Bourbon is one of my favorite spirits. This is in large part because of the personalities behind the barrel and how genuine the industry is at the very core. While certainly, the spirits industry as a whole is extremely generous in supporting causes and people, Wild Turkey as a brand has always impressed me with how authentic they are. This includes efforts ranging from simply handing out turkeys to folks so they could have a great holiday meal to larger efforts like this one honoring local legends in Austin, Chicago, Dallas, and New Orleans.

Tolosa Winery, located in San Luis Obispo's Edna Valley is a manages to match beautiful landscapes and a gorgeous tasting garden with some of Central Coast California's best wines.

No matter which side you are on, roughly have the country is going to be disappointed based on the results of the election over the next few weeks. So, while some are wringing their hands and crying nervously, we love what Solemn Oath brewery in Chicago (Naperville, IL) is doing by reminding us of the patriotic role of beer in America and how no matter who you hope will win... beer makes bad news palatable.

Occasionally you get the chance to try a spirit so impressive that you realize just how great the industry is right now. It's not just refinement of a single style but innovation that makes the whiskey world so exciting. We got a chance to try a review sample of Angel's Envy Cask Strength 2020 - bourbon finished in port barrels. Here are our thoughts...

Red wine is notorious for causing stains in clothing and fabric but the other day while sitting in a vineyard drinking a grenache of rose I began to wonder... will rose cause a wine stain too?  Sadly, the answer is yes but it will be less noticeable than with a deep heavy red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon or a Malbec. 

One of the most important social things that a man can do is to make a great toast and so that's what we're going to be talking about today. From capturing your audience's attention with the right sentiment to ensuring you have the right champagne for the moment, there are a lot of elements that go into making that moment special.

Koloa Rum was one of the first brands that ever sent me product to feature on ManTripping and I've been a fan ever since. While I've enjoyed drinking their rum in Hawaii I didn't realize they had started expanding to the mainland till they contacted me the other day with this fun and funky Halloween-themed rum cocktail recipe, the Eyeball Daiquiri.

I'm a sucker for limited edition premium spirits. While some folks collect baseball cards I love to collect rare and unique spirits. For me, spirits like this Mount Gay "The Port Cask Expression" is an illustration of creativity and talent honed across generations of distillers, blenders, and farmers - as well as from the artists who design the iconic bottle art. This year's expression did not disappoint and it is limited to only 6,570 bottles worldwide.

We visited Dry Creek Vineyard during our tour of Sonoma wineries in 2019 and fell in love with not only their amazingly beautiful grounds but also the fact that they are dedicated to continual innovation and challenging what it means to be sustainable and transparent. Not only are they innovators among California wineries dedicated to being as sustainable as possible, but their wines are among some of the best that I've tasted and they have an excellent portfolio at different price points as well. Now, with the release of their 2019 Fumé Blanc, they are focused on improving transparency about the grape origins, winemaking techniques, and the family winery's viticultural philosophy.

Chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet, port… The wine connoisseur you’re trying to buy for probably has a favorite bottle. And, because he loves wine, he probably has a varied collection ranging in years and varieties. Let’s go beyond finding a bottle of wine to gift him and look at some practical, unique, and fun gift ideas for your wine lover.

The martini is simultaneously one of the easiest and most well know vodka cocktails. It is immortalized in popular culture as the preferred drink of James Bond who's impact singlehandedly changed martini cocktails from a gin base to vodka. Despite the fact that it is generally a pretty easy drink to make, there are some tips that you must follow if you want to create the absolutely perfect martini. Here's what Bob Nolet, Master Distiller at Nolet Spirits, producers of Ketel One Vodka.

 When it comes to Vodka, for many brands marketing is even more important than the actual quality but Crystal Head has been delivering quality and innovation for almost as as this site has been around. In fact, they were one of the first brands to send us a sample to try more than 10 years ago. Today I continue to applaud their innovation as they push what vodka can be by introducing one of the first commercially available agave vodkas, Crystal head Onyx.

What guy doesn’t love beer? Some are passionate about their brew, and may fancy themselves a Cicerone by hobby. Finding a gift that isn’t a six-pack may be challenging, so we’ve come up with a list of favorites across price ranges.

For the man who loves whiskey, gift buying should go beyond a new bottle from his favorite distillery or a new decanter to add to his collection. Our extensive search has revealed this list of favorites that are usable, yet unique, and sure to please the whiskey lover on your list.

California wine is respected around the world and has been leading the way in proving to the rest of the winemaking world that California has earned its spot next to the other leading wine regions. To some, this is a race to "We're Number One!" or "Napa is better than..." but the reality is that "California Wine" can be found throughout virtually every part of the state and has evolved from chasing popular vintages to innovating and creating a new generation of wine lovers that are willing to explore and try new things. I'm part of that group and as you can tell, I'm intensely passionate about wine even though I started out rejecting the coventional notion of what "wine" represented when I was younger. I know many of you share this view, so let's take a look at what makes California wine great and how individual parts of the state help make that happen.

While folks are finally starting to recognize tequila as a premium spirit with a complex and diverse collection of properties, there's another Mexican spirit following quickly on its heels. A few years ago mezcal was simply tequila's rougher tougher, renegade brother but as someone who loves agave spirits, it is wonderful to see new products reaching the market that focuses on the positive aspects of Mexican culture and heritage instead of merely throwing a revolver, donkey, or a sombrero on the bottle and shipping it out to bars. One of the products that recently impressed me in this new wave of premium mezcal was Vamonos Riendo Mezcal.

With the Passover starting on April 19th, many of you may be getting ready for the holidays and others, like myself simply enjoy exploring other cultures and traditions. So I thought this was a great opportunity to take a look at what Kosher Wine is and why it is an important part of Jewish holiday traditions.

Members of the Millennial Generation tend to be more likely to get into craft beer than into great wines, which is a shame because many of them do not know what they are missing out on. Besides producing great beer, focused marketing is something that American craft breweries are really good at, and it is a business aspect that the wine industry should improve upon in order to invite younger aficionados.

You probably already know that California produces some of the world's best wines. The Wine Institute sent over some facts about California wine that you might not already know though. 

Like anything involving wine, there are nuances to questions that I get asked. For example, the question, "Should wine be refrigerated". The simple answer is "maybe" but the best condition for storing wine is generally not at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. While a wine chiller might be considered a refrigerator by some, it is not the same as simply storing your bottles in a standard refrigerator like you might have in your kitchen right now. Let's take a deeper look at this question though and examine the important role that temperature takes in storing wine.