Review: Snowdrop Vodka
Our prior outing with Vermont’s Saxtons River Distillery saw us reviewing the operation’s top shelf Perc Coffee Liqueur, way back in 2014. Now we’re back with less exotic fare: A vodka made from a corn-based mash that’s put through a vacuum distillation process before bottling. A portion of the proceeds from sales are earmarked to…
Review: Cameron Hughes 2018 Lot 883 Cabernet Franc Napa Valley and 2020 Lot 820 Gavi Piemonte
Another pair of releases from the negociants of Cameron Hughes. For those unfamiliar with the premise behind Cameron Hughes’ operations, it’s quite simple: they (Cameron or some delegates) travel the world sourcing a wide range of wines from vineyards, bringing them to market under their own label at financially feasible price points. This time around,…
Review: Bernheim Barrel Proof Original Wheat Whiskey Batch A223 (February 2023)
With this release, Heaven Hill does what it always does to its popular whiskey lines: Releasing a barrel proof version of the product. Bernheim Barrel Proof will be released in batches — twice per year instead of three, the way Larceny and Elijah Craig are released — with proof and batch information denoted on the…
Review: Wines of La Crema, 2023 Releases
If there’s one thing you can count on in this world, it’s that a by the glass wine list will have something from La Crema available. The California giant is known for producing good wine at a good price, but in this tasting of three new bottlings, you might be surprised to discover some of…
Review: Carpathian Romanian Single Malt Whisky – Romanian Wine Cask Feteasca Negara
If you still need proof that they’re making whisky just about everywhere in the world, check out Carpathian, which makes a range of single malts distilled, matured, and bottled in Romania. Carpathian launched in 2017 and made it to U.S. shores last year. All 100% single malt whiskies made with local grain and water, most…
Review: Firestone Walker Parabola and Paraboloid 2023
Firestone Walker’s beloved Parabola, the crown jewel in their Proprietor’s Vintage Series, is back for 2023, and it boasts an impressive origin story sure to excite bourbon fans and beer drinkers alike. Continuing a trend of using older bourbon barrels to age its iconic stout, Firestone turned to Buffalo Trace to craft this year’s release…
Review: Dunce Whiskey
What are you, stupid? No! You’re drinking Dunce Whiskey, a relatively tame product from the loonies at Tamworth Distilling. This product doesn’t have a whole lot of mystery to it. It’s MGP bourbon, 4 years old, made from a mash of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. And the front label is a…
Review: Song Cai Viet Nam Floral Gin
Vietnam makes some interesting spirits, and now it can add gin to the repertoire. Sông Cái was founded in 2018 and launched in the U.S. in 2021. It exclusively makes gin for now — in fact, it makes three of them — all designed to “bottle the taste of Vietnam’s biodiverse terroir.” Its botanicals are…