Review: (ri)1 Rye Whiskey
Just so I can get it down, officially, the full, official name of this product is (rî)¹. Actually, that’s a cheat, because there’s no symbol for a “long lowercase I” — an i with a horizontal bar instead of a dot — that the web can render, at least not that I know of. So…
Review: 2006 M.J. Vincent Juliénas Domaine le Cotoyon
Grown near the village of Juliénas, the Beaujolais wines from this region are as full-bodied and big as the region’s namesake, Julius Caesar. Fruitier than wines from Morgon, M.J. Vincent’s Juliénas offers peppery notes atop fresh fruit — berries and lightly tannic cherry flavors. The trademark youth of Gamay — which manifests as a light…
Review: Maui Platinum, Dark, and Braddah Kimo’s Da’ Bomb Extreme Rum
After my report on Sgt. Classick‘s Hawaiian-based rums, the good folks at Haleakala Distillers responded to remind us that Classick isn’t actually distilled on the island, and that its products are. In fact Haleakala is the only distillery on the island of Maui, and produces a selection of fine rums. None of these rums are…
Review: Bunnahabhain 18 Years Old
One of the most-fun-to-say spirits names in the business, Bunnahabhain is situated on the north end of Islay. This 18-year Scotch is a moderately smoky spirit, heavy on salty, seaweed-infused phenol and light on the sweets (a caramel note is there somewhere in the finish, but it’s just a hint, really). Flowery notes are more…
Know Any December 5 Birthdays?
Many catches, but there’s up to $75 in it for ya… We’re offering a $75 bounty for a Bay Area resident turning 75 on Dec. 5, 2008, and a $25 bounty for a local turning 21 on the same day. You see, Dec. 5 is the 75th Anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition. Yes, it…
The Really Are Gonna Nickel and Dime Us…
Well, nickel us, anyway: Nickel-a-drink tax: Effective Jan. 1, 2009 Schwarzenegger would hike the alcohol taxes in the stat by a nickel per drink (defined as 1.5 ounces of liquor, 12 ounces of beer, or 5 ounces of wine) What it would bring in: $293 million in 208-09 and $584 million in 2009-10. Funny, we…
Review: Gale Force Gin
One final look at the product line from Triple Eight Distillery — we’ve covered their vodkas and rum already. Surprise: Gale Force Gin may very well be the best thing the company makes. Then again, maybe that’s not such a shock. Nantucket bluebloods consume all the gin in this country already, so they’re probably just…
Review: 2006 Potel-Aviron Cote de Brouilly Vielles Vignes
Beaujolais mania continues at Drinkhacker with this Cote de Brouilly from Potel-Aviron. It’s a really tough wine to crack, with some astringency and hefty earth notes, plus pepper, mint, and tobacco smoke. The core Gamay fruit is straightjacketed by the other elements in the bottle. It’s drinkable (and works better with a big dinner), but…
