Review: Scott Family Estate 2016 Chardonnay and 2015 Pinot Noir
“The unsung hero of the Central Coast,” Arroyo Seco can be found in the heart of Monterey County, and Scott Family Estate (part of the Rutherford Ranch group) calls this region home to its production of classic varietal wines endemic to this region. Today we look at two new releases from Scott Family, both highly…
Review: Caol Ila Unpeated 15 Years Old Limited Edition 2018
Diageo’s annual Special Release series has arrived for 2018, and we’re kicking off our coverage of the ten available in the U.S. by looking at a perennial favorite (and one which is much less expensive than the rest of the field): Caol Ila’s annual unpeated release. This year’s release is 15 years old, aged in…
Review: 2016 Spoken Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage
Spoken Barrel produces just two wines in the Columbia Valley, Washington, each adorned with the number 42. Why? Because Washington was the 42nd state to enter the union. Let’s see what it’s learned about winemaking since then. 2016 Spoken Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley – Unctuous, almost gummy at times, this is a lightly sweet…
Tasting Indian Rum and Whisky with Amrut’s Ashok Chokalingam, 2018
Curious where you’ll find the 8th largest rum brand in the world? Look to India, where Amrut has been pumping out the stuff since the 1960s (though the company dates back to 1948). Today, Amrut is probably best known in the U.S. as a whisky distiller, thanks to the efforts of Whisky Innovator and Assistant Distiller Ashok…
Review: Little City Vermouth – Dry and Sweet
Artisan vermouth is on the rise, and this new brand out of New York (Finger Lakes Distilling is the brand’s bottling partner) offers a glimpse of what’s being done. Little City doesn’t offer a lot of information about its production — though check out the huge number of botanicals in each bottling. Thoughts on both…
A Visit to Napa’s Clos du Val
You might have missed it, but something’s been up at Napa’s Clos du Val winery, namely that it’s been moving out of the supermarket and into the high-end. We reviewed some of Clos du Val’s newest releases a few months back, but more recently we visited its revamped, redesigned tasting room on the Silverado Trail.…
Book Review: Dry
Not everyone drinks alcohol. Not everyone who drinks alcohol wants to drink alcohol all the time. Nothing wrong with that, but sipping on club soda with lime is an uncommon bummer that it ought to be illegal. Whether you’re entertaining a teetotaler (or someone underage) or are simply trying to drink less, elevating your alcohol-free…
Review: Woodford Reserve Distillery Series – Barrel Finished Rye
Barrel Finished Rye, another addition to Woodford Reserve’s Distillery Series, briefly hit the distillery’s gift shop shelves this past spring. In the three years since Woodford began the series, this line of one-offs has highlighted some fairly straightforward experiments, like the Double Double Oaked, as well as some more unusual efforts like Frosty Four Wood.…
