The long awaited version of Otto’s Wine and Spirits Maker’s Mark Private Select has arrived at our stores.  Back in May, we sent Steve from our Menomonee Falls location, Chris from Oakland and Tim from Brown Deer down to the Maker’s Mark Distillery in Kentucky to create our very own “Private Select.” This is made […]

Greetings, Beer Lovers! This past week, the Otto’s crew was treated to a special taste of one of the Cream City’s biggest craft beer selections. MKE Brewing Company is a staple and exemplar of Milwaukee’s ever-growing and exciting craft beer scene. So, of course, we were ready to try a cold one. And wow, a […]

Recently the Otto’s Gang was invited down to Miller Park by Jim Beam to pick out our own private barrels of Knob Creek.  The Brewers were still in Spring Training, so Beam was able to rent a room in the Club Level of the stadium where we were served Knob Creek Old Fashioned’s and a […]

  It seems as if a beverage has to be gourd flavored in order for it to be fall-suitable. But while there aren’t any pumpkin flavored wines – at least none that we know of, and we’d like to keep it that way – there are some suggestions that pair perfectly with Thanksgiving meals.   […]

Transition from Summer to Fall Wines Even though the weather has been warm and the leaves haven’t shown any signs of changing, we’re very close to fall. In selecting wines for fall, you want wines that are a great transition between what we were drinking in the Summer – light, crisp and refreshing – and […]

Up and Coming Craft Distilleries Wisconsin has been long known for its great microbreweries.  In the mid 1980’s Sprecher and Lakefront emerged as the front runners in the category, setting the stage for an explosion of these small, craft breweries throughout the state.  I don’t know if Randy or Russ and Jim realized at that […]

Have you ever had someone ask you for something and you wonder to yourself, “What are you talking about, is that really a thing?”  That was my first response the first time I was asked for a hard seltzer, yes, hard, alcoholic seltzer.  This oxymoron is the newest category to hit the alcohol industry, and […]

Two Malbecs…A (Half) World Apart   “World Malbec Day” is fast-approaching.  This celebration of all things Malbec is scheduled for April 17th each year (this year on Tuesday, April 17th).  Malbec’s popularity has increased and has sustained now for the better part of three decades.  Ironically, the world might not be able to observe World […]

“U.S.A.!     U.S.A.!     U.S.A.!” So, have you caught “Olympic fever” yet?  Seeing the billboards in Milwaukee advertising the U.S. speed-skating Olympic Trials, I caught myself feeling the “fever.”  Yes, there’s nothing like Olympic national pride in the dead of winter to warm one’s spirit!  There’s also nothing like the national pride the U.S.A. takes […]

Ugh, it’s really been uncomfortable outside recently (until this week)—two straight weeks of sub-freezing temps! The holiday season, on the other hand, is known as a time for “Tidings of comfort and joy.” So how does one keep up the “comfort and joy” when the holiday décor is taken down, and the weather forecast is […]