Several Irish distilleries have taken to experimenting with new approaches to making whiskey of late, but few more boldly than Method and Madness. Today we look at their newest expression, which is Single Pot Still Irish whiskey that was first aged in ex-bourbon casks and then finished in Garryana white oak casks from Oregon. Method and Madness isn’t the first distillery to use Garryana oak (we discuss its distinctiveness in our review of Westland Garryana American single malt), but it is the first Irish distillery to do so. Method and Madness has experimented with unusual wood aging before ..read more

The 8th year of Beam Little Book releases has arrived, and while last year we were invited to consider Little Book “In Retrospect,” now we journey onto the “Path Not Taken,” which is a reimagining of American rye whiskey designed to showcase, in essence, that rye is not as boring and same-same today as you might think it is. This release features 7 different whiskeys in the blend. Six of these are straight ryes of various styles (Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and one with malted rye), with ages ranging from 4 to 11 years old. The last whiskey is a high rye bourbon, at a whopping 18 years of age. I ..read more

Looking for a crowd-pleasing chardonnay for the summer? Check out Waypoint, from the Russian River Valley, which produces this wine from Wente clone grapes grown in an iconic single vineyard in the region and ages it for 18 months in 62% new French oak. In tasting, no big surprises here: This is a well-oaked, classically built chardonnay, heavy on notes of almond candy, nougatine, lemon curd, and, above all else, vanilla custard. Creamy and rich, the wine builds on the palate to showcase elements of coconut and later some floral honeysuckle notes — the conclusion coming across as both moderat ..read more

After taking a hiatus in 2022, much to the dismay of many a bourbon lover and collector, Michter’s returned its 10-year-old single barrel bourbon last year in impressive style with one of the best releases to date. Can they outdo themselves for 2024? Let’s find out. As always, this is a single barrel expression of Michter’s bourbon, aged at least ten years, and bottled at a non-standard, but always approachable, proof. I don’t always have the opportunity to compare current and previous releases, usually because my sample is long gone by the time another rolls around, but for this year I had a ..read more

What is the difference between a non-alcoholic liqueur and a syrup? Giffard‘s new line of Alcohol Free liqueurs are distinguished by their use of the shrub technique to craft them: fruits and herbs are not laced with alcohol but rather macerated in wine vinegar as a replacement for booze — a production process that reportedly took three years to perfect. As well, with a reduced amount of sugar in the recipe, the liqueurs allow their underlying botanical ingredients to shine more clearly. That’s the idea, anyway. One of the top liqueur producers in the world, Giffard, recently branched out int ..read more

Virginia’s A. Smith Bowman Distillery has been on fire of late with its limited editions. The annual Cask Strength releases, each impressive, have become instant unicorns, and the most recent Abraham Bowman, a rum-finished 15-year-old bourbon released in 2021, was similarly spot on. After a two year hiatus, Abraham Bowman has returned with the first in a new line dubbed the Oak Series. Kicking off that new lineup is French Oak, a 12-year-old whiskey fully matured in French oak casks, both charred and uncharred. Of note, the use of uncharred oak casks necessitates this be labeled just a whiske ..read more

We previously reviewed Gracias a Dios Mezcal Espadin, and today we swing around to try two of their mezcals, alternately made from Tobala and Tepextate agaves. These varieties differ from Espadin in that they are not domesticated and are only cultivated where they grow wild. They also require more time before they are ready to be harvested with Tobala growing 10 to 13 years and Tepextate 20 to 25 years before reaching maturity. Both are joven (unaged) and crafted from agave from Zoquitlán, Oaxaca. Let’s give them a try. Both are 90 proof. NOM 0223X. Gracias a Dios Mezcal Tobala – On the nose a ..read more

Did you know: In 1868, Quinta do Vesúvio became the first single estate Port wine — and it’s still going strong in 2024. Though not exactly a household name, Vesuvio makes some outstanding Port wines — and it’s also got an impressive dry, table wine operation going on, too thanks to 328 acres planted to vines in Portugal’s Douro Valley. In a recent, Zoom-based tasting, we sat down with winemakers Charles Symington and Mariana Brito, who guided us through the three most recent releases of the Vesuvio collection – Comboio, Pombal, and the namesake Quinta — along with its latest vintage Port off ..read more

Of all the whisky team-ups I could imagine, Scotland’s Lagavulin and Australia’s Starward was nowhere near the top of my list (despite Diageo having a not insignificant interest in the latter). Sure, the two countries have some cultural history. There’s a better than zero chance that a couple centuries ago an illicit distiller from Islay ended up in an Australian penal colony. But that’s probably not the brand story Starward is going for here. About that story: The Starward team had the unique opportunity to visit the Lagavulin Distillery on Islay, experiencing firsthand the impact of the is ..read more

Discussions about the merits of Bordeaux’s Left Bank and Right Bank — separated by the Dordogne and Garonne rivers — are as old as modern winemaking itself. And while many will endlessly debate the quality of the two factions, there are some key differences in winemaking between the two regions. When it comes to reds, both areas make blends using at least some of the five classic Bordeaux grape varieties. However, the Left Bank is known for leaning heavily on cabernet sauvignon, while the Right Bank is more egalitarian, with merlot typically taking the lead. If you’re trying to suss out wheth ..read more