Castle & Cairn

Hailing from the South Carolina Lowcountry, High Wire Distilling is a craft producer of grain-centric whiskies. Jimmy Red is named for a rare landrace (naturally evolved and locally adapted) corn that was grown historically in the James Island/Charleston, SC area. It was long valued by local moonshiners for its high starch and oil content which yielded a creamier, richer spirit. By 2013, the last local grower had ceased operations and only two cobs of the erstwhile famed corn remained, protected by a local preservationist named Ted Chewning. Glen Roberts of Anson Mills helped propagate the grains in partnership with Clemson University, giving some seeds to Scott Blackwell and Ann Marshall, the founders of High Wire Distilling. An initial 2.5 acre harvest in 2014 has blossomed into recurring plantings across multiple farms and hundreds of acres, more than 1.3million pounds of Jimmy Red corn per year. 🛒 Sourced: $57.99 for 750ml from Smyrna World of Beverage, GA - MSRP $59.99 🧪 Proof...

First released in 2024 as an official collaboration between Ghost and Welch's , this purple can aims to take you back to your childhood, full of refreshingly sweet Juicebox nostalgia. Ghost formulated the flavors using real Welch's Concord Grape juice concentrates in micro-doses augmented by artificial flavor systems, producing a distinctive sweet + tart profile. GHOST (GHOST Lifestyle LLC) is a lifestyle sports nutrition and beverage company headquartered in Henderson, Nevada. Founded in 2016 by Dan Lourenco (CEO) and Ryan Hughes (CMO), the brand positions itself around its mantra "Be Seen," targeting fitness enthusiasts, gamers, and mainstream consumers rather than traditional bodybuilders. I first encountered them as a part of sponsored content around Call of Duty Warzone on Twitch. Keurig Dr Pepper is in the process of fully acquiring Ghost by 2028, having held the controlling interest in the brand for a number of years. 🛒 Price:  3 for $6, two bucks apiece at Pu...

  This Ready-to-Drink iced coffee is produced as part of a longtime joint venture between Starbucks and PepsiCo in their continued march to manage retail distribution. The 48oz, 100% recycled bottle is unsweetened and intended to be consumed black or with one of Starbucks' specially packaged creamer options.  🌍 Origin: Undisclosed, 100% Arabica 🔥 Roast Level:  Blonde (Lighter roast) - typically associated with more mellow flavors 🧪 Brew Method: Traditional bulk hot extraction and pasteurization that is then flash-chilled. Note that this is not a "cold brew" as the brew cycle is heated. 👅 Experience:   Mild and nutty with a slight woody note to it. There is a slight sweet biscuit towards the finish, but it is fleeting at best. Very inoffensive and a bit weaker than the brewed hot would be at the store; perhaps they factored in some dilution? Tastes a bit oxidized.  🏆 Score:  2.25/5 - Short of Ideal - It's fine but doesn't have the edges to stand up if...

Founded in 2013 Bizzy Coffee has the goal of creating the strongest, most flavorful cold brew coffee on the consumer market. They offer both ready-to-dink and brew-it-yourself options, available at many national retailers and online. This particular version is the Espresso Roast blend, part of a five edition caffeinated organic lineup of RTDs. It is unsweetened and brewed in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Caffeine content is significant, around 273mg per 12oz serving which is around 180mg per 8oz. cup, on the higher end if you're drinking it straight but around a normal drip if diluted with milk or water in 50/50 ratio. This is much more than competitors like STōK whose unsweet black has only 145mg per 8oz.  Packaged in a 100% post-consumer plastic bottle, certified organic, and 100% of spent grounds are composted for a feel good environmental touch.  🌍 Origin: Mix of Central and South America, 100% Arabica 🔥 Roast Level: Espresso Roast, on the darker side (4/5 on their int...

Founded in 2018 by fitness influencer Katy Hearn and her husband Haydn Schneider, Alani Nu (part of parent company Congo Brands which also owns PRIME hydration) sought to disrupt an energy drink category historically dominated by masculine branding and marketed almost exclusively towards young men. Alani's marketing features bright and vibrant color palettes while prominently featuring women and more traditionally female activities. The vibes-based plan complete with abundant influencer marketing and wellness adjacent value-prop seems to have gained traction with the brand surpassing $1billion in global sales for fiscal 2025. Beyond energy drinks, Alani Nu also has pre-workout, shakes, snacks, and energy stick offerings.  Orange Kiss débuted in 2024 as a permanent addition to the standing Alani Lineup, seeking to provide a more acidic take on orange flavor while avoiding the syrup and sticky sweetness of full-sugar sodas.  🛒 Price: $16.59 for 12-cans, note this reflects a ...

One of the more fun gimmicks in whiskey, Jim Beam Devil's Cut  consists of the standard Jim Beam juice you know and love blended with bourbon extracted from the staves of the barrel. While you may be aware of the "angel's share" of whiskey that evaporates during aging, there is also a "Devil's cut" of whiskey trapped within the wood of the barrel itself. Beam first released the offering in 2011 where it was the first addition to the namesake line since the flavored Red Stag launch a few years earlier. The premise is simple, craft a slightly higher proof bourbon with a heightened presence of barrel character and some edgy marketing to go alongside it. Master Distiller Fred Noe drew inspiration from the historical practice of "barrel sweating" by which producers introduced small amounts of water to a used barrel and rolled it to extract some of the held alcohol. Beam's proprietary extraction loop uses a combination of mechanical and thermal e...