Review: Big Sky Brewing Montana Trout Slayer Ale
Does one really “slay” a trout? I’m not much of a fisherman (and it turns out “Trout Slayer” has a long history which I’m not going to begin to go into), but this is indeed as close to a “gone fishin’” brew as I can fathom. It’s a very light wheat ale, starting out with…
Review: 2007 High Note Malbec
Judging by the amount of malbec that rolls in here, it really is the fastest growing wine varietal in the U.S. Oftentimes, malbec is weedy, green, and super-tannic, but sometimes a really nice bottle rolls around, like High Note’s 2007, which also happens to bear a rock-bottom price This Argentinian wine from Mendoza is lightly…
Review: Ardmore 30 Years Old
It’s not every day a $450 Scotch lands on the doorstep. Today we got two (though Laphroaig’s 25 Year Old, to be reviewed tomorrow, is actually $500). Ardmore’s 30-year Highland (Speyside) Scotch (I believe there’s only been one other 30-year-old Ardmore released to date) is an amazing treat. Here we have everything malt whisky should…
Review: Dumante Verdenoce Pistachio Liqueur
Now is not a good time for the pistachio, what with the salmonella and the recall and such. But pistachio lovers can still get their fix — in alcoholic liquid form — thanks to Dumante Verdenoce, an intriguing and quite addictive new liqueur. Dumante is a sweet nut liqueur in the vein of Frangelico or…
Review: Koruna Absinthe
I pity the bartender that sells both Koruna and Corona, but after a glass or two of this top-notch absinthe, I expect the drinker won’t have much of a problem making his requests known. Koruna, a “bohemian absinth” — using the alternate spelling — from the Czech Republic, makes its intentions well-known from the label,…
Tasting Report: Honig Vineyard & Winery, 2009 Releases
Spent a lovely couple of hours at Honig Vineyard & Winery yesterday, where we toured the estate and heard about how the company approaches winemaking from a sustainability standpoint. Everything at Honig is powered by its solar panel array, which sits right amidst the vines behind the tasting room, cellars, and production building. And while…
Review: Michael Collins Single Malt Irish Whiskey (2009)
We’ve looked at Michael Collins’ blended Irish before, and now we turn our attention to the distillery’s single malt, presumably a higher class of spirit and one which is winning lots of awards these days in spirits competitions. On first blush, I found Collins’ single malt hotter than expected, with a distinct alcohol kick at…
Review: Jones Soda GABA Lineup
The ever-innovating soda engineers at Jones have just put out a new line of four new beverages: Combinations of brewed tea and juice, not carbonated, and sweetened with cane sugar and natural flavors. The sell: All of the varieties include GABA, or Gamma Amino Butyric Acid, a “smart drug” neurotransmitter said to “improve mental focus,…
