Review: 2012 Faust Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
When I first tasted Faust’s 2012 Cabernet I thought it might be off — densely tannic with vegetal flavors that were massively overwhelming at first attack. I corked the wine up and put it away for a day, hoping things would settle down. Fortunately, they did, revealing a wine that’s a burly as all get-out, but…
Book Review: The 12 Bottle Bar
The 12 Bottle Bar is founded on a great idea: Build a home bar not by amassing hundreds of obscurities like Chartreuse and Punt e Mes (guilty!), but rather by focusing on the bare essentials. With just 12 bottles, authors David and Lesley Jacobs Solmonson say you can make hundreds of cocktails without breaking the bank or having to…
Review: Baileys Chocolate Cherry
A chocolate-cherry cordial in liquid form sure sounds nice, but Baileys’ latest flavor doesn’t quite hit the mark. The idea is self-explanatory, but the execution isn’t totally there. The nose is alive with sweet cherry notes, but it’s the chocolate that — surprisingly — is lacking throughout in this liqueur. Instead Baileys Chocolate Cherry is muddled with…
Review: Glencadam 10, 15, and 21 Years Old
Glencadam can be found in the Eastern Highlands of Scotland. It is the only working distillery in County Angus here, but thanks to CIL US Wine & Spirits (the company behind Camus Cognac), it’s now available in the U.S. The distillery last changed hands in 2003, when it was acquired by a Scottish indie producer. If…
Review: Tequila Espolon Anejo
Tequila Espolon was relaunched in 2010 as one of the first of a wave of high-quality, 100% agave tequilas that were far less expensive than most any other 100% agave tequilas on the market. But there was a hole in the lineup: No anejo. Now Espolon is back with an anejo expression, at long last. Intriguingly the…
Book Review: Tasting Whiskey For Dummies
At $6 and a scant 25 pages in length — and not even an official “Dummies” title — it’s difficult to give this one a full-throated endorsement, especially after just reading Heather Greene’s excellent guide on the same subject matter. Jake Olson does indeed cover the basics of whiskey tasting, with a very direct, almost…
Review: Jenni Rivera La Gran Senora Tequila Reposado
I had never heard of Jenni Rivera before her face showed up on my doorstep. Literally. That’s Rivera mugging from the label of her eponymous tequila — perhaps the most glorious and arguably inappropriate vanity spirit bottling I’ve ever seen. (The only way this could be topped is to imagine a Kardashian vodka, with Kim’s face…
Review: 2007 Tenuta Castelbuono Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG
Sagrantino is grown mainly in the Umbrian region of Italy, where the village of Montefalco is the hub. Sagrantino is a dense, tough grape. Its wines are believed to be some of the most tannic made anywhere in the world. This 2007 sagrantino from Castelbuono is an intense but delightful wine. Licorice notes complement dried…
