Review: Farmer’s Organic Gin
You may have come across Farmer’s Organic Gin in its former life when it was produced in Minnesota and packaged in a no-frills square bottle. Safe to say, a lot has changed for the brand. Under the stewardship of Chatham Imports (of Michter’s whiskey fame), Farmer’s Gin production has traveled several states west to Idaho…
Review: Redbreast Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey Kentucky Oak Edition
Earlier this year, when we caught our readers up on Redbreast’s PX Edition from 2021, we also noted the buzz around this bottle, Kentucky Oak Edition, another limited release from Midleton Distillery that hit shelves in the summer of 2022. There’s quite a bit going on with this one, so I’ll just let the press…
Review: xBloom Coffee System
Coffee pod systems are convenient, but they beg a question: What the hell is really in that pod? How fresh is the ground coffee inside? xBloom is a bold new idea in the increasingly crowded coffee pod space, offering a machine that uses pods with whole beans instead of ground ones, grinding them on the…
Review: Benriach The Sixteen
With malts aged 10, 12, 21, 25, and 30 years old — all in its permanent line — Speyside’s Benriach decided it needed to fill in the middle a bit, and the year it’s adding a 16 year old expression to the lineup — officially denoted as The Sixteen. Benriach 16 Years Old was retired…
Bar Review: La Popular, Austin
Austin isn’t a city that’s exactly hurting for Mexican restaurants, but if yellow cheese and sizzling fajita plates aren’t what you’re in the mood for, consider a trip to La Popular, which is operated by a group out of Mexico City — which makes for a bit of a different vibe vs. the more traditional border-driven…
Review: High Horse Triple Sec
Austin-based Jeremiah Allen could have decided to make whiskey, vodka, or just about anything else as he entrée to distilling, but he instead decided on a decidedly atypical spirit: triple sec, that classic, clear orange-infused mixer. Why triple sec? Allen was disappointed with home-grown, artisanal products — most are either made in bulk or imported…
Review: Diageo Scotch Whisky Distillers Editions 2023
Diageo’s six Distillers Edition single malt Scotch whiskies are back. We last reviewed this annually released collection in 2021, and if you’re experiencing deja vu, don’t be alarmed. These whiskies do not change every year save for the time of production: The ages and bottling proofs don’t change, and the use of special finishing casks…
Review: Buchanan’s Pineapple
Just when you think you’ve seen everything along come something new: Pineapple flavored Scotch courtesy of Buchanan’s. Officially billed as a “spirit drink” — Scotch cannot legally be flavored — it is a product “crafted with Scotch whisky, pineapple, citrus, and other natural flavors.” While I would suggest this is exclusively a mixer for oddball…