This Can Only End Badly…
Virgin America will be offering Le Tourment Vert absinthe for sale and consumption at 30,000 feet, starting in May. Via Boing Boing: Incidentally, Virgin America (which today started service to/from Orange County) is also expanding the number of craft in its fleet that offer in-flight WiFi. Absinthe + internet + idle time? Can’t wait to…
Review: Blue Angel Vodka
This new California vodka is distilled from (unspecified) American grains and distilled four times, and distiller (and inventor — he also created a battery-powered sticky note dispenser) Maurice Kanbar says he goes to great lengths to filter out hangover-causing congeners. Blue Angel, he says, contains less than 0.01 grams of congeners or fusel oils per…
Review: Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength (2009)
I really enjoyed Glenfarclas’s 21- and 25-year Scotches at last year’s WhiskyFest, and had the opportunity to sample Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength — a somewhat more commonly found whisky — last night. First, understand that the 105 actually refers to the old British proof system: Glenfarclas 105 is actually 60 percent alcohol by volume, or…
Review: Gosling’s Black Seal and Gold Bermuda Rum
Not exactly a Johnny-come-lately in the rum world, Gosling’s is a brand that’s been around for over 150 years. 151 to be exact (hmmmmm)…. Here’s a long-overdue look at two of Gosling’s most popular and commonly-available blends. Both are sourced in Bermuda and bottled at 80 proof. Gosling’s Black Seal Black Rum – This is…
Review: Pepsi Natural
With little fanfare, Pepsi Natural seems to have abruptly arrived on store shelves: I found a small stack of the new, all-natural version of Pepsi in my local Safeway, on sale for $2.99 for a four-pack of 12-oz. glass bottles. (Regular price: $3.99.) Of course I had to buy it so I could review the…
Review: Marti Autentico Dorado Especial Rum
Marti is best known for a flavored, green-tinted “Mojito” rum that’s available reasonably widely across the country. (The company also has a coconut-flavored rum too, which I’ve never seen for sale.) This is Marti’s first non-flavored product, a traditional aged rum (sans official age statement), which the company labels as “Cuban-style, ultra premium rum.” It…
The Best Pineapple Vodka Roundup: Skyy vs. Van Gogh
When last I covered the high-test world of pineapple-flavored vodkas, I declared Skyy my new favorite, and a clear winner over the old bottle of Van Gogh Pineapple I had on hand. Van Gogh cried foul, suggesting that I try a fresh bottle of Van Gogh Pineapple so I could put the two head for…
Review: Bache-Gabrielsen Classic XO Cognac
A Double Gold winner at this year’s San Francisco International Spirits Competition, Bache-Gabrielsen’s XO is a relative newcomer to the Cognac world, launched officially only in 1996, a wee babe in this rarefied industry. Blended from 72 percent Grande Champagne grapes and 28 percent Petite Champagne, then aged for about 20 years, this is a…
