The Top 10 Wines for Summer 2023
Ice storms and blizzards are so yesterday. Literally. Now we’re girding ourselves for the firestorms, floods, and mudslides that we are reasonably sure will be making headlines in the months to come. At least we’ll be well-lubricated along the way, thanks to these 10 dazzling wines that are sure to please palates come bbq season…
Review: NV French Blue Cremant de Bordeaux Brut and Brut Rose
Fairly new to the scene, French Blue was started by American winemaker Stephanie Rivin who set out to make Bordeaux wines that would appeal to American drinkers. She started with a rosé and then added a sauvignon blanc and a red blend. Today we are trying the newest additions to the French Blue portfolio: two…
Review: Whiskey Town Bourbon 3 Years Old
Based out of San Francisco, Fat Labrador Distillers is following a playbook similar to so many other American craft distillers. While their own distillate is aging, they’ve sourced stocks from other major producers to help create both brand awareness and sales. Their Whiskey Town releases cover a variety of mashbills, some of which are finished…
Review: Black Infusions Dirty Shirley
We previously covered the intense flavored vodkas of Black Infusions. The company also markets one canned cocktail, the Dirty Shirley, which is composed of its cherry flavored vodka, ginger, and lime. All the promised elements make an appearance here, but it’s the intense cherry notes that dominate, infusing the gently carbonated — and dark brownish-red…
Review: Silent Pool Gin
Silent Pool Distillers is located on the Albury Estate at the foot of the Surrey Hills in the UK and was founded in 2015 by former ITV Commercial Director Ian McCulloch and James Shelbourne. Their Silent Pool Gin is made with 24 botanicals which are infused using a rather complex process. Prepare yourself, this is…
Review: 2017 Collosorbo Brunello di Montalcino
This wine arrives via a smaller family-run operation that has been producing Brunello di Montalcino since 1966. This vintage is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes, aged for 3 years in Slavonian and French oak barrels before aging an additional 8 months in the bottle. Lively and bright, this immediately presents cherry and anise aromas in…
Review: Patron El Alto Reposado Tequila
“Prestige” tequilas — you know the ones in impossibly tall bottle and with impossibly high prices — are a rapidly growing category, and with El Alto, Patron makes its long-awaited first entry into the category. It’s instantly unusual for being a reposado — albeit one aged in 11 types of barrels, “mostly hybrid barrels of American…
Review: Daru Canadian Whiskey
Daru has a picture of a lion on its label and a map of India on its reverse but — surprise! — it’s actually a Canadian whiskey. “Inspired” by the flavors of Indian whisky and created by the two children of an Indian emigrant, the brand dates back to 2020. The brand’s only bottling is…