Review: 2018 2Hawk Malbec
2Hawk swoops in (sorry) via the Rogue Valley of southern Oregon, 81% Malbec, 19% co-fermented Cabernet Franc & Merlot, aged 21 months in 29% new, 30% 2-year old, and 41% neutral French oak. Like other Malbecs originating stateside, this is quite fruit-forward up front with notes of plum and raspberry and a secondary layer of…
Review: Alias Straight Rye Whiskey
MGP had a busy 2021. It began the year with the acquisition of Luxco and its impressive family of spirits producers which now manage the George Remus and Rossville Union whiskey brands. Then they finished the year with a wholesale renaming of their campus in Lawrenceburg, Indiana where those brands are produced. While the new…
An Insider’s Look At Spirits Sourcing: An Interview with Obtainium’s Gene Nassif
At just 28 years old, Iowa’s Gene Nassif wears a lot of hats. By day, he’s a practicing attorney focusing on family law. By night — and on the weekends and whatever other spare time he can muster — Nassif is co-owner of Cat’s Eye, a Bettendorf, Iowa-based micro distillery more widely known for its “Obtainium”…
Review: American Highway Reserve Route 1 and Route 2
Country music star Brad Paisley must like Jefferson’s Ocean, because he decided to use a similar approach when crafting his new bourbon in partnership with Bardstown Bourbon Co. But instead of using various waterways, Brad stuck to the roads, aging his American Highway Reserve Bourbon in barrels stored inside a 53-foot semi-trailer, dubbed the “rolling…
Review: Wines of Bellissima Zero, 2022 Releases
Bellissima Zero is a wine that includes Christie Brinkley as its brand partner, the wine positioning itself in the BFY (aka “better-for-you”) and “better-for-the-planet” categories (apparently these are a thing). The new line of nonvintage still and sparkling wines are vegan and made with organic grapes. The “Zero” in the name is a reference to…
Review: Shaker & Spoon Vodka Brunch Box
As high-end cocktail subscription service Shaker & Spoon notes, “Over the years our boxes have featured countless drinks to enjoy while twirling away in the twilight hours—so now it’s time for a slight change: three options primed to become the belles of your next brunch.” This installment of S&S’s box attempts the impossible: Making vodka…
Review: Filey Bay Yorkshire Single Malt Whisky Flagship, STR, and Fino Single Cask (2022)
Made by the Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery, Filey Bay is the first single malt whisky made in, “and of,” Yorkshire, England. The distillery says this because it’s a true “field to bottle” operation, made with local malt, pot distilled, and aged on site. Filey Bay has a rather extreme finishing operation, with over a half…
Review: Joe Gambino’s Bakery King Cake Rum Cream
Made in New Orleans by our friends at Cocktail & Sons, which is known for its line of exotic syrups, this collaboration with Joe Gambino’s Bakery is the outfit’s first alcoholic product, a rum cream flavored to taste like the inimitable NOLA classic: king cake. The light brown — and vaguely pink — liqueur has…