B-Side’s La Formidable is a Gigantic Success
While Beau’s and B-Side only released their latest beer project La Formidable — an American-Beligo IPA with Gigantic Brewery — in February, I’ve been looking forward to it since December. After being blown away by B-Side’s first release, Kissmeyer Nordic Pale Ale, I was compelled…
Catena Makes a Magnificent Malbec
Sometimes you find a wine, so delicious, so affordable, so consistent you can’t help recommending it for nearly every occasion, regardless of a person’s personal preference or snootiness level. Catena Malbec is that wine and more — it could arguably be my favorite “$20 and under” in…
Small Batch, Big Taste: Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon
Four Roses Small Batch bourbon has forced me to undertake an overhaul of my bourbon rating system. Previously, I was handing out high ratings to bourbon like I was giving away business cards at an ’80s leadership conference. As it turns out, I just really like…
Sipping With Smoth: Making an Old Fashioned Cocktail
One of my all time favourite cocktails is the classic Old Fashioned. I learned the principles of this famous drink from the same generous gentleman who shared his Talisker 57° North with me, although I’ve put my own spin on it. While the traditional Old…
Behind the Beer: BRU-V is Setting Out to Save Your Beer
Everyone has experienced skunked beer. I remember spending most of my adolescence hating the European lagers my dad used to drink because they smelled so… off. For many, this is just an inevitable tasting note in their green-bottled beer. For others, it’s an unacceptable and avoidable…
The Importance of Aeration: 2006 Brunello Di Montalcino Principesco
Most people opening a wine are about as concerned with aeration as they are with the shape of the glass they’re drinking from — which is to say, very little. Sometimes, it’s not overly important, if you’re just popping a cheap-and-cheerful “drink now” wine. It’s…
Affordable, Accessible, Enjoyable: Auchentoshan 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch
Some people have become obsessed with the notion that things have to be complex or challenging to be good. In Scotch’s case, it’s popular to pursue big peat monsters, or the cask-strength heavily spiced expressions. Yet, Sometimes, when you return to the root of something…
Behind the Beer: Milos’ Craft Beer Emporium is Building Community With Beer
It’s generally a point of contention in any city: “What’s the best place to grab a beer?” But in London, it’s no competition. If you’re a patron of the pint, an imbiber of the brew, a connoisseur of craft, Milos’ Craft Beer Emporium on the…
Head to Head: Talisker 10 Year vs. Talisker 57° North Scotch Whisky
Reconnecting with an old friend can sometimes be a bit awkward – your interests may have changed, your paths diverged, old jokes gone stale. But when that friend invites you to try a bevy of whiskeys – among them the legendary Talisker 57°North – you…
What’s a ‘Wine’? Part III: Why Bother With Wine Tasting?
One of the most recurring comments I get about wine is “what’s the point of wine tasting? Isn’t it all a bit…silly?” Some of these concerns I addressed in my post Wine Tasting: Less Bullshit Than You’d Think, but I thought I’d go one step further…