An Irish whiskey with a Bay Area connection… Livermore, to be exact? It’s true. January saw the release of a brand new whiskey, not a common occurrence in Ireland. What better way to initiate this new release than with a Bon Vivants’ party? My recent travails through Ireland, particularly exploring whiskey production in County Cork (from pot still beauties like Redbreast,… Read more →
Here are two new barrel aged beauties worth seeking out, plus more to look forward to in 2012. 1512 SPIRITS BARREL AGED 100% RYE & Poitín We’ve talked small production 1512 Spirits rye before, made by Salvatore (Sal) Cimino in a small, custom still up in Santa Rosa. During the day you’ll find him giving shaves and cutting hair in… Read more →
“Too much of anything is bad, but too much of good whiskey is barely enough.” – Mark Twain Last issue I shared a few dynamic new spirits releases across categories, from creme de menthe to Scottish gin. This round, it’s Scotch sips for a winter’s night. While I continue to sip Mortlach 16 and one-of-a-kind bottles from the Scotch Malt… Read more →
Whether hunting for the latest and unusual spirits as a gift or pour during holiday festivities, these brand new products, a number of them local, are standouts in my incessant sampling. TEMPUS FUGIT CREME de MENTHE & CREME de CACAO Praise be for the arrival (finally) of these game-changing liqueurs! I had the privilege of tasting early prototypes of local… Read more →
Another year, another WhiskyFest. I’ve been attending a number of years now, ever relishing an opportunity to try unexplored whiskies, refresh my taste memory on others, and connect with whisk(e)y industry folk and distillers here from Kentucky to Scotland. A number of options listed as VIP tastes (more than ever this year) were not, in fact, available at all. Some… Read more →
Ireland is a green land of rolling hills, sheep and craggy coastline, to be sure. The people enchanted even more… a generous, welcoming, hilarious lot. One of my favorite people in recent Ireland travels was Liam O’Leary, distillery operations manager at New Midleton Distillery in County Cork, near the southern coast of Ireland. The name New Midleton may not mean … Read more →
I sample dozens of spirits, wines, beers in any given month. If there are tasting events (and there are), then multiply that a few times. Here are ones that rose above in recent weeks: WHISK(E)Y LAPHROAIG 2011 CAIRDEAS – Laphroaig’s master distiller John Campbell and Global Brand Ambassador Simon Brooking were in SF a couple weeks ago. I spent an… Read more →
I sample dozens of spirits, wines, beers and beyond in any given month. If there are tasting events (and there are), then multiply that a few times. Here are the ones that rose above, recommends for everyday sipping (and beyond): COCKTAILS LOCANDA, 557 Valencia Street between 16th & 17th, 415-863-6800 I am sad not to see the talented Brian MacGregor… Read more →
I sample dozens of spirits, wines, beers and beyond in any given month. If there are tasting events (and there are), then multiply that a few times. I am working on perfecting spitting… and, yes, some tastes rise above others. Here, I share three (or less) sips in varying categories that rose above others: COCKTAILS ALEMBIC, – Alembic‘s Georgia Mud… Read more →
COCKTAILS ZERO ZERO, SoMa (826 Folsom, between 4th & 5th, 415-348-8800) – Zero Zero’s gracious bar manager, Joel Teitelbaum, recently integrated new Spring cocktails on his menu and there are a number of highlights. For those who think they don’t like cognac, here is a ‘gateway’ cocktail: Purple Chandelier ($10), featuring VS cognac from one of my favorite cognac houses,… Read more →