Spirits
Reviews
Uncle Nearest Cognac Cask Whiskey #006 ($
This is a new product in the Uncle Nearest line, and it’s certainly worthy of inclusion. The floral tones of ten to twenty year use Cognac barrels add an unusual yet welcome dimension to the high proof, serving to round off spice tones without removing them and giving...
Weldon Mills Straight Bourbon Whiskey Single Barrel #1 ($250)
There are more and more wheated whiskeys on the market, and this bottle will make you understand why so many distillers are choosing wheat over rye in blending their high end products. I was fooled by the spice character that the wheat presents here – it seems...
Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition # 072 ($109)
It’s been a pleasure to follow the different blends in this series over the past few years, and I bet it’s been a pleasure on the blending table for the distillers involved as well. It seems that the goal is to land on something unique with each blend rather than to...
Weldon Mills Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Barrel Proof, Batch 2 ($65)
I’ve tasted several different batch numbers of this product over the past few years, the most recent prior to this one being Batch 42. I’m guessing that this may have been a batch that was held in the barrel for a longer period of time to see if there were benefits to...
Weldon Mills “The All Malt” Bourbon Whiskey ($109)
Like the batch 7 iteration of this product that I reviewed a few years ago, the mash bill here includes corn, wheat and barley, aged for a minimum of seven months and carefully blended at high proof. The team at Weldon Mills seems to always shoot for clarity of spirit...
Uncle Nearest 1856 Premium Whiskey ($45)
Here’s a straightforward American whiskey that is like pulling on a warm blanket. Aromas of nut and toasted marshmallow entice, and the palate delivers the promised flavors with brightness and lightness. There’s no lingering viscosity to interfere with the flavors –...
Courvoisier Cognac VSOP ($42)
You don’t have to be a ladies’ man to enjoy this fine cognac, but you’ll see why Tim Meadow’s famed SNL character was a big fan from the first nosing. The aromatic profile leans more toasty than sweet, as it should at this grade, with notes of apple and cherry. The...
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey Single Barrel ($79)
This is a new barrel number from the last iteration that I tasted, but the quality level remains very high in this barrel, as you might expect. The approach here isn’t the “take your breath away” smack in the nose, but rather a rich caramel and apple pie aromatic that...
Courvoisier Cognac XO ($200)
This bottling keeps crossing my desk as a top competition performer, taking a Platinum Award with a score of 95 at the 2026 San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge after a score of 96 at the 2025 Critics Challenge and a 94 at the 2025 San Diego...
IZO Mezcal Joven “Cenizo” ($30)
They say Mezcal is an acquired taste, and I recommend that you acquire a bottle of this and taste it as soon as possible. Cenizo is a particular type of Maguey agave, and here it shows notes of apple and roasted grilled banana under a layer of soft smoky character....
Coit Spirits Cape Gin ($34)
Though this product hails from Northern California – the package art feature San Francisco’s iconic Coit Tower – it is considerably more exotic in the glass. Notes of African tea on the nose translate well on the palate while keeping the juniper character you expect...
Pegasus Orion Premium Gin ($39)
– Built for fans of citrus driven gins, the Orion delivers fine-tuned balance of. Juniper, lemon and lime with soft accents of herb and spice. The water, source from springs 120 meters below Meursault in the Burgundy region of France, give this a...
Griffo Vodka, Batch 37 ($25)
Here’s a six times distilled corn Vodka that succeeds in the category by delivering purity of spirit, rounded edges and a flavor profile that gets it out of neutral and heading down the road, meaning that it’s an all-purpose style that will boost your favorite Vodka...
Dal Bello Grappa Prosecco “Rocca d’Asolo” ($17)
The days of rot gut Prosecco seem to be long gone. Every time I taste one that is new to me these days, I find that I'm surprised by the quality. I was particularly surprised by this bottling, Dal Bello is a fairly large producer of Prosecco, and they sit squarely in...
Hirsch “The Cask Strength” Bourbon ($180)
It’s not very often that I run across a high proof Bourbon that delivers the balance and finesse that this fine example brings to bear. The nose first attracts with a cola note that breaks into its parts of vanilla and spice as you linger. That spice shines on the...
Familia Camarena Tequila Añejo ($33)
This brand continues to deliver solid value across the Tequila spectrum, with the Silver and the Reposado always taking high awards at low prices. The Añejo is beautifully rendered, showing its agave backbone through the vanilla and caramel oak tones and finishing...
Aluxes Añejo Cristalino ($37)
I recently read an opinion about use of the term “rustic” in beverage reviews being an overly vague descriptor. I’d argue that when it comes to Tequila, it’s a rather important descriptor that can show authenticy and lack of overt manipulation. Particularly when it...
Celosa Rose Joven Rosa ($70)
Defying tradition can be serious business. This can be especially true in regions where traditional methods are codified and go back hundreds of years. Tequila today is perhaps one of the stricter traditions out there in the spirits world, with well-worn designations...
Camel Gin Silk Road Gin ($33)
Though the Gin craze seems to have slowed a bit, there are still some very interesting new players in the field, including this stellar example from Camel Gin in San Diego, California. This combines elements of a classic London Dry with bold anise and Darjeeling that...
J. Rieger Straight Bourbon Whiskey ($35)
Though this is a four year aged Bourbon, it tasted like one with more barrel age. The distillery suspects that a combination of careful temperature control of the barrels and near constant vibration from frequent nearby freight trains likely plays a role....
Sanhaçu Cachaça 3 Madeiras ($34)
Cachaça is the national spirit of Brazil, and it makes up the bulk of the Caipirinha – the national cocktail. It’s typically an unaged, very simple cane-based spirit. But Sanhaçu raises the bar significantly with this offering, a blend of three different native wood...
J. Rieger Midwestern Dry Gin ($32)
– A fine London Dry style that relies on fine-tuned balance rather than more and more botanicals in the mix. Bold juniper aromatics lead to a palate were the juniper character takes center stage and holds it from start to finish, accented by bright...
J. Rieger Premium Wheat Vodka ($22)
– A trip to Kansas City with some time to kill means finding something new in the land of spirits. In this case that meant a visit to J. Rieger Distillery near an old General Mills production facility. A pre-prohibition brand just recently revived,...
Lagavulin 8 year Single Malt Scotch ($60)
The widespread fame and renown, not to mention personal fandom, of Lagavulin 16 year led me to picking up this bottle recently. While not the sensory, seductive campfire bath that the 16 provides, this carries plenty of Islay’s signature smoky character, making it...