I’ve tasted Scotch whisky from many types of glasses, including several designed specifically for Scotch. But my favorite is a casual wine glass from Riedel’s “O” series of stemless tumblers. The model I like is intended for Chardonnay. Scotch whisky – when served neat, with water, or on the rocks – often comes in a [...]
The Hakushu Single Malt Whisky was the greatest discovery of my trip to Japan in 2007: an absolutely brilliant whisky, fully on par with its elite American and Scotch peers. Hakushu is produced by Suntory, the same conglomerate responsible for the better-known (and wonderful-in-its-own-right) Yamazaki single malt whisky brand. As of this writing, Yamazaki is [...]
Bourbon is hands down the best value to be found in whisk(e)y in the US today. Quality is high – very little of your grandfather’s rotgut can be found on contemporary shelves. And the prices, while rising far faster than inflation, can’t be beat – especially when compared to Scotch whiskies of similar quality. Following [...]
Very Old Barton “Bottled in Bond” is one of the great values in bourbon. Heck, at well under $15 for a bottle, it’s one of the greatest values in whiskey worldwide. Early last year I was inspired by a post on Chuck Cowdery’s blog to revisit this limited-distribution budget-priced bourbon. I had purchased a bottle [...]
Wow! This Pinot Noir from Chile is beautifully dark and seductive. A great value at $19.99. This might be the only Chilean Pinot Noir I’ve ever seen. Chile certainly has no Pinot heritage, so I’m guessing this winery’s foray into Pinot is very recent. Perhaps inspired to capitalize on the Sideways Pinot boom or just [...]
The Anthill Farms Anderson Valley wines perfectly capture the character (okay, “terroir“) of the Anderson Valley. Try either vintage to understand what this wine region is all about. I’m not super-familiar with the story of Anthill Farms, but it seems they’re some young winemakers specializing in vineyard-designate Pinot Noir from Mendocino and Sonoma counties. Brian [...]
