Review: Angela Vineyards 2019 Chardonnay and 2018 Pinot Noir
Angela Vineyards has not popped up on our radar since autumn of 2020, when we were all doing the best we possibly could, albeit slightly dazed and in constant panic. Thankfully, brighter days have prevailed (somewhat) and we’re back to see what the Carlton, Oregon vineyard has been up to since then. 2018 Angela Vineyards…
Review: Batch & Bottle Cocktails, 4 Expressions
Batch & Bottle launched as a new ready-to-drink cocktail concept last year from William Grant & Sons, the idea being that premium spirits — with their names appearing right on the label — could drive the experience. (Naturally, it’s all William Grant-owned spirits that show up in the bottles.) Four offerings hit the market at…
Review: Bertani 2020 Valpolicella Ripasso and 2012 Amarone
Established in 1857, Bertani is a longtime producer of Valpolicella wines, including the two iconic bottlings we look at today — a 2012 Amarone and 2020 Ripasso. The brand is credited with inventing the Amarone style, so one can assume these are going to be on point. 2020 Bertani Valpolicella Ripasso DOC – Bertani’s Valpolicella…
Review: Engine Gin
It takes guts to bottle your spirit in a motor oil can. When Stillhouse puts moonshine in a can, it makes some level of sense. But a fancy Italian gin? Like I said, guts. Cleverly named Engine — Engine, per the label — this is a 100% organic gin made in the Langhe region of…
Review: 2020 Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon
Considering the current dystopian weather timeline the fine state of California is experiencing in 2023, you’d be forgiven if you failed to recall the horrible fires that ravaged Napa Valley in 2020. Most of the region, including an area our Editor-in-Chief then called home, was engulfed in smoke or fire for weeks before seeing some…
Review: Keeper’s Heart Irish + American Whiskey 110 Proof
When we first sampled Keeper’s Heart Irish + American Whiskey last fall, it felt a little like that whiskey was holding back on us. It appears from a quick survey of the interwebs that we weren’t the only ones that were just a bit underwhelmed. But with industry heavyweights like Brian Nation and David Perkins…
Review: Dingle Single Malt Whiskey
We’ve been keeping tabs on Ireland’s Dingle Distillery since 2019. While we haven’t been privy to the entire progression of their house-distilled single malt whisky, Chris had the opportunity to explore both Batch 3 and Batch 4 a few years back. Those batched expressions, which each relied on a different mix of cask types, appear…
Book Review: The Whiskey Cookbook
For those who want to throw a whiskey-themed dinner party, there are few books available to guide the way. Several bourbon-focused cookbooks have hit the shelves in recent years, but no cooking guide, to my knowledge at least, has attempted the kind of wide-ranging approach that Richard Thomas’s recent The Whiskey Cookbook admirably undertakes. Over…
