Castle & Cairn

Sourced for Costco from Scotland by Alexander Murray and Company, this edition of Kirkland's Highland Single Malt packs a 16-year age statement at an aggressive price point. Costco also regularly puts out a 15-year bottle for around five dollars less that is also sherry cask aged. I'm a bit perplexed by having two products so similar in terms of production techniques, age, and cost, so I will be doing a side-by-side tasting with some control methods to boot. My only hypothesis is that the two may be sourced from different distilleries as Costco is a truly huge contract account by volume and it may be necessary to spread the load. Not naming the producer gives Alexander Murray a good amount of flexibility, so I wouldn't be surprised to see it used in that way. On the other hand, maybe Steve Lipp, Alexander Murray and Co's CEO, just likes having two versions? Both bottles have the same quote from him on the back, "Perfect for after dinner drinking." Costco is f...

Fall is in the air, and that means we have yet another year of Kirkland's Vintage Ale! Brewed proudly by  Deschutes (pronounced "Da-Shootz") in Bend, Oregon, this Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout spends nine months in the wood, picking up what the whiskey left behind (mostly vanillin and tannins). Bottled over the summer, this particular beer is from Lot B. Neither Costco nor the packaging give us much additional detail beyond the ABV and style. I remember finding  last year 's edition to be solid but nothing to write home about, fairly dry but a pleasant pour. The use of the work "vintage" to me implies that some changes may be made year-to-year but we'll have to see if our taste buds can help us validate. How does the 2025 vintage fair? 💅Style: Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout 🛒Sourced: $7.99 Costco, GA  for a 22oz bottle. $2 cheaper than the 2024 edition! 💥Hops:   Not Mentioned sadly. Other ingredients include chocolate malt, milled oats and Dutc...

One of Monster Energy's newer variety packs, this set features Blue Hawaiian, Fantasy Ruby Red, & Vice Guava and seeks to continue on the success of the White Monster Ultra Zero. They have the same high carbonation, featuring tiny bubbles for an effervescent mouthfeel, and citrus flavor focal point, but each ads a special fruited twist.  Flavor Ultra Blue Hawaiian - Pineapple dominates an undercurrent of coconut in this Monster twist on a tropical punch. Some batches have seemed to be a bit under carbonated but this variety pack edition doesn't have that issue. Strong pineapple aftertaste and juice reminiscent mouthfeel.  Ultra Fantasy Ruby Red - Officially Fresh Pink Pamplemousse, Fantasy Ruby Red delivers the grapefruit you'd expect along with blood orange and tangerine, reminiscent of the white monster but with an additional buff to the citrus and slightly more substantial texture. Honestly, this may be an improvement over the the White Ultra. Ultra Vice Gua...

A bit of Oktoberfest History Started in 1810 as a public celebration for the wedding of Crown Price Ludwig (later King), the first Oktoberfest took place on October 12th just outside of gates of Munich. It featured horse racing, food, and huge amounts of beer, drawing large crowds and becoming enshrined in annual tradition. Early Oktoberfest beers resembled dark lagers such as dunkels, but over time the focus shifted with Spaten Brewery's introduction of Märzenbier (Märzen - meaning brewed in March, and then stored over the summer). Spaten continued to innovate and introduced what we know as the first beer specifically branded as "Oktoberfest" in 1872, a continued evolution of the Märzen style. In the late 1970s, Paulaner introduced the Festbier style which gained prevalence as changing tastes shifted to these bright pale Munich lagers with Nobel hops. In general, Märzen is a malty German amber lager with clean, rich, toasty and bready malt flavor, minimal bitterness, and...

First released in the early 2010s, the Rehab line of Monster Tea + Energy is a low calorie offering with added electrolytes, packaged without carbonation and complemented by the addition of fruit flavors. If you ask me, these are directly targeted at the hungover consumer needing a quick boost and some hydration to get their day on track. I remember these making a big splash on campus when they first rolled out and I may have walked off with a few cases of free samples back in the day. You can buy the flavors separately or as part of a variety pack featuring Wild Berry, Tea + Lemonade, and Peach Tea flavors. So how are they? Flavor All three flavors drink very similarly. Mouthfeel is medium thickness for a sweetened tea, not super syrupy but well blended and somewhat creamy. Flavors are well pronounced and the overall the effect is that the Rehab line is very easy to drink. This is also compounded by the absence of carbonation. If you don't enjoy the prickle of regular monsters/ul...

The fourth bottle in the Origin Series standard lineup, Bardstown High Wheat joins a high-rye Bourbon, a Wheated Bottled-in-Bond, and a Rye - all award winning. It has almost double the wheat content of the bottled-in-bond and promises pastry bomb dessert perfection. Bardstown Bourbon Company's Master Distiller is none other than Steve Nally, Bourbon Hall of Fame member formerly of Maker's Mark and the "King of Wheat". The wheated Bottled-in-Bond and this bottle are some of his favorite brainchildren.  🛒 Sourced:   $44.99 - Tower Wine and Spirits, GA 750ml. SRP is $49.99 as you'll find on their website.  🧪 Proof:  106 proof, 53% ABV. Barrel entry proof is 108 so there is minimal dilution. I'd imagine they settled at this proof point to address a common perception that wheated bourbons feel thinner on the tongue due to their soft sweetness. The lack of dilution likely helps a good bit. They'll tell you that this makes it "cask strength" on the t...

Trip Inspiration Almost seven years ago, I signed up for the Maker's Mark ambassador program, a free email list which comes with the novel kicker of being able to follow a barrel of Maker's Mark whisky through their production process. At six years and eight months of maturation, I got a notification that my barrel was ready and would be in the second season batch for 2025. While it might be a bit of a gimmick, I just had to go up to Loretto, KY for the free tour and specially labeled bottles (TBD on if it tastes any different than regular Maker's). A buddy and I decided to make a long weekend out of it, stopping into a handful of other distilleries nearby.  Itinerary Overview While we chose to stay in Bardstown, the bourbon capital of the world, I believe Louisville is increasingly the home base for most bourbon trips. That being said, I quite enjoyed the quiet and small town vibes of Bardstown. The drive from Atlanta, GA took about six hours on mostly state highways but w...

This extraterrestrial branded bourbon liquor was released by Chattanooga Whiskey Company on June 24, 2025 for World UFO day. It appears to be a custom mash bill bourbon that blurs the line between whiskey and gin by adding 42 distinct botanicals. Botanicals are substances or ingredients derived from plants like roots, berries, seeds, peels, bark, nuts, or spices.  Intergalactic Comet Crusher - Batch Alpha  (presumably the first of multiple releases to come) has manufacturer tastes notes "like having your brains smashed out by a bag of lemons dipped in 42 karat gold " which gives me Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy vibes. Chattanooga Whiskey experiments with their whiskies more than most and I usually enjoy the result. Just know that when they're gone, they're often gone for good.  🛒 Sourced:  Purchased at Chattanooga Whiskey $49.99 - 750ml Gifted to me by my brother and his partner - Thanks for contributing to my hobby and filling my cup! 🧪 Proof:  84 proof...

Pretty much everyone has seen the infamous White Monster, but surprisingly few have also tried its older, blue, and Lo-Carb sibling. Flavor Comparison Both beverages are very citrus forward, but Monster Energy Lo-Carb is much closer to the original monster flavor, slightly less sweet than the OG and somewhat savory while Ultra Zero is "bright" with what I perceive as tangerine or clementine. I would summarize Lo-Carb as being more candy-like and Ultra Zero as veering more fruit-like, though they're definitely both on the same flavor spectrum. A similar comparison would be that the blue monster is to the white monster what Sprite is to Fresca.  On the tongue, Lo-Carb feels a bit smoother with less of the electric lightning bite of Ultra Zero.   Under the Tab - Comparison of Ingredients Looking at the two side-by-side, you see that Lo-Carb has 20 more calories per 16oz. can which still only leaves you at a total of 30. Peeping the ingredients list, you'll see that this ...

There are few things better than kicking back with some friends, either IRL or in voice chat, and having a few beverages while enjoying one of your favorite games. While there is an almost unlimited number of games you could choose, the best games for "getting after it" have a few things in common. Elements of a Good Game for Schwifty Enjoyment Low Complexity - Games that are highly complex usually just don't turn out quite as well after six beers. Low Cost of Quality - Games that punish you heavily for mistakes or from which there is a large impact on progression for misplays are also less ideal. Who can relax when any misplays set you back weeks? Low Social Cost - Games where your sobriety (or lack thereof) and potential gameplay impairment negatively impact the gameplay experience of others are also not ideal.  *Always drink responsibly.   7 Great Video Games to Play While Drinking Each of the following games does a reasonably good job of balancing our desired charac...