Say the word “Ardbeg” aloud and a phantom taste will visit the palate of everyone within earshot: specifically, a heavy, intense Islay peat. Ardbeg’s latest offering, Ardbeg Dark Cove, clearly isn’t apologizing for peat. In fact, it’s looking to dial…
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A few months back, we attended an informal meetup with WhistlePig Master Distiller Dave Pickerell, and somewhere between glasses of whisky, pitchers of beer and some seriously good hot dogs, he mentioned that WhistlePig had a 15 year old expression…
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BĒT Vodka is a new spirit out of Minnesota that’s doing things differently. Rather than your typical vodka distillates like wheat, potatoes or corn, BĒT (pronounced “beet”) is crafting their new vodka from local sugar beets. Founded by a couple…
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Woody Creek Distillers is the hardworking operation out of Colorado that’s producing a very solid gin, a couple vodkas and this here rye whiskey. Woody Creek Rye is composed of 100% Colorado rye and is mashed, distilled, aged and blended…
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Boulard is one of the legacy producers of Calvados, distilling from cider in the Normandy region of France since 1825. The Boulard Calvados Pays d’Auge VSOP, one notch up from their entry level, is a blend of brandies–each aged for…
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Tamworth Distilling is a New Hampshire-based operation that’s making a unique roster of spirits, from gins and vodkas to white whiskey and infusions. Behind the distillery is Steven Grasse, the creator of Hendrick’s Gin and a man who’s no stranger…
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The new anCnoc Blas is a very fashionable kind of whisky. See, Scottish born fashion designer Patrick Grant collaborated with the Knockdhu distillery to create this limited edition expression. Grant serves as the creative director of the Savile Row tailors,…
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Ever the popular enterprise these days, Diageo has been releasing many whiskeys into the wild as part of their Orphan Barrel project. And while I.W. Harper isn’t included in that lineup, it is another whiskey that’s been resurrected from the…
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Private Club Vodka is a relatively new entrant to the crowded vodka market. It’s made from American corn, distilled four times and bottled in Rochester, NY–and that New York theme runs through the packaging, with a gold Empire State Building…
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The Gifted Horse is the latest release from The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Co., an enterprise that rescues forgotten barrels of whiskey and bottles them. In this case, The Gifted Horse is purportedly a mistake–the result of a 17-year-old whiskey…
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I was recently invited into the Edrington Group offices to sample the latest release from The Macallan. Dubbed The Macallan Edition No. 1, this is the first release in a series that will see new whiskies released annually. Edition No….
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San Francisco-based Distillery No. 209 has a lot of things going for it, starting with some legitimate history–the original 209, at a winery in St. Helena, California, dates back to 1882. The owners, as you might expect, have some…
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You might know The Pogues as a Celtic punk band that was big in the ’80s and ’90s. But now, you can know the Pogues as whiskey people, because they’ve just released The Pogues Irish Whiskey. Having consumed their share…
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Clontarf 1014 Irish Whiskey is named for a battle that took place in the year 1014 in Clontarf, near Dublin, in which an Irish king defeated an army of Vikings. It was a gruesome fight, but fortunately for us, it…
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Released in fall of 2015, Santera Tequila is produced in the northern highlands of Jalisco. We reviewed Santera Blanco last year, and now we’re going straight to the Añejo. Santera Añejo Tequila is aged for up to 16 months in…
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Just last month we wrote about the release of Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Rye Whiskey. It’s the finished product of a life cycle that also saw the limited releases of an unaged rye and a two year-old expression. And now,…
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After reviving the historic whiskey brand in 2011, the Teeling Whiskey Co. became the first new distillery in Dublin in 125 years. And since then they’ve quickly established themselves as a real contender in the Irish whiskey market. We reviewed…
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When you’ve got a friend who’s working in Myanmar, you tend to ask questions. “What’s Myanmar like?” is a good one. It falls right behind “Can you ship me some local booze?” So that’s how I acquired bottles of Grand…
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Tres Papalote Mezcal is a new entrant to the category, and one that’s sporting a famous face behind the label: Cheech Marin. The actor and comedian best known as one half of the Cheech and Chong duo serves as brand…
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We’ve seen all kinds of fanciful claims when it comes to whiskey brands and history. This one says it’s distilled in the dungeon of a 13th century castle. That one comes from Davy Crockett’s brother’s recipe. Too many of these…
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