Review: Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila – Silver and Reposado (2015)
Cuervo’s cheapest 100% agave tequila — Cuervo Tradicional — has been with us for a few years now, but we’re only just now getting around to reviewing the original — the reposado bottling. We first looked at Tradicional Silver four years ago, now we’re hitting it up for a second review, plus a first review…
Review: Carpano Dry and Carpano Bianco Vermouth
The company that makes Punt e Mes and Carpano Antica also makes some more pedestrian vermouths, including these two white styles — both made from ancient, secret recipes. Let’s try both! Carpano Dry Vermouth – Classically dry, sourly winey nose, with notes of dried, savory herbs (absinthe notes are described in the tasting notes, but…
Review: The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve (2015)
Back in 2010, Glenlivet released its Founder’s Reserve expression — an extremely rare, wooden-crated, nearly $400 bottle of some of the best malt whisky I’ve ever had. In 2015, Glenlivet is also releasing Founder’s Reserve. Which is a completely different thing. Completely. The new Founder’s Reserve is an entry-level whisky, a no-age-statement expression of this single…
Review: HoneyMaker Dry Mead
Is mead going to be a thing again, for the first time since the 1200s? Maine’s HoneyMaker is the latest company making a go at making honey-based wine, and this Dry Mead is just one of nearly a dozen offerings. “Dry” meaning exactly that: almost no residual sugar makes this a much different experience than…
Review: Expresiones del Corazon Barrel-Aged Tequila (Blanco, Buffalo Trace Reposado & Old Rip Van Winkle Anejo) 2015
Back in 2013, Corazon Tequila had the curious idea to take fresh tequila and age it in high-end bourbon barrels rather than the typical Jack and Jim barrels. With five tequilas aged in a variety of casks — including Sazerac 18, George Stagg, and Old Rip Van Winkle — the project was an exercise in…
Book Review: Tiki Drinks
What do I look for in a cocktail book that I might add to my collection? Drinks that aren’t widely included in other books, a tenable theme, and lots of pictures of what the finished product looks like. (Half the time I find myself picking a beverage by appearance rather than its ingredients, and I…
Review: Sukkah Hill Spirits Etrog and Besamim Liqueurs
Sukkah Hill Spirits is a new, artisan producer of eastern-inspired liqueurs that is based in southern California. These spirits are both sweet liqueurs, with no corn syrup added, all natural ingredients, no preservatives, and all the other good stuff that you’d expect from a company with a name like Sukkah Hill. We checked out both…
Review: Russell’s Reserve 1998 Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Right on the heels of Master’s Keep comes Russell’s Reserve 1998, Wild Turkey’s rarest expression yet. Back in 1998, Jimmy and Eddie Russell laid down some “special occasion” casks — and only now are they getting around to actually bottling them, 17 years later. These whiskies predate the Russell’s Reserve brand altogether, so it’s not…
