Tasting Lodi Zinfandel, 2017 Releases – Michael David, Fields Family, Ironstone, and Harney Lane
November 15 was National Zinfandel Day, and there’s nowhere that is more associated with zinfandel than Lodi, California. In honor of the occasion, LOCA — the trade group for Lodi — got four winemakers together to present their recent releases — all old vine bottlings — and talk about all things zin. Here’s a look…
Review: Laphroaig 27 Years Old
Laphroaig 25 Years Old is a watershed bottling from the Islay distillery — what then to make of the oddball Laphroaig 27 Years Old, which dropped as a complete surprise just a few weeks ago. 27 years vs. 25 years? Could the differences be that extreme? Let’s take a look at this brand new expression,…
Review: 2015 Stephane Aviron Cru Beaujolais – Fleurie, Morgon, and Chenas
Just because it’s November and a wine drinker’s thoughts are turning to Beaujolais, doesn’t mean you have to drink Nouveau. With that in mind, importer Frederick Wildman and Sons presents these alternatives — cru Beaujolais which are far more interesting than the typical Nouveau release, but which remain highly affordable. Some preliminary notes from Wildman…
Review: Basil Hayden’s Dark Rye
Ready for the absolutely craziest thing to come out of whiskeydom since Alberta Rye Dark Batch? Get ready for Basil Hayden’s Dark Rye! The gist: Like Basil Hayden’s flagship bourbon, Basil Hayden’s Dark Rye stands out from the crowd. Blending Kentucky straight rye whiskey and Canadian rye with a splash of California port, Basil Hayden’s Dark Rye is…
Drinkhacker’s 2017 Holiday Gift Guide – Best Alcohol/Spirits for Christmas
It’s our tenth anniversary, and our tenth holiday gift guide! After more than 5500 posts — the bulk of them product reviews — we’ve written millions of words on all things quaffable, and as always, we select the cream of the crop to highlight in our annual holiday buying guide. Consider it a “best of…
Cocktail Recipes for Thanksgiving 2017
Here at Drinkhacker, we are thankful for you—our drinking readers! Among the other things we’re thankful for are good food, good friends, and good cocktails. May these cocktails and snack recipes be among them on your holiday table. Caramel Apple created by NYC mixologist Allison Kave of Butter and Scotch 2 oz. Baileys Pumpkin Spice Irish…
Tasting with Ferrari-Carano, 2017 Releases
It’s been two years since we hung out with Sonoma’s Ferrari-Carano, but recently the winery invited us to sample its latest releases, a quartet of wines spanning a wide range of styles in production here. Led via a live, online tasting by Associate Winemaker Rebecka Deike (the red wine specialist here), we started with chardonnay…
How to Analyze, Score, and Review Whiskey
The first time I watched Ralfy on his YouTube channel, it was a revelation. With the right glass and some experience you can learn to get so many different notes out of a whisky! Then you could score it, and share it, letting others know what you think. Many believe that this dark art of…