Speakeasy Reviews

Excellent Value on a fairly nice, well-rounded Scotch. Faint smoke, faint woods, strong peat, great roundness. Sometimes 1.75 liter is around $20

One of the best values on an award winning Zinfandel. ($4-6 usually). This blows away most French and Italian red under $20. Notes of vanilla, oak, blueberry, and possibly fig.

Tito's is made in small batches in a copper still and distilled six. It is nearly flavorless and tasteless, costs $14.99 at bevmo, and it twice as good as Grey Goose.

The Gymboss Personal Interval Timer This is the product I have been waiting years for. As a martial artist, I like to workout on the ole' punching bag, and have for a long time wanted a way to setup consistently timed workouts. Being already familiar with interval training, I wanted to incorporate it into my bag workout. All I had was a stop watch, but you really can't get fully focused on the workout when you have to keep checking the watch and resetting it. There are ways, but they...

I'm not a gadget guy by any means and I'm really not a wine gadget guy. I was introduced to the Vinturi by my local wine merchant who is more old school than Moses when it comes to the grape in all its forms. He was utterly sold on this little item and had me doing A/B comparisons for an hour or so in his shop a couple of weeks ago. I was immediatley sold -- though continued the lengthy A/Bing purely for appearances:lol: -- and gladly dropped the $40 retail for it. Essentially, it works...

Spritz this in any place (car, room, closet) that needs a little "refreshing" and you will be pleasantly surprised with an aroma that is outta this world. While I purchased the Signature Scent based on their wondeful shaving cream, I'm sure their other aromas are of the same high caliber. Available in the following scents: SIGNATURE a fresh clean mix of rosemary, lavender & peppermint. CITRUS pink grapefruit, lemon and bergamot SWEETGRASS lemon, lemongrass, cedar and rose geranium SPA...

I am a big fan of rum, in all shapes and varieties, but the anejo especial put almost every other rum in my collection to shame. It is without doubt the finest rum I've ever laid my hands on. It might be a local thing, but I found it to be rather pricey compared to most other rums of similar stature. The flavour is not as sugary as some rums tends to be, also it is just incredibly smooth, I can not emphasise that point enough, definitely a rum of choice for me.

Well, gentlemen, I won't get into a big long shopping list of various notes, tastes, hints, and overtones, but I will tell you this: I have been drinking single malts for many a year, and have tried all the classics you might care to mention... None of them compare to this lovely Irish sipping whiskey. It is subtle, aromatic, and smooth beyond compare. It doesn't have the huge peat aroma and taste of Islay malts, but for my money it is the tipple of choice. As an added bonus, it has...

Price: The price of this product seems a little high upon first examination. I discussed this with Sue and she said that the price was driven by the expensive ingredients in the product. Most other products contain large amounts of ingredients such as menthol that give the odor and feeling that something should be happening but are in fact rather inexpensive. Quality: Based on quite a few months of use, the Atlas Sports Rub is top notch. What drove me to write this review was the fact...

Once you subscribe to a men's fashion magazine it seems as if your mailbox fills with dozens of catalogs from various clothiers. One of those that seems to hit the post box every month or so is Charles Tyrwhitt. After looking around online and seeing they had a good reputation I decided to take the leap and order three of their "white twill non iron classic dress shirts." This is an 80's cloth with a traditional collar. I am always on the hunt for high quality dress shirts in the under...

Glenkinchie 10 is the lowland representative of the Diageo's Classic Malts. It is a very pleasant malt, one of the easiest drinking that I have. 86 proof and 10 years old. Appearance: Very pale gold, delicate color. Very few, stout legs. Very thin. Nose: Sweet malt, honey, caramel, grassy notes, some acid after the grass, lime perhaps? Palate: Very light bodied. Very smooth. Sweet gentle entry. Round. Lots of grassy notes, mild herbal notes. Mild zest and spice. Grows...

I'm not a big red wine drinker. While I usually keep my pantry's stock full of amber ales, commandaria, and Liebfraumilch, my wife and I usually don't consume a lot of dry reds. But I was surprised by this one. Yellow Tail Shiraz is the flagship wine of Casella Vineyards of Australia. I received this wine as a housewarming gift from my in laws after I purchased a new apartment with my wife. Price - After looking online, you are going to pay around 7 to 12 USD for a bottle. Not bad for...

Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 20 years old, extrodinarily refined and elegant. This 20 year old, 90.4 proof bourbon made at the now defunct Stitzel-Weller Distillery is one of the enjoyable on the market. The average price of a bottle is around $100, I've seen it as low as $80 up to over $120. Appearance - Deep, Rich Caramel Amber Color with strong tones of a shimmery red, gold. Long, thin legs. Excellent Clarity. Nose - Sweet, Rich and Satisfy. Dark brown sugar, molasses...

Beer: Wostyntje Style: Torhouts Mustard Al Label Info: "Wostyntje is a dark blonde ale brewed with 90% barley malt, 10% munich malt, 2 types of hops, dark candy sugar and mustard seeds." ... "Ale brewed with spices" Brewery: De Regenbroog, Brugge, Belgium =========================================================================== Glassware: Three Philosophers Chalice (A gift from my boy Ralph, btw!) Pour: Pours light and bubbley. Light orange rusty color. Very small head...

Beer: St. Bernardus Abt 12: Special Edition (60th Anniversary) Style: Quadrupel Label Info: Quadupel Abbey Ale; Challenger and Goldling hops, black, amber, munich and pale Malts; ABV 10% Brewery: St. Bernardus. ================================================== ========================= Glassware: Chimay Chalice Pour: Dark. Maybe a dark red, almost black. Nice head, barely fades at all through the entire glass. Nose: Apple, malts. A doughy scent.Maybe some dark fruits...

Beer: Duvel Style: Belgian Golden Ale Label Info: 8.5% ABV. Pilsner malts, Bohemian hops and a unique yeast strain... Enjoy chilled (under 50*) in tulip glass. Bottle conditioned. Brewery: Duvel ================================================== ========================= Glassware: Chouffe Tulip Pour: Bright, golden. Thick head, nearly half the glass. Slowly breaks apart in to large foamy icebergs. Lots of tiny carbonation. Nose: Spice and grains dominate. Sweet fruit...

Old Rip Van Winkle 15 is no longer availabe and has been replaced by Pappy Van Winkle 15 year old Family Reserve. Van Winkle claims that these two bourbons are identical, I along with many others active in the bourbon community, disagree. This bourbon was created at the famed Stitzel Weller Distillery and was discontinued several years ago. When it's found the price often ranges from $50 to $75. This is the grown up sibling of the Old Rip Van Winkle 10 year, and the extra five years do...

Highland Park 12, according to Michael Jackson is "the greatest all-rounder in the world of malt whisky." I absolutely concur. Makes a wonderful after dinner malt or with dessert. Without a doubt one of my favorites Scotches I will never go without having at least one member of the Highland Park lineup in my liquor cabinet. A bottle runs around $40. Color: Deep Brownish Amber Nose: Honey and heather, faint puffs of smoke, tiny traces of sherry, malty sweetness. Mildly floral with...

Cragganmore 12, the Speyside member of Diageo's Classic Malt series, is readily available, famously aromatic and quite tasty; an excellent dram. Michael Jackson credit's the nose as "the most complex of any malt."A world renowned complexity and very reasonable price tag. Very gentle, both sweet and dry, malty and smoky, a beautiful study in contradictions. Color: Honey Nose: At a quick whiff, the nose is very sweet, but upon further inspection it dries down almost immediately...

Laphroaig 10 year old Cask Strength, the Red Stripe, is the more recent of the Cask Strength offerings. 114.6 proof (57.3% abv), Isle of Islay, it's a smoky powerful, bold, brass and unapologetic. Color: Deep gold Nose: Bonfire smoke, sweet malt, slowly drying as aroma develops, faint iodine and sea spray, a kiss of salty oak. Palate: Very sweet, candied entry slowly warms for a second or two then an explosion of smoke, medicinal iodine, algae, barbeque, salt and pepper...