Review: Shiner Tex Hex Bruja’s Brew IPA
Few would associate Texas’s Shiner Beer with IPA, but public outcry has demanded the traditionally lager-based brewery to head into that direction. To that end, a new IPA franchise, called Tex Hex (aka TexHex), and its flagship offering: Bruja’s Brew. The first of three Tex Hex offerings, Bruja’s Brew is a bright and juicy beer…
Review: Corazon Tequila, Complete Lineup (2022)
While we regularly cover Corazon Tequila’s special editions — aged in a variety of rare Buffalo Trace whiskey barrels — we haven’t reviewed the core lineup of tequila since some embarrassingly primitive coverage way back in 2008, when they came packaged in breakage-prone decanters with long, fragile necks. Things have changed for Corazon since then,…
Review: 2022 Sovi Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Rose
In mid-December 2021 we had the opportunity to review the inaugural offerings from California’s Sovi line of ready-to-drink canned non-alcoholic wines. While the red blend was flavorful and well-rounded, the Sparkling Rose could have used some fine-tuning. I am pleased to report that, after receiving this year’s vintage, things have improved for the better. Before…
Review: High Plains Rye
This simply bottled whiskey, purporting to be a “blend of straight rye whiskeys” would probably be easy to gloss over were it not for what comes next on the label: “selected and blended by Jim Rutledge.” Jim, as many readers know, is the former distiller at Four Roses and is now making a name for…
Book Review: World Atlas of Beer: The Essential Guide to the Beers of the World 3rd Edition
The world is changing. Beer is changing. Everything changes and that seems to be the only certainty we have available left in our 2022 survival toolkit. So, it makes sense that Tim Webb and Stephen Beaumont would head back to the word processor and give their comprehensive World Atlas of Beer a third revision to…
Review: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Years Old (2022) and Caribbean Cask 14 Years Old
Naturally we have covered the whiskies of Speyside’s Balvenie on many occasions, ranging from garden variety offerings to the luxe releases in the various Tun series. Today we’re taking a new look at two of the distillery’s entry-level offerings, bottles which we’ve reviewed on various occasions and which deserve tasting again with a fresh palate.…
Book Review: Rare Whisky: Explore the World’s Most Exquisite Spirits
Simply put: Patrick Mahe’s Rare Whisky compendium is an incredibly exquisite coffee table book. It is an absolute delight to get lost in the high-resolution photography of some of the world’s most sought-after bottles while sipping on something which is most likely (more on that in a second) not contained in the book’s 200+ pages.…
Review: Penderyn Single Malt Welsh Whisky – Moscatel de Setubal Cask 6 Years Old
Welsh whisky distillery Penderyn is introducing two exciting, new single barrel whiskies to the U.S. market in very limited quantities with both owing their distinctive character to Portuguese wine casks. The first is 6 years old, aged first in Buffalo Trace Bourbon casks and then finished in Tawny Port casks. Unfortunately, we don’t get to…
