, this time 8 years old instead of the monster 13 year old last time around. This “slow-sipping” bourbon cocktail is described as “a classic…
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Another fall is upon us, and that means Islay’s Bruichladdich is pushing out its biggest releases of the year. Normally we’d see these trickle out in bits and bobs, but for 2023, the distillery dropped a bomb on us all at once, with Bere Barley, Black Art, a new Port Charlotte, and the three Octomore…
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Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to interview St. George Master Distiller, Lance Winters. I learned that whiskey got him into distilling back in the 1990s, but gin has since become a real passion, as much as any other spirit in his distillery’s wide-ranging portfolio. St. George offers not one, not two, but a…
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With this latest feature, we finally get caught up to the full offerings of the New York-based Heimat distillery, which produces farm-to-glass, fruit-only-no-additive liqueurs using fruit sourced in their “backyard” of New York through partnerships with family-owned farms. We first covered their limited edition Barrel Finished Bosc Pear early this year, followed by a profile…
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We’ve been covering the wines of Famiglia Pasqua for years now, and are excited to dig into its latest Mai Dire Mai Valpolicella bottling (at the bottom of the quality pyramid) as well as its Amarone (near the top). Both are worth your attention 2015 Famiglia Pasqua Mai Dire Mai Valpolicella DOC Superiore – Bright…
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Though they’ve released a range of American whiskeys over the last few years — Lost Lantern’s Spring 2023 releases featured a variety of single malt and bourbon whiskeys — the independent bottler is focusing on bourbon for Summer 2023. As such, this season’s Blend Series, Single Distillery Series, and Single Cask Series all feature cask-strength…
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