Review: Orion Gin
Orion gin is a new gin expression from the Pegasus Distillerie in France. Per the brand; “Maxime Girardin, third generation wine-maker, founded the Pegasus Distillerie in 2021 in the village of Meursault, at the heart of Burgundy, world renowned for its wines. This new venture took up the challenge of producing innovative top-quality spirits reflecting…
Review: Penelope Wheated Bourbon
Penelope makes waves among bourbon geeks for their limited, special edition, and annual bottlings. (With lineup names like Founders Reserve, Estate Collection, and Limited Edition, they’re easy enough to differentiate.) But it’s the brand’s Core Series that has really won over hearts, minds, and bartenders nationwide. The core four expressions have until now included Architect,…
Review: Heaven Hill Heritage Collection Wheat Whiskey 19 Years Old (2025)
It’s hard to believe but we’re on year four of the Heaven Hill Heritage Collection, and for the first time the line is delving into wheat whiskey instead of bourbon or adjacent corn whiskey. In fact, at 19 years of age, it’s the oldest wheat whiskey that Heaven Hill has ever released. For that matter,…
Celebrate National Margarita Day with 4 Riffs on This Classic Cocktail
National Margarita Day falls on February 22 each year. It’s a day carved out to celebrate one of the most popular and beloved cocktails. Who invented this day? Well, that’s up for debate, as are the origins of this famous cocktail itself. Margarita is the Spanish word for daisy. Most likely the Margarita was just…
Review: Wolves Whiskey American Single Malt 5 Years Old
We’ve been writing about Wolves Whiskey since shortly after its start in 2019, but it wasn’t until late last year that the brand dropped its first year-round product: Wolves American Single Malt. The bottle, denoted by a blue label, is cagey about the name of the product, just saying “American Single Malt Whiskey” in the…
Fruit Machines Then and Now: A Pub Drinking Game vs. Mobile Gaming Mainstay
ADVERTISEMENT A pub is primarily a place for relaxation and entertainment, which can be delivered in different ways. In the United Kingdom, one of the more interesting inventions designed to keep the pub patrons occupied were the so called ‘fruit machines,’ which are also sometimes called slot machines or one-armed bandits. These gambling machines have…
Review: 2020 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
It’s hard to believe but I last reviewed this wine in its 2006 (and before that, 2005) vintage. The winery today has a reputation for pushing out jammy, oak-heavy cabernets, but this 2020 shows that Silver Oak and restraint are not mutually exclusive. Chewy notes of ripe plum, strawberries, and cherry candies offer an initial…
The Top 10 Gins of 2024
It’s still barely above freezing where we are, but it’s only a matter of time before warmer weather hits us, and we start to migrate, ever so slightly, toward lighter, brighter spirits — namely gin. 2024 was a fairly light year for this iconic spirit, but we still found 10 bottlings that are really special…