Review: Winemaker Judit Llop’s New Wines from Priorat and Monsant, 2013 Releases
One of the new guard winemakers of Spain, Judit Llop is in charge of a variety of wines from the Priorat and Monsant region, both in the northeasternmost region of Spain. I didn’t get to meet Llop on her most recent visit here, but she was kind enough to send along her newest wines, which…
Review: Absolut Cilantro Vodka
What an odd little concoction. The name alone should cue you in that you’re in a whole new world here — cilantro and Sweden aren’t two words I typically associate with one another. But here we are, an inevitability, perhaps, given a world we live in where multiple cucumber flavored vodkas can be had: Cilantro…
Review: Thatcher’s Vodka
Thatcher’s has long been a purveyor of some tasty liqueurs, but now it’s expanding into harder stuff, namely vodka. As the name indicates, Thatcher’s is an organic vodka. Made from North America grains in Barrington, Illinois, no additional data is provided on distillation (column, one presumes) or filtration. Nice little vodka. Sweet, but not overly…
Review: Samuel Adams Little White Rye and Blueberry Hill Lager
Two new entries into Sam Adams’ “craft brew” lineup. No introduction needed, really. These beers speak pretty well for themselves. Samuel Adams Little White Rye – A white witbier. Spicy, with clear citrus and coriander notes. That burly, Asian-inflected character builds more and more until that hefty herbal character — namely the sage used in…
Review: Skyy Infusions Moscato Vodka
Driven by the club crowd, Moscato is the hottest wine grape on the planet, with sales of Moscato wine up 73% in 2012. Naturally, now it’s making its way into other products in the industry, and perhaps the splashiest arrival is in Skyy’s new Moscato-flavored vodka. As a flavoring agent goes, Moscato’s a pretty easy…
Review: Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum (2013)
Rum is undergoing a bit of a revival at present, and even mega-sized bottlers are doing their part to release higher-end, limited-release products. One of those is Mount Gay Black Barrel. Double-distilled and aged first in regular Bourbon barrels then finished in extra-charred “black” ex-Bourbon barrels, this new rum (no age statement) aims to provide…
Review: Uproot Sauvignon Blancs, 2011 Vintage
Uproot is a brand new wine label that is launching with just two varietals: Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache Blanc. Exceedingly unconventional, Uproot offers one of very few Sauvignon Blancs that is aged in oak barrels: 47 percent one year old French Barrels, 44 percent French Oak puncheons, and nine percent stainless steel. Here’s how the…
Review: Rough Rider Bourbon
When I first tasted Rough Rider, a straight Bourbon made by Long Island Spirits (which we’ve covered well in the past), I thought I was tasting one of Kentucky’s finest. It’s a common, well-accepted trick: Take a barrel of old Kentucky (or Indiana) whiskey, ship it to your home state, and bottle it there (maybe…
