Review: Wines of Rodney Strong, Early 2021 Releases
We’re no strangers to the wines of Sonoma’s Rodney Strong Vineyards, and in a recent online tasting, winemaker Justin Seidenfeld took us on a tour through five of the winery’s recent releases, including our first look at Brothers, part of its prized Single Vineyard collection. Watch for some label/packaging changes later this year. Until then……
Review: El Mayor Tequila Extra Anejo – Rum Cask Finish
El Mayor’s Extra Anejo recently got a special edition line extension. This limited edition variant takes El Mayor’s XA (which has already spent 3 1/2 years in bourbon barrels) and finishes it for an undisclosed length of time in rum casks. There’s also no detail on the rum distillery that El Mayor has partnered with.…
Review: Harpoon Dunkin’ Dozen Collaboration Beers – Late 2020 Releases
Harpoon made waves in 2018 with its solid Coffee Porter collaboration with, of all brands, Dunkin’ (nee Donuts). At the tail end of 2020 it came out swinging with four more brews (well, three plus a reissue), part of a “Dunkin’ Dozen” case, all inspired by Dunkin’ stuff — and not necessarily its coffee —…
Review: Belvedere Heritage 176 Spirit Drink
Following up on its single estate vodka releases, Belvedere is back with another limited edition, Heritage 176, a vodka blended with malted rye spirit (essentially a white whiskey). What’s the idea? “Heritage 176 delivers a unique taste experience by emphasizing the rye from which Belvedere is made. Using a centuries-old technique of malting, the rye…
Review: Lyon Coffee Rum, Rock & Rum, and Orange Curacao
When we reviewed the core lineup of Lyon Rums last month, we mentioned that the distillery also dabbles in liqueurs and other unique rum-based products. Well, we’ve got three of these side projects on tap today for review: Coffee Rum, Rock & Rum, and their house-made Orange Curacao. Thoughts follow. Lyon Coffee Rum – Lyon…
Review: Bright Cellars Wine Club
With an overabundance of subscription services of all sorts being delivered to mailboxes and front porches, standing out and earning a loyal customer base in a crowded market can prove challenging to even the most stout-hearted of operations. So it should come as no surprise that the wine world is saturated with services promising to…
Review: 2017 Austrian Reds – Esterhazy Blaufrankisch and Brundlmayer Pinot Noir
Among wine drinkers, Austria is normally associated with gruner veltliner, if it’s associated with anything. But a variety of red wines hail from this country as well, including a few varietals you might have heard of. Here’s a look at a pair of Austrian reds, both from the 2017 vintatge. 2017 Esterhazy Blaufrankisch Austria –…
Review: The Whistler Oloroso Sherry Cask, Imperial Stout Cask, and Calvados Cask
Boann Distillery’s Whistler Irish Whiskey brand is back with three new expressions, all built around particular wood finishes — some expected, some unusual. “The Imperial Stout and Calvados Cask Finishes are annual releases that will be produced in February of each year with limited availability. Currently 3,000 bottles for each of the Imperial Stout and…