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Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery

October 12, 2023 NYC

As the cooler weather approaches and the season begins to change the time spent outdoors becomes a priority for all New Yorkers. Pumpkin lattes and Oktoberfest beers are nice in the park, but what about something different? How about apple picking, food, and drinks in the fresh countryside air?

The Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery is a one-stop good time place. Located in only 50 miles away from NYC, you can enjoy locally made beer, wine, whiskey, live music, and food. It is located at 114 Little York Rd. Warwick, NY 10990

Upon arriving, there will be parking attendants to help you navigate the lot. Parking is $10 per car and you will park on grass/gravel and walk in.

Picking apples costs $35 per bag and you can pick many apples for that price. There is a tractor ride up to the orchard or you can take a short walk. The price may seem a bit high, but I have been eating the apples all week and they are delicious and better than what Whole Foods sells. The early season apples are fresh, juicy, and have the nice snap when you bite into them. I will be using a dozen Macintosh’s in an apple pie this weekend. The apple trees are not too tall so ladders are not needed but you might have to step into the tree branches to pick them. Also, you may need to navigate damp grass, dropped apples, and occasional deer shit in the orchard so I recommend hiking boots.

The Store & Cafe has tasting bar, dining area, and a gift shop. These areas are indoors but are small so they get crowded. Inside you can buy full bottles of wine, beer, and whiskey. The staff will open the bottles for you and provide glasses so you can enjoy your drinks indoors or outdoors. I did not see anyone with an open bottle of whisky, only wine and beer.

The outdoor Bar & Grille and Tasting Patio is where people spend most of the day. The patio is a stone deck with metal tables and chairs and there is a grassy area adjacent to the patio for lawn seating. I recommend you bring your chairs or blankets just in case you are unable to get a table. The band playing last weekend was good, a bit loud for my taste, but they set the fun easygoing tone for everyone to enjoy.

The Bar & Grille has a variety of food for almost everyone’s taste. They serve burgers, hot dogs, pizza, chili, flatbread, ice cream, soft drinks, etc. It is cash only and there are ATM’s on site. I enjoyed a small bowl of chili and chips before I went to the Tasting Patio.

The Tasting Patio has all the wines, beer, and spirits available for $20 for one sample of each. From memory, I sampled 6 wines, 5 spirits, and 2 ciders. There was more to sample, but I decided not to because I already enjoyed a glass of bourbon when I arrived. As with all tastings, I found things I liked and others that I did not like as much. You will have to judge for yourself.

The crowd that day was a nice mix of families, groups, younger, older, kids, bikers, different ethnicities, races, etc. I saw only smiles as everyone was having a good time. Some people in the Tasting Patio clearly skipped lunch so they were having a “really” good time sampling the drinks. At no time did I see anyone out of control or acting like an idiot.

An important item to note: There are no indoor bathrooms, only outdoor port a potties. Not my preferred type of restroom, but they were new, clean, had sinks with water and soap. There are also hand sanitizing stations.

A day at Warwick Winery & Distillery is a great way to spend time with friends and family. I highly recommend a visit and I look forward to going back in another month when the mid-season apples are ready!

If you like it, drink it!

Drowned Lands Brewery

October 11, 2023 NYC

Drowned Lands Brewery was a lucky find for me via a map search for a place to sit outdoors and have a beer. After spending a few hours at the Warwick Winery & Orchards and had my fill of apple picking. Warwick has downgraded their beer selection and I have sampled their whiskies, so I felt I had earned a beer and a change of scenery.

Drowned Lands is located at 251 State School Rd, Warwick, NY and was established in 2020. The facility is 15,000 square feet and sits on three acres. The surrounding buildings are old brick, which gives the site a rustic appearance. Through my research I learned that the site was a former Reform School/Prison and the owner used to be an accountant.

There is a lot of indoor and outdoor space with seating, a smaller bar area, and plenty of parking. They have beer, wine, a higher end bar menu with pizza, salads, etc., but no liquor. The food menu is noted to be sourced from local farmers and from what I saw being delivered to the tables it looked good. The beer menu looks very interesting, but I could only try a couple of half pints. I sampled Deep Terra and Green Yield.

Deep Terra (8.2%) and has a nice balance, but a little thick and heavy tasting for my preference. Green Yield (6.5%) has a very nice taste with well balanced hops and light citrus. These two half pints quickly showed me that the brewer and owner care about the quality of their beer. I have not been this surprised or impressed since I discovered Bad Sons Beer a few years ago.

I visited in September when the weather was still warm and sunny. I recommend you visit soon before it gets too cold to sit outside. I really liked this place and I look forward to going back, trying the food and sampling more of the beer.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Opinions Vary: Cask Strength Whiskey

September 29, 2023 NYC

So if you read my reviews you might have noticed I have a strong opinion on Cask Strength Whiskey. Let me sum it up for you….I do not want to do the distillers job.

It is the distillers job to add the water to the whiskey. I want to open the bottle, pour it in a glass and drink, preferably without ice. If I need to add ice it probably means your expression is shit.

Cask Strength has always been a strange one when it is marketed to me in Single Malts. Not so much with bourbon as it is used frequently for cocktails. What do I want a 100+ proof scotch? The power of the alcohol can remove all the flavor profile and make it hard to enjoy. Also, I am not in a rush to get shit-faced when I drink Single Malts so what is the point exactly? What Mad Men marketing bullshit are you going to tell me?

There is one exception, I like Cask Strength Whiskey in my cocktails. The high abv keeps the flavor profile intact and not watered down. I only drink two types of whiskey cocktails, Old Fashioned on the rocks or a Manhattan straight up. Both require ice and get watered down in the process of making. However, I am rarely drinking cocktails these days. I feel I have moved on from them.

I honestly have begun to think either I am wrong or everyone who promotes it is a fucking idiot. It is hard to tell since the majority of people promoting online are mainly making creative fun videos instead of giving valuable insight and opinions. You know, like fucking idiots.

I summary, Cask Strength for cocktails, not for sipping in a glass.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Hawksmoor Steakhouse NYC

August 23, 2023 NYC

Hawksmoor Steakhouse NYC opened in September 2021 and is part of a chain founded in East London in 2006. The restaurant is located at 109 East 22^nd (22^nd & Park) in the Gramercy Park. For readers not familiar with the layout of NYC, it is in the Midtown area and 20 blocks South of Grand Central down Park Ave.

The bar is on the left when you walk in the door and dining room is just behind it. The dining room has impressive antique and high ceilings. When I walked in, I assumed it used to be a bank due to grand space. I was told it was a meeting place for Noble Prize winners hosted by JP Morgan back in the 1890’s. So I was kind of right, it was a bank.

On Hawksmoor’s website it states: “Our menu revolves around all-natural beef from family-run farms, many based in upstate New York, Pennsylvania, and New England, simply seasoned with flaked sea salt and seared over live-fire charcoal.”

I would say this is an accurate description from what I experienced. The bar is set up well, has a nice vibe, and the bartender was very professional. We started night with Michters Old Fashions. The drinks were well made and poured in oversized rock glasses with a oversized clear single ice cube and lemon twist. A well-mixed and served cocktail, but as expected, $18+ drink. I prefer drinks at that price to come with a NYC skyline view but no one gives a shit what I think.

Hawksmoor Bar – NYC

We sat in a curve booth in the back right side of the dining room and share a couple of steaks (T-bone & Strip), along with some sides and wine. The menu is not very large when it comes to the choices of food or wine. This is nice to keep the selections simple and high quality but lends to higher prices. I recommend you check the menu ahead of you visit if cost is a concern. Reservations are strongly recommended and there is no stated dress code, but you should dress up a little bit to dine a Hawksmoor.

Hawksmoor Dinning Room – NYC

I have only one complaint, the noise level.

The high arched ceilings are hard plaster, the walls are hard wood, and the floor and table are solid wood. The chairs are wood with some soft cushioning on the back of the chairs. The interior designer did NOT do a good job with noise control. The space needs some soft panels on the walls or fabric art. Any column or odd low wall needs soft panels or cushioning to absorb noise. As the dinning room filled up the noise raised to a level where it became difficult to hear people at my table who were 2 feet from me. If someone from Hawksmoor reads this, do not rely on the interior decorator, get an acoustical engineer to look at this as well.

Overall, I was very impressed. I enjoyed the drinks, wine, food, and desert. I highly recommend Hawksmoor to anyone looking for a steakhouse styled dinner in NYC.

If you like it, drink it (or eat it)! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Opinions Vary: Old Fashioned vs. Manhattan

January 25, 2023 NYC

Whiskey cocktails have had a massive revival since the first season of Mad Men when we saw Don Draper sucking down those Old Fashioned’s for creative inspiration. Now, 15 years later, the battle of the cocktails continues on every fucking menu in a trendy bar with a “mixologist” behind the counter. News flash…you are a bartender, not a fucking chemist. After all the retro cocktails and new crazy ones created two remain on top. The Old Fashioned and the Manhattan. For the various receipts I recommend you look them up as if you go down the rabbit hole to the 1880’s bartender books they are very different form the 1960’s to modern times.

The Old Fashioned was one of the simpler and earlier versions of a cocktail that dates back the early 1800’s. It has been mentioned from the 1830’s to the 1880’s from NYC to Chicago to Kentucky with various people claiming ownership to the drink with various receipts but all about the same.

The Manhattan was said to originated at the Manhattan Club in New York City in the mid-1870s. Another account it was invented in the 1860’s at a bar on Broadway near Houston Street.

History varies so much that I don’t really care who or when it was created. Just glad someone was creative enough to come up with the drink.

Which one to have? When to have it? How to enjoy it? What to put in it? It all depends but maybe we should consider the overall taste profile of what you get when you order the drink.

Old Fashioned

Served: On the rocks
Smells spic and of oranges
Tastes spicy and rough
Sandpaper but snappy
Overall: Fresh tasting with a little burn, citrus flavors, and not as much flavor or smooth as a Manhattan.

Manhattan

Served: Straight up
Smells sweet
Tastes a bit sweet but sharp on the tongue
Overall: Smooth and sweet, doesn’t burn that much and easier to drink than an Old Fashioned.

In my opinion drink the Old Fashioned for regular drinking and drink the Manhattan when you need class it up a little.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Hudson Whiskey NY – Bright Lights, Big Bourbon

January 12, 2023 NYC

Name: Hudson Whiskey NY – Bright Lights, Big Bourbon

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Corn, vanilla, oak

Taste: Corn, oak, vanilla, dark fruits

Bright Lights, Big Bourbon is from Tuthilltown Spirts Distillery in Gardiner, New York. The distillery was founded in 2003 and was acquired by William Grant & Sons in 2010. The acquisition brought in an influx of cash and changes to the brand from its previous name, bottle style, price, and flavor.

The name of this whiskey sounded familiar to me when I first noticed a marketing push in the NYC area. This expression was previously titled “Baby Bourbon” and the “Manhattan Rye” is now “Do the Rye Thing”. The label colors are based off the NYC Subway lines and is probably designed to stand out on the store shelf. The bright colors should help with the marketing push, but not so much when it comes to the flavor profile.

The mash bill is 95% corn and 5% malted barley. It is aged 3 years in new charred American oak barrels and bottled at 46% abv. On my first taste I was not impressed. It is a very basic corn bourbon that is young and harsh. On my second taste it was less harsh, but I was even less impressed.

Priced around $50 and overpriced for the taste profile. I remember the previous version tasting better. If you want a mixer at this price I recommend FEW or Sagamore.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Black Dirt Straight Rye

January 5, 2023 NYC

Name: Black Dirt Straight Rye

Color: Light Brown

Nose: Rye, wood, pepper notes

Taste: Rye, honey, malt, spices, white pepper

I visited the Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery in Warwick, NY in the Fall of 2021 to pick apples and enjoy the fresh country air as I do each year. Warwick produces several different types of spirits such as; single barrel bourbon, crown maple bourbon, apple jack brandy, gin, wine, cider, and dessert wines. On the shelf I noticed the Black Dirt Rye and thought I got to give this a try.

The Black Dirt Straight Rye Batch No. 003 mash bill is 90% rye and 10% malted barley. It is aged 3-1/2 years in new charred American oak barrels and bottled at 50% abv. The name “Black Dirt” refers to the fertile soil in the farming area and local rye is used in the distilling process.

The flavor profile is good and well balanced. This rye expression is not too spicy or too light and has a smoother finish.I am not a fan of drinking rye whiskey neat or on the rocks. I like it in cocktails and this one would be even better if it had slightly higher percentage of abv.

Priced around $50 and good valve for the money and supporting local farming.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Coppersea Single Barrel

December 8, 2022 NYC

Name: Coppersea Single Barrel (Batch No. 415)

Color: Copper

Nose: Green malt, spices, orange, wood, dry sherry

Taste: Malt and rye, sherry, vanilla, cream oranges, almond

17 Days until Christmas! Do you have your bottles ready for the Holiday Season?!

Coppersea Single Barrel is produced by Coppersea Distilling, in New Platz, New York. Founded in 2011 and derives its name from an old saying that there was a “Sea of Copper stills along the Hudson River Valley in the 1800’s…” Today there is only a few distilleries in the Hudson Valley area.

The Single Barrel expression is a straight rye whisky, aged 3 years finished in Amontillado cask and bottled at 49.4% abv. The mash bill is 60% rye, 20% malted barley, and 20% corn. The flavor profile on this expression is very good to borderline excellent. It is well balanced, very flavorful and not too hot for such a high proof. I get a little of the Angus Green Malt on the finish but that is my personal note. There is a wonderful balance of flavors going on with this whisky.

Single Barrel one is the best expression they produce, and I am sure the Spanish sherry cask helps push this whisky to the #1 position. I purchased this for my friend in Kentucky as a thank you for letting me drink all is good bourbon up every year when I visit. He was very impressed with Coppersea as he knows his bourbons.

Other expressions: Bonticou Crag Straight Rye Malt & Bottled In-Bond Rye Malt, Excelsior Bottled In-Bond Rye Straight Bourbon, Big Angus Green Malt, Pedro Ximénez Cask Single Barrel Rye, Amontillado Cask Single Barrel Rye, and Sauternes Cask Single Barrel Rye.

Priced around $125+ and worth the money and a drive up to visit the distillery.

If you like it, drink it! – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Opinions Vary – Whiskey & Cigars

November 30, 2022 NYC

Opinions Vary – Whiskey & Cigars

The classic scene in any movie, tv show, novel, etc. is the man with a glass Whiskey in one hand and Cigar in another. Either he is a fat cat billionaire, a bad ass, or a super hero with metal claws that come out his knuckes. For the rest of us, the regular folk it is either a get together with friends or some quite time to relax.

Cigars and Whiskey pair well and poorly depending on what cigar/whiskey you choose your state of mind and environment you enjoy them in. I do not think there is any right or wrong was to match them, but I have some thoughts I have settled on after years of enjoying them together.

Thought #1: Do not put them together. If the whiskey or cigar is of high quality, it needs nothing else.
Thought #2: Do put them together. Have either a smokey whiskey or a lighter whiskey with strong/lighter cigar. You will have to figure out the mix and match that you like.
Thought #3: Do put water in front of you. Cigars can take a while to smoke, the whiskey might get drank far faster and with some good conversation time seems to fly. Take a water break between whiskey refills.
Thought #4: Do be in the right frame of mind. Be with friends, be in a good mood. Don’t sit and smoke and drink unless you are going to relax and enjoy yourself.
Thought #5: Don’t listen to me. Go figure it out for yourself.

For me, if the whiskey is over $75 or the cigar is over $15 for a cigar you really may want to consider not making them a combo. I have noticed that I have prefer separating them in the last few years and have enjoyed them just as much.

My 1st NYC rooftop setup in Midtown, NYC

As I mentioned in my Nub Cigar review, try a cigar with a nice cup of black coffee in the morning. I do not recommend drinking whiskey in the morning. Unless you are stuck in a hotel flying back home and there is The Macallan 18 Year Old to finish up before your flight home. (You know who you are! Ha!)

If you like it, drink it! (or smoke it!) – Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Opinions Vary: New Distilleries vs. Old Whiskey

August 31, 2022 NYC

Opinions Vary: New Distilleries vs. Old Distilleries

Starting this month, I am trying something new, an opinion piece once a month.

One thing I have noticed over the last few years is the rise in “new” whiskey distilleries. New meaning they are less than 10 to 15 years old, they aren’t part of the big boys clubs with hundreds of years of history, and they were created for a reason. The reason seems to be either passion, vanity, or market share.

New distilleries have to source their whiskey for a few years until they are up and running. Old distilleries can provide the supply as they can mass produce. It is a balancing game of business. Some distilleries get it right straight out of the gate and some just rush to market and don’t seem to care. Some whiskey is so bad they tell you what inspired them more then they tell you how they make their whiskey. It can be hilarious and sad at the same time. It seems to me that a lot of new distilleries of low quality use the same bullshit talking points over and over. After a while, it all seems to blend and comes from the same playbook.

When I see new whiskey’s that have won awards, recieved high ratings, and have huge marketing budgets I start to wonder why I don’t see any old ones winning as much. The more I taste award winning whiskey I start really believing my theory (base on no research or evidence) that these awards are bought and paid for. It is not out of the realm of possibility. Wall Street firms pay rating companies to approve finical products, why not the same for spirits?

I have learned that old does not mean good, and young/new does not mean bad when it comes to whiskey. What matters is care and effort put into the creation of the product. I have had new whiskey expressions from Sagamore, FEW, Coppersea, Brenne, and Taconic that were very good. I have had expressions from Glenlivet, Glenmoranige, Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace that were bad. And, vice versa. It can be a crap shoot.

The take away is try everything, but do not believe the marketing. Believe yourself. If you like, drink it!

Christopher

If you like it, drink it!

Warwick Valley Winery & Distillery

Drowned Lands Brewery

Opinions Vary: Cask Strength Whiskey

Hawksmoor Steakhouse NYC

Opinions Vary: Old Fashioned vs. Manhattan

Hudson Whiskey NY – Bright Lights, Big Bourbon

Black Dirt Straight Rye

Coppersea Single Barrel

Opinions Vary – Whiskey & Cigars

Opinions Vary: New Distilleries vs. Old Whiskey

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