Review: Heritage Distilling Elk Rider Vodka and Flavored Vodkas – Lavender, Huckleberry, and Coffee
Washington-based craft distillery Heritage Distilling is perhaps best known for their Brown Sugar Bourbon, which appears to have been sold off and become something of celebrity label after entertainer Jamie Foxx made an unspecified investment in the brand in 2021. We reviewed that original expression, along with four whiskeys and a gin, more than five…
Review: Crab Trapper Green Crab Flavored Whiskey
New Hampshire’s Tamworth Distilling is back at it again with another oddity: Crab Trapper, a bourbon-based whiskey “steeped with a custom crab, corn, and spice blend mixture, best likened to a Low Country Boil.” The green crabs used in the whiskey have an invasive species in New England for over a century, so using them…
Review: 2021 Epoch Rose
This Paso Robles rose is made of 59% mourvedre, 33% grenache, and 8% syrah. It’s a Rhone-happy combination that makes for a, well, hit-and-miss experience. A slightly bitter palate dulls notes of honeysuckle, strawberry, and crispy toasted marshmallow, all of which can be worthwhile but which don’t really gel together perfectly here. Florals become a…
Review: Alberta Premium Rye 20 Years Old
Long time rye drinkers have likely had their fair share of juice from Alberta Distillers, though more commonly via brands that source from the Calgary-based single-grain giant. A long time mainstay on Canadian shelves, the distillery’s own Alberta Premium brand has more recently made waves south of the border. Alberta Premium Cask Strength Rye has…
Review: Fainting Goat Spirits Tiny Cat Vodka and Emulsion Gin
Fainting Goat Spirits in Greensboro, NC is named for, well, fainting goats. I didn’t even know that was a thing, but apparently the occasional goat is indeed myotonic, falling stiff on the ground when startled or frightened but quickly getting back up again. Their resilience and their oddity are both qualities the team at Fainting…
Review: Old Forester The 117 Series – Whiskey Row Fire
With Jackie Zykan’s abrupt departure from Old Forester a few weeks ago, the distillery’s 117 Series — which was billed as her creation and famously features her signature — will soon have to go in a new direction (or be discontinued altogether). This fourth installment in the series is Zykan’s swan song, a bourbon designed…
Review: Single Cask Nation Virginia Distillery Co. American Single Malt 5 Years Old
Up until this point, every bottle that we’ve reviewed from Single Cask Nation has been scotch, but the independent bottler also offers a variety of spirits from around the world, several of which are distilled right here in the old US of A. In fact, they remain the only independent bottler of cask strength Wild…
Review: Gin Mare Capri
We are fans of the original Gin Mare, with its unique olive character, and now the producers have released a special edition as a follow-up. Gin Mare Capri is similar in design to its precursor but has some notable differences. It is made, their website explains, “with Italian bergamot from Calabria and lemons from Capri,…
