Review: Bellion Vodka
I won’t rehash the science of Bellion — in a nutshell, it includes additives designed to protect your liver from damage related to alcohol consumption — what we turn our attention to is how this vodka, technically “vodka infused with natural flavors” actually tastes. Results: Foremost, it is sweet, and unbelievably so. Bellion’s secret “functional”…
Review: Cotswolds Dry Gin
England has no shortage of gin distilleries, but southern England-based Cotswolds wants to be at the top of your list. Cotswolds is one of the “smallest but prettiest” distilleries in Britain, and if the pictures do it any justice, they’re not wrong on the beauty claim. Some details: The expression of the traditional London Dry style…
Tasting Report: Madeira Wine 2016
Madeira is one of the most enigmatic wine styles in the world. A fortified wine made from grapes grown on a single island and aged in a hot environment, Madeira has a flavor unlike any other wine you’ll encounter. A small variety of grapes are used, including dry sercial, medium dry verdelho, medium rich boal…
Review: Highland Park Einar
If you’ve spent much time in travel retail shops, you’ve encountered Highland Park’s “Warrior” series, which comprises eight whiskies, each with the name of a Viking warrior. (Some of these are very small releases, so you may legitimately only encounter two or three of them.) The theme of the Warrior series is wood, with Svein barreled exclusively…
Review: Twang Beer Salt
It’s common to jam a wedge of lime into your beer when sipping on a Mexican lager. Others prefer a lick of salt instead of the sweet-and-sour kick of citrus, and that’s why Twang — “The Original Premium Beersalt” — exists. Twang, which also makes a line of margarita salts, sells five different flavors of…
Review: A. Smith Bowman Abraham Bowman Gingerbread Cocoa Finished Bourbon
Nearly three years ago our friends at Virginia-based, Sazerac-owned A. Smith Bowman released a unique finished version of their whiskey, which included 12 months of finishing in gingerbread stout barrels sourced from Hardywood Park Craft Brewery. Now Bowman is adding a new version that complicates things much further. Allow them to explain directly: Marrying two Virginia gems, this…
Tasting Affordable Bordeaux, Late 2016 Releases
Hey folks, don’t want to spend big bucks for wine for the holiday table? Check out this quintet of affordable Bordeaux wines — which generally fared much better than the last round of affordabordeaux that we reviewed. NV La Fleur de Francois Cremant de Bordeaux Rose Brut – A sparkling rose made from 90% merlot and…
Review: Whiskies of Lost Distillery – Jericho, Lossit, and Towiemore
The Lost Distillery Company is an endeavour which aims to recreate the long-gone whiskies of the dozens of “silent stills” that dot the Scottish countryside. For better or for worse, the group aims to blend up various single malts in an effort to mimic what these lost spirits might have tasted like. How? By researching still types,…