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gr's Review:

Full of dark fruit, and the tannins stick around palpably even after it inhaled and exhaled in a glass for 30 minutes. It's an acceptable merlot, but a young, noisy one.

gr's Review:

It's a good companion to this chicken, mushroom, and pasta dish I cooked this evening with a copiously oxidized S. Orsola rosso vermouth (only good for cooking anyway when it was fresh; let's not get into why I have it), but it's a bit simple and flat in its attempt to be tannic (I guess?) and, despite being a rose, would only brighten the afternoon in Seattle.

gr's Review:

I'm not a big fan (or connoisseur) of chardonnay, but this is perfectly drinkable one with a hint of dry grass on the nose.

gr's Review:

A solid sangiovese, better than many that carry a black rooster and several that cost more, it's much heavier on the nose, with cherries, than in the mouth where it's pleasantly dry and pleasantly light on tannins.

gr's Review:

A fairly sweet blend that's a bit long on tannins initially but opens well. I'm no great palate, but cherries, maybe?

gr's Review:

A superb gin, amply described in the Cellarbrations vendor review below (New Zealand's water is clean, helping the quality; nine botanicals; overproof). I'll add that, on my tongue anyway, it has a wonderful spiciness that's less assertive than Hendrick's cucumber, but similarly and pleasantly unexpected.

gr's Review:

Once my favorite gin, and easily distinguishable from the base Tanqueray product. It is crisp and clear, with plenty of juniper, and makes a great martini, whether garnished with olives, fruit, or not at all.

gr's Review:

Solid, basic gin, comparable favorably with Bombay Dry, it has plenty of juniper flavor, but is much easier to drink than lesser gins. Although it's the bottom rung on the gins in my home bar, I couldn't do without it (making a G&T out of South gin, for example, is just a waste).

gr's Review:

On the lemony side (which isn't a good or a bad thing, just a statement), and since it replaced Tanqueray 10 as my favorite gin, I've moved on to keeping a wide variety of gins around, but Bluecoat remains one of them.

gr's Review:

Despite the name (referencing New Orleans's French Quarter), this is the third spirit from the Philadelphia Distilling company (see also Bluecoat Gin and Penn 1681 Vodka). It's no lightweight, weighing in at 120 proof, but a tasty combination of both petite and grande wormwood with star anise and fennel flavors.