Review: C.L. Butaud 2022 Blanc de Noir and 2021 Cease & Desist
We’re back to Texas-based C.L. Butaud with a look at a pair of newish releases — one white, one red… but both made from red grapes. 2022 C.L. Butaud Blanc de Noir – A white wine (with just the barest shade of pink to it) made from 100% mourvedre (red) grapes, 6 barrels made from…
Review: Ammunition Cask Strength Bourbon Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels
Two years ago, we reviewed Daylight Wine & Spirits’ Ammunition Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon Barrels. Today, we swing back to try the new cask strength release of the same whiskey. The earlier bourbon was bottled at 90 proof and this one is bottled at 110, but there are additional differences that go…
Review: Deschutes Brewery Late 2023 Releases
At the end of 2023, Oregon’s Deschutes dropped a handful of new (and re-) releases, including the re-revamped version of its highly prized Dissident sour, tasted here next to a vintage version of the same beer from 2019, the last time it was made from this recipe. Let’s check them out. Deschutes Brewery The Dissident…
Review: Nelson Bros. Rye Whiskey and Nelson’s Green Brier Tennessee Whiskey Cask Strength
Out Nashville buddies the Nelson brothers recently released two new whiskeys — one, a sourced rye bottled under the Nelson Bros. brand, the other a cask strength Tennessee whiskey made by the Nelsons directly, bottled to celebrate the recent completion of the distillery’s renovation (which no includes a restaurant on site). Let’s dig in to…
Review: 2020 Attems Cicinis Collio DOC
We’ve long been fans of Attems, which is best known for its pinot grigio wines made in Italy’s Venezia region. Cicinis is a bit different, a sauvignon blanc wine produced in Collio, in the very most northeast part of the country, bordering Slovenia. The wine challenges expectations of sauvignon blanc, offering a gently creamy body…
Review: Nc’nean Organic Single Malt Whisky
Distilleries all over the world are finally starting to go green, but it feels like there’s been a particular focus on sustainability in the whisky space over the last year or so. Distilling is a notoriously energy intensive process, and for a lot of large-scale heritage brands, it’s going to take a while for their…
Review: Eda Rhyne Rare Grain Rye Single Barrel and Fernet Barrel
Since they first started distilling in 2018, Asheville’s Eda Rhyne has built a portfolio of spirits unique among most craft distillers. Their first bottlings focused solely on amari instead of the more typical vodka and gin (although they got around to the latter eventually). That approach was rooted in a desire to spotlight the Appalachian…
Review: Barrell Bourbon New Year 2024
Another year down means another Barrell New Year batch to help us celebrate. Or forget. Usually, a bit of both. Barrell continues its everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to this specialty blend, adhering closely to the 2023 playbook with a cornucopia of bourbons distilled in eight different states and spanning 5 to 15 years old. While the bourbons…
