Review: Wines of Cloudy Bay, 2022 Releases
New Zealand’s Cloudy Bay recently sent us a trio of wines — with both the 2021 and 2022 vintages of its iconic sauvignon blanc represented. Let’s dig into all of them. 2020 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir Marlborough – A pedestrian pinot, slightly beefy with distant, demure fruit that tries only fitfully to break through the…
Review: Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Finish
The march of Basil Hayden whiskey releases continues with yet another special expression, this one starting with standard Basil Hayden bourbon, then finishing it in California red wine casks. There’s no information on the finishing process (or much else) beyond that descriptor, so let’s simply dive in. The dissonance here is immediate. The nose is…
Review: Malbecs of de Negoce, Fall 2022 Releases
We receive comments on de Négoce at a steady clip (and feel free to keep them coming). While we aren’t here to play judge and jury over our readers’ uniformly dismal experiences — our original reviews were all based on media samples — I decided to take a spin myself and purchase a few bottles…
Review: El Tesoro Tequila 85th Anniversary Edition
El Tesoro loves to celebrate big anniversaries. In 2017 we saw its outstanding 80th Anniversary Edition arrive. Now — has it already been five years? — we’re back with an 85th. We received a small sample to put through its paces. For this release, distiller Carlos Camarena joined forces with Jim Beam’s Fred Noe to…
Review: Aberfeldy 18 Years Old Finished in Tuscan Red Wine Casks (2022)
Aberfeldy has been releasing an 18 year old expression each year for three years now, every one finished in a different type of red wine cask. That’s a slavish devotion to a particular — yet slightly different — type of finishing, and results have been decidedly mixed. After two years in France, this year Aberfeldy…
Review: 2021 Ron Rubin Wines Pam’s Unoaked Cabernet Sauvignon and Unoaked Chardonnay
We hold the following truths to be self-evident: that Ron Rubin owns vineyards in Lodi and Clarksburg, that he likes to stay on his wife’s good side, and that neither of the wines reviewed here has spent any duration of time in an oak barrel. All very nice and important things pertaining to this…
Review: Remy Martin XO Cognac
We’re way behind on reviewing the standard edition expressions of Cognac from Remy Martin, but today we take a step toward remedying that with a look at the iconic Remy Martin XO, once of the most widely available and consumed XO brandies on the market. As Cognac goes, it’s about as harmless and straightforward as…
Review: Siligrams Personalized Ice Molds
If you’re like me, by now you’ve got a half dozen promotional silicone ice trays in your freezer, regularly popped out for cocktails that shine best over a single, large piece of ice. Giant cubes are great… but they’re also a little boring, no? Enter Siligrams, which offers personalized ice molds that let you freeze…