Review: MacKinlay’s Rare Old Highland Malt Whisky “Shackleton: The Journey” Second Edition
Late last year, Whyte & Mackay undertook unfathomable effort to recreate a 100-year-old spirit (using modern stock) based on whisky that Ernest Shackleton took with him on his expedition to the South Pole… and left there when he departed. We covered it extensively in November 2011. The first run sold out and raised nearly £250,000…
Review: 2010 Round Pond Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Round Pond, in Napa Valley’s Rutherford area, is primarily a Cabernet Sauvignon producer with affordability squarely in mind. We sampled the newly-released 2010 vintage of its flagship, Napa-sourced Cab. This wine is light and very fruity, with almost no tannin to concern itself with. Ample strawberry and blueberry character, freshly juiced and jammed, dominate the…
Review: Karlsson’s Gold Solist 2009 Single Vintage, Single Potato Vodka
This spring we were fortunate to try a new concept in vodka from Sweden’s Karlsson’s Gold: Single vintage, single potato variety vodka. Tasting various vintages and various potato varieties among each other, the differences were shocking. And now Karlsson’s is back, with a 2009 vintage made from a different potato: The Solist variety. The 2009…
Review: Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon – Limited Edition (2013)
I’ve been turning people on to Angel’s Envy since naming it as one of my favorite whiskeys of 2010. While Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson prepares his next trick, this very limited edition bottling (600 bottles produced, available only in Kentucky and Nashville, Tennessee) of the Port-barrel finished Bourbon is being released: A cask strength version…
Review: 2010 Van Duzer Pinot Noir Estate Willamette Valley
Oregon’s Van Duzer has been through upheaval of late. A new winemaker came aboard in June 2010, and the winemaking process was overhauled to focus on smaller sites, lower yields, and gentler handling of grapes. The first release from the new era is now upon us. Here’s how the 2010 Estate Pinot Noir shakes out.…
Review: Big Peat Islay Blended Islay Malt Scotch Whisky
It’s called “Big Peat.” And the picture on the label is a drawing of a grimacing guy who looks like he’s been punched in the face. So you know what you’re getting into. A vatting of Islay whiskys from Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Port Ellen, and Bowmore (plus other unspecified whiskies), this is an (obviously) extremely…
Review: Zignum Anejo Mezcal
We last encountered Zignum’s mezcal earlier this year in its reposado incarnation. Now the brand is back, this time with an anejo version. Made from green agave and aged more than a year, this is mezcal with much of the smokiness aged right out of it. You’ll find lots of exotic, tropical, and caramel notes…
Review: Crown Royal Maple
“Finished” has a particular meaning in the world of whisky, normally implying that a whisky has been moved from one type of barrel to another, usually a different type of wood or, more commonly, a barrel that once held another spirit or wine. “Maple finished” has actually been done before: Woodford Reserve made a maple-finished…
