Review: Stolen X Rock & Rye
Recently, Stolen Spirits branched out from rum to whiskey, and now it’s taking its nascent brand even further with the launch of Stolen X, a flavored “rock & rye” whiskey. Ingredients in this blend include straight American rye whiskey, organic raw honey, and real orange peel — no artificial anything. The nose of the spirit…
Review: Graham’s Tawny Port 20 Years Old (2019)
We’ve covered Graham’s 10 year old tawny Port a couple of times, but this is our first formal go-round with the 20 year old. This expression is a quite sweet raisin bomb up front, with a few cranberry and cherry notes mixed in for good measure. A hint of black tea and a touch of…
Review: Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon
We’ve been fans of Four Roses pretty much since the beginning of Drinkhacker, and while we’ve enjoyed the standard-edition Small Batch Bourbon on many occasions, we’ve never gotten around to actually reviewing it. (Yes, we’ve covered umpteen limited edition annual releases of this whiskey and the new Small Batch Select, but never the year-round bottling.)…
Tasting the Wines of Travaglini, 2019 Releases
Ever stumbled across an Italian red in a funkily-shaped bottle? I have — and it’s one of the very first wines that I can remember really gravitating to as a novice wine enthusiast. What a treat then to discuss this unique wine with its current overseer, Cinzia Travaglini, a fourth-generation winemaker who was recently in…
Review: Rabbit Hole Distillery Heigold Straight Bourbon
Rabbit Hole Distillery continues to add expressions to their portfolio, so to keep the rest of us from getting too confused going forward, they’ve rebranded each offering with a distinctive name. For those playing at home, the straight bourbon is now Cavehill, the straight rye is now Boxergrail, and the PX finished bourbon will henceforth…
Tasting Report: Wines of New Zealand 2019
New Zealand’s winemakers were back in San Francisco recently, bringing their most recent vintages to show to trade and press. No big surprises here, though as always the trend of overblown tropicality in NZ sauvignon blanc is being tempered, in no small part thanks to winemaking expanding beyond the Marlborough region to other terroirs and…
Review: Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2019 Edition
It’s October, and that means that Buffalo Trace’s five whiskeys in its highly sought-after Antique Collection — the BTAC — is here. Bourbon and rye fans will know these whiskies well, and Buffalo Trace has only a few twists in store for you for 2019. While you’re savoring the tasting notes for our 12th review…
Review: Freemark Abbey 2018 Sauvignon Blanc and 2015 Merlot
For fall sipping, Napa’s Freemark Abbey offers two wines for your consideration. Let’s dig in. 2018 Freemark Abbey Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley – Iconic notes of ammonia impregnate the nose of this classic Napa sauvignon blanc, with notes of grapefruit, lemon peel, and lime peel all coming on strong in short order. It’s fairly floral…