A word from our sponsors....

It's an exciting week for whisk(e)y lovers here in San Francisco, this Friday's Whiskyfest event brings spirit lovers and makers from all over and events abound.

Here at Alembic, we've got some fun stuff happening, love to see y'all for a sip.

This Wednesday, we've got a special (and sold out) private dinner with High West whiskey from Utah. The good news is, we open to the public after 9pm and plan to have a little extra to share.

Here's the menu:

Crispy ocean trout w/ turnips, gnocchi, carmelized onion dashi

- High West Rendezvous rye

Tamarind glazed sweetbreads w/ tart apple, cranberry beans, horseradish

- High West 16yr rye

Foie gras terrine w/ huckleberry, caramel corn, cashew, upland cress

-High West 21yr rye

On Thursday, it's a happy hour with Heaven Hill. Come taste Evan Williams single barrel and Elijah Craig bourbons, and indulge in $5 Old Fashioned or Manhattans. It's only from 5 to 7pm so come early.

On Sunday, it's Savoy time! We are going to be doing some special $7 whiskey drinks featuring Rittenhouse rye. 6pm till late.

Hope to see you there!

D.

2007 York Creek Touriga

Admittedly, wine is not the biggest horse in our stable, but every once in a while I get excited about it and have to run my mouth a bit, not that I consider myself an expert or anything....

Touriga Nacional is a somewhat unusual varietal from Portugal, usually used to make fortified wines. It tends to be a fairly muscular grape, producing wines with intense black fruit and firm tannins. I definitely expected a monster out of this wine but was pleasantly surprised with it.
There is definitely some rich, dark fruit but also some really nice floral notes as well. It's just a tad chewy, but with a nice acidity. Medium to full bodied and a modest 13% abv, I think it makes a nice sipper as well as a good workhorse for pairing with our eclectic menu.
We liked it so much, we bought all of it. So if you want to try it, better come over here (or down the street at Magnolia) where we will be pouring it by the glass until it runs out.

Cheers.