Book Review: The Mezcal Experience
With mezcal on the rise as a category, it makes sense for enthusiasts to build their understanding of what mezcal is and why it’s such a unique product in the world of spritis. Tom Bullock’s treatise, The Mezcal Experience: A Field Guide to the World’s Best Mezcals and Agave Spirits, offers a solid foundation to the…
Review: Kilchoman 100% Islay Eighth Release and Sauternes Cask Finish
The end of 2018 saw a pair of late-breaking Kilchoman bottlings arriving. Details (and reviews) follow. Kilchoman 100% Islay Eighth Release – It’s year #8 for Kilchoman’s annual 100% Islay release, which is grown, malted, distilled, matured and bottled entirely on Islay. From barley harvest between 2007 and 2011, and matured in a combination of bourbon and…
Review: Wines of Lievland, 2017 Vintage
Hailing from South Africa, Lievland (“love land” in Afrikaans) is new to the U.S. Some details: “The winery is a new project from José Conde and brothers Tyrrel and Philip Myburgh, partners in MAN Family Wines. Located on the road to Paarl, known as the “Golden Mile” and home to many of Stellenbosch’s best-known wineries, Lievland was considered…
Review: BLK EYE Vodka
Just when you thought you’d encountered every vodka twist known to man — from marijuana to bacon — comes a definite first: vodka distilled from black-eyed peas from Muleshoe, Texas. It may reek of gimmickry, as does the very name, BLK EYE, all in uppercase. However, the striking black, white, and gold bottle, with artwork…
Review: Cooper & Thief 2016 Red Blend and 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon
The magical formula of wine aged whiskey barrels remains an elusive one, and next up to try is Cooper & Thief Cellarmasters, an outfit that’s become a staple at whiskey events, pouring its products for the whiskey-loving masses. Cooper & Thief has three wines in its arsenal (a sauvignon blanc isn’t reviewed here), and it’s got…
Review: Spirits of French Lick – Bourbons, Gin, Absinthe, and Aquavit (2019)
If I wanted to be perfect on style and grammar, I’d call this post “Spirits of Spirits of French Lick.” You see, the distillery is called Spirits of French Lick, not French Lick, which makes me realize that I’ve now typed French lick four times. Five. Spirits of French Lick can be found in West Baden…
Review: 21st Amendment Tasty IPA
Tasty? Aren’t all beers tasty? Some deets on this new offering from 21st Amendment: Last year, 21st Amendment Brewery partnered up with homebrewer extraordinaire, Mike “Tasty” McDole, to collaborate on a delicious, limited-release IPA. The beer came and went far too fast so the brewery decided to bring it back for good. Releasing in six-packs,…
Review: Talisker 10 Years Old
Best known as the only major distillery on the Isle of Skye, Talisker fills a unique spot in the single malt world, bridging the gap between the heavy peat of Islay and the brighter styles of the Highlands, to which Skye is actually closer in proximity. At just 10 years old, Talisker is on point.…