San Francisco has always had a rich drinking history. Hotaling's whisky, Bill Boothby, Pisco Punch, Acme Beer, Anchor Brewing & Distilling, all these and many more have contributed to a rich past that has significantly influenced today's reverential, artisanal cocktail movement. Celebrating this past, present, and bright future, San Francisco Cocktail Week. Presented by the Barbary Coast … Continue reading San Francisco Cocktail Week, 9/19/11 – 9/25/11
Isle of Jura Prophecy – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at the Baddish Group for the sample. According to the Isle of Jura's website, the prophecy for which Prophecy is named was levelled at the Campbell family by an old woman who had been rudely evicted from her home by the aforementioned ruling clan. This woman was apparently a "seer", … Continue reading Isle of Jura Prophecy – Review
Isle of Jura Superstition – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at the Baddish Group for the sample. (Had to do it...you can never hear that song too many times.) Superstitions are really pretty silly when you come right down to it. For example, there's almost no way stepping on a crack could break a mother's back, but they'd never come … Continue reading Isle of Jura Superstition – Review
Upcoming Bay Area Whisky Events, August & September 2011
A couple of upcoming events and some general event info to keep you pleasantly plied with whisky (and other goodies) as a foggy August turns into a hopefully sunny September... Stag Dining Group's Rising Sun Dinner Stag Dining Group hosts private, clandestine dinners that focus on local sustainability creative culinary endeavors, and a unique, intimate experience … Continue reading Upcoming Bay Area Whisky Events, August & September 2011
Isle of Jura “Diurach’s Own” 16 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at The Baddish Group for the sample. According to the distillery's legend, in 1781, Jura's Laird, one Archibald Campbell, being none too keen on the locals making their own hooch willy-nilly all over the island, enacted a ban on all distilling. As you might imagine, this didn't go over too … Continue reading Isle of Jura “Diurach’s Own” 16 Year Old – Review
Isle of Jura “Origin” 10 Year Old – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at The Baddish Group for the sample. I was going to start the post off by with a brief discussion about the Paps of Jura and how, if you're going to name your island's highest points after a female body part, "paps" is a much better name than, say, the … Continue reading Isle of Jura “Origin” 10 Year Old – Review
Kilchoman Spring 2011 Release – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at Impex Beverages for the sample. So it seems that back in the good ol' days, if you consider the good ol' days to be right around 1600 A.D., there was a little dust-up between Clan MacDonald and Clan Maclean... Islay's answer to the Hatfields and McCoys, if you … Continue reading Kilchoman Spring 2011 Release – Review
Whisky Roundtable #15
It's fallen upon me to host the 15th installment of the Whisky Roundtable, and since it's summer and damn hot in some places, I thought I'd steer the conversation towards a more light-hearted, yet no less delicious whisk(e)y issue...that of the high-end whisk(e)y cocktail. With speakeasies, pre-prohibition recipes, DIY infusions and bitters, and specialty ice … Continue reading Whisky Roundtable #15
The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve – Review
*Thanks to the good folks at The Baddish Group for the sample. Ahhh, the fickle, occasionally brain-dead consumer...ok, "brain-dead" is perhaps going to far, how about the fickle, occasionally unimaginative consumer? The Dalmore, for years, had produced their well-loved "Cigar Malt", yet they had a bit of a marketing conundrum. The name, it seemed, was … Continue reading The Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve – Review
White Dog & Un-aged Whiskey at 18 Reasons
Postponed until September 29th. stay tuned for details. The next tasting I'm hosting at 18 reasons is a raw one. All the other tastings that I hosted there have been filled with whiskies raging from 2 to 18 years old. This time around, we'll be focusing on the new stuff, none of that sittin' around … Continue reading White Dog & Un-aged Whiskey at 18 Reasons
THE CASKS 