Think gin tastes like drinking a Christmas tree? Imagine if a gin was made from actual Christmas trees. Now imagine the stuff being jaw-droppingly good. Overall Rating: ★★★
It's close to a bourbon, but not quite: it's a wheat whiskey. There aren't many of them, and if Bernheim is representative of the category, it's a shame there aren't more. Overall Rating: ★★☆
Weirdo triangular bottle notwithstanding, the Dimple Pinch 15 is pretty underwhelming. Sure, it was Walter White's favorite pour, but look where that got him. Overall Rating: ★☆☆
You put yourself on an island when you pick your favorites, but so be it: I think the Highland Park 18 is one of the most exceptional scotches I've had the pleasure of consuming. Overall Rating: ★★★
Nobody really expects anything from this spartan-looking bottle. Until they take a sip and have to hunt around on the floor to see where their jaw went. A favorite of mine and a future favorite of yours. Overall Rating: ★★★
Tito's might be questionable with respect to whether it's handmade or not. It's unquestionably a good mixer at a price point that makes it a no-brainer when it comes to choosing a house vodka. Overall Rating: ★★☆
Mezcal is pretty polarizing. If you've wanted to dip your toe into the water, the El Silencio black bottle is a good starting point, but it's certainly not for everyone. Overall Rating: ★★☆
A stupendous tequila that most have never heard of. If you've never had a "good" tequila you could enjoy neat and want your mind blown, this should be a mandatory starting point.
Overall Rating: ★★★
Unless something worse comes along, this is the biggest stinker of maybe 300-some odd whiskies I've tried. Let me lead you by the hand into an explanation of why Pendleton is simultaneously terrible and ponderously dumb.
Overall Rating: ⃠
Maybe being a vodka for gin drinkers is something of a dubious selling point, but I buy Belvedere because it's actually distinctive. If you're normally dismissive of the spirit category, this is a good product that could lead to a difference of opinion.
Overall Rating: ★★☆
A rum you've probably never heard of at a quality and price point that will make you take notice. Thanks, Dominican Republic!
Overall Rating: ★★☆
A lot of people (unfairly) pass over the entire Glenlivet range figuring the distillery is too big to be good. Those people would be missing out on the 15.
Overall Rating: ★★☆
An extraordinarily big scotch from an itty-bitty distillery that might have otherwise escaped your notice.
Overall Rating: ★★★
Though the joke might be wearing thin, Ron Swanson most definitely isn't wrong on this one. It's a whisky that manages to be refined in spite of how ubiquitous it is in the world.
Overall Rating: ★★☆
Sometimes I have people over who have never tasted whiskey before, and if they make it through whatever I have on hand that's encouraging and delicious to expert and fresh palates alike, I typically reach for something that's a real powerhouse for the second or third glass. Overall Rating: ★★★
It's always surprising to me that Japanese whisky has such a huge following when the name of the game is subtlety. Overall Rating: ★☆☆