Review: BenRiach 21 Years Old (2020)
BenRiach’s latest is a complex Speyside single malt, matured for 21 years in a combination of four casks: bourbon, virgin oak, Pedro Ximenez sherry, and red wine casks. It’s quite a delight, kicking off on the nose with baking spice, nougat, and coconut, filtered through a lightly smoldering note of barrel char and toasted spices.…
Review: Cocktail Kits from Lonerider Spirits and American Cocktail Club
Recently, for Wired, I took a deep dive into cocktail subscription kits and delivery services, whereby you get all the ingredients you need to make a cocktail or three shipped to your home, no shopping required (unless, of course, it’s one of the kits that are shipped without booze included). Since that story ran, I’ve…
Review: Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum – Fiji 2004 and Guyana 2005
Holmes Cay, which launched its first independently-bottled rum in last year’s Barbados 2005 release, is back at it with two new expressions, one a 2004 from Fiji 2004 and the other a 2005 demerara from Guyana’s Port Mourant. Both are bottled from single casks of 100% pot still rums, bottled at cask strength with no…
Review: Wines of Robert Mondavi, 2020 Releases
This trio of wines represents some of Mondavi’s most widely available products, all drawn from its affordable (but not cheap) Napa Valley tier. Let’s try them. 2017 Robert Mondavi Chardonnay Napa Valley – Buttery and nutty, this is a California chardonnay that’s tempered by age, its butter lightly browned and its fruit toned down just…
Review: Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Bourbon 17 Years Old Bottled in Bond
Feeling some deja vu? You’re not crazy. There was indeed already a Master’s Keep 17 Years Old expression from Wild Turkey, which released back in 2015. In fact, that release was the first of the Master’s Keep line altogether. Now the 17 year old version is back — as Master’s Keep release #5 — the…
Book Review: Behind Bars: High Class Cocktails Inspired by Low-Life Gangsters
Within the cocktail world over the last decade there has been an aggressive and endless nod to Prohibition/pre-Prohibition aesthetics for inspiration. This trend does not appear to be making an exit any time in the foreseeable future, which is unfortunate: there is no stone left unturned, no magical cocktail recipe or elixir which hasn’t seen…
Review: Cardhu 12 Years Old (2020) and Game of Thrones Cardhu House Targaryen Gold Reserve
When measured against its reputable Diageo siblings, Cardhu would not be the first choice of many a seasoned single malt aficionado. A quick glance at reliable sources shows independent offerings are rare on the market, and with the exception of the occasional special release in a limited-edition collection, there are seldom expansions beyond two or…
Review: Jeppson’s Malort Curling Edition
Malört is spiced liquor flavored with wormwood, and is Swedish in origin. Sometime during the 1930’s, innovator/sadist Carl Jeppson thrusted his variation of Malört, a word that translates literally as “moth herb,” upon an unsuspecting Chicago public for reasons beyond comprehension. This innovation was quite helpful to residents of this working-class Midwest metropolis. Were it…
