Gear Patrol

Our neighbors to the north, unjustly the target of crude jokes involving backwardness, snow and a strange dialect, have another reason for national pride. Whistlepig Straight Rye Whiskey ($70), though distributed by a Vermont label, uses 100% made-in-Canada rye whiskey. Whistlepig departs from the usual American experience of rye as the dominant but not sole…

As thoughts of crackling fires, the laughter (and possibly screaming) of little children and more than your fair share of gingerbread descend upon you in the coming weeks, you might need some holiday cheer to get yourself through it all. What better time to start planning for the requisite imbibing by picking up some Crown…

We’ve given you the Paul Harvey on the dethroning of the American King of Beers — now we bring you the heir apparent. This year’s Samuel Adams’s Utopias ($190), a special 10th Anniversary edition of their bi-annual offering, pushes the limits of beer brewing on three fronts: price, potency and flavor. A 29% ABV libation…

What’s better than whisky? A flight of whisky. The liberally imbibing folks over at Whisky Explorers Club have the better side of vice figured out, and their Explorer Scout member Whisky Flights ($180) are the perfect example of their libationary genius. As an member of the Club, you’re eligible for a crystal Glencairn nosing &…

If you sneer when people ask “cream and sugar?” you have two problems: a mean attitude and a nasty coffee addiction. La Colombe Pure Black ($6) coffee concentrate aims to abate the latter (which, fortunately, may also dismiss the former). The bottled java is steeped for 16 hours in stainless steel wine tanks — ah,…

The truth is, we’ve never sipped an ounce of champagne from this silencer-inspired bottle of Bollinger 002 for 007 Limited Edition Champagne (~$160), which opens only when the code “007″ is entered into the gimmicky combination lock. But we have been fortunate enough to taste this particular vintage of Bollinger La Grande Année 2002 once…

Ah, the Advent Calendar. A clever vehicle for teaching children the values of Christianity, patience, and that bingeing on 24 chocolates and then framing the dog is an acceptable — nay, glorious — action. In a great American tradition, Master of Malt has bastardized this holiday fun by subsituting vice. It’s the Ginvent Calendar (~$129),…

It’s time to give up sipping the double IPAs of summer, but not quite time for a winter warmer. If you have a strange itch for a liquid sort of pie, there’s an explanation: it’s pumpkin beer season. Tragically, this classic fall seasonal is damn easy to mess up — we’re tired of one dimensional,…

We appreciate the chain cup o’ joes that keep us rolling on the road; but at home, we especially attend to the efforts and offerings of the world’s coffee-roasting elite. To make sure those efforts don’t go to pot, keep your morning motivators in the Friis Coffee Vault ($22+). Like most coffee canisters, the Friis…

The Beef Council successfully hijacked America’s dinner plans in the early 90s with one simple phrase. Now, we’re executing a hostile takeover of your bar with just two simple words: “beef drinks”. Yeah, you heard us — that same intoxicating meat flavor that works wonders on your taste buds at mealtime is just as delicious…

Moonshine is dangerous: for backwoods brewers, the lawmen chasing them (whom we imagine as bumbling Sheriff Roscoes) and for your sobriety. Palmetto Moonshine, South Carolina’s first legal moonshine distillery, claims to deliver a hooch that tastes less like jet fuel and more like fine liquor. We were skeptical. Don’t get us wrong — the stuff…

What happened to drinking in America? It used to be that you wouldn’t come back from lunch without at least a martini or two in you, but nowadays, people won’t even order a beer at dinner for fear of judgement. Personally, we constantly whisper our thanks to whomever invented brunch and gave us an excuse…

Regardless of what those holiday commercials suggested as you were growing up, you can’t get excellent coffee by just scooping it out of a refrigerated red container. Grinding fresh beans is the fastest way to improve the quality of your coffee, but the way you grind is a big question mark. The Baratza Virtuoso ($249)…

The gentle chill of early fall spurs dreams of crackling fires, wool blankets and some good single malt Scotch. To fulfill that last desire, we looked to The Balvenie’s latest release, DoubleWood 17 Year Old. Created by Malt Master (what a title) David Stewart, DoubleWood is aged in vanilla-imparting oak casks for 17 years and…

Regardless of your politics, a brew with the president would be pretty cool. While you wait for your invitation to the White House, try one of Northern Brewer’s White House beer recipe kits ($37+). When that call does come through, you’ll be able to wax intellectual with the leader of the free world about “sweet…

If you don’t yet have a single cup coffee maker, you probably will soon. And if you’re a ‘Bucks addict, your buy date just got bumped up. The Starbucks Verismo ($199+) maker takes a big step forward in home coffee brewers, providing a multitude of professional-level drinks in the comfort of your own home. Where…

Mariposa is the Spanish word for butterfly, and for Heaven Hill Distilleries’ (makers of Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Rittenhouse Rye and yes, Hpnotiq) it’s also a new brand designed to flutter around Mexico’s exclusive international right to the name “Tequila”, which can only be applied to agave spirits made in the areas in and around…

We like a wee dram (or two) of quality Scotch during special occasions with good friends or our better halves. While plenty of quality bottles in the $100-$200 range will do the trick for most, getting a chance to sip the Glenfiddich Rare Collection: 1974 Vintage Reserve (~$800) is a reason for celebration all on…

Smoked whiskey isn’t usually America’s cup o’hooch but that doesn’t mean braver distillers won’t try their hand at it. Corsair Artisan Distillery plies their hand at the smoked flavor palate with their newest whiskey, Triple Smoke Single Barrel American Malt.Crafted from malted barley smoked by three different flavor fuels including cherry wood, peat and beechwood,…

With fall nearly upon us, sweatered men across the country are getting pumped for that Sunday afternoon excitement that accompanies the changing of the leaves — visiting nearby orchards with their better half. The Williams-Sonoma Cider & Wine Press ($300) redeems missing the big game takes full advantage of the bounty that Mother Nature and…

A good cup of espresso can turn a bad day into a very good one. A bad cup can do the opposite. You can avoid the latter altogether with Fracino Espresso Machines, built in the UK for high end hotels, restaurants, and the best coffee shops around the world. Using ISO 9001 quality standards, their…

Mixing two famous Canadian products such as rye whiskey and maple syrup may seem crazy at first, but the result is far from it. Tap 357 Maple Rye Whiskey is the culmination of a match made in heaven, a perfect blend of various aged rye whiskeys ranging from 3 to 7 years and fresh, “Grade…

White Mule Farms had us hooked at “wine with a kick.” Spodee ($9+) combines prohibition history — one of our favorite eras — with a witch’s brew of flavors that does pretty well to defy genre and description. Its makers call it depression era hooch, but even they admit it’s a drink shrouded in secrecy;…

Crown Royal’s XR (Extra Rare) offerings are worthy of their elitist namesake. The first 2006 iteration was composed only of the scant remaining whiskeys saved from their Waterloo distillery, which burned down in 1993. Don’t hold out for a bottle of the 2006 XR, though. The limited run bottles have all either been safely stored…

Masters of Malt was tired of juniper (the main ingredient by law in all gins) playing second fiddle to botanicals like geranium and cucumber. While the source of grapes has always been a key point of distinction in wines, with variables like climate, rainfall, and soil playing a direct role in a wine’s eventual profile,…

Throughout the ages, explorers have embraced a shared passion besides venturing into the unknown. Whiskey. Now the story behind this Park City based whiskey may not involve stories of crusading into the unknown, but it does involve a fortuitous encounter with a dessert of ripe honeydew drizzled with simmering peated whiskey and sugar. Lightbulb. Why…

Although we’d still drink their famous single malt if it came splashing around in a McDonald’s cup, Scotch whisky maker Macallan insists on providing the same amount of attention and care to what goes on outside of the bottle as they do to what’s inside. Since its launch a couple of years ago, Macallan’s Masters…

Whether or not you’re a fan of the recently passed health care legislation, we can all agree that the good ol’ US of A could use a little help these days. That’s why the Seattle-based coffee giant has introduced Starbucks Indivisible Blend. Sold both by the cup and in one-pound whole bean bags, the blonde…

For many of us, 101 proof alcohols conjure up fuzzy memories of enflamed shot glasses and, well, not much else. For the now more responsible — and presumably with better taste — the Lawrenceburg, Kentucky distillery famed for its high-proof whiskeys, has released Wild Turkey Rye 81 Proof. Aged for 4–5 years in “alligator” char…

In the single barrel bourbon space, the Buffalo Trace Distillery is at the top of our list for their variety of well-made, accessible and just generally great bourbons. Their Blanton’s Bourbon gets most of the shelf space — and for good reason, it’s delicious — but our current single barrel favorites in the Buffalo Trace…