Drew Beard

Drew Beard is assistant editor for Drinkhacker and winner of several booze-related merit badges, including Certified Specialist in Spirits and Executive Bourbon Steward. A former federal employee turned hotelier and spirits journalist, he looks forward to his next midlife crisis.

Review: Yeti Rambler Cocktail Shaker

By Drew Beard | November 27, 2023 |

Yeti continues to expand into the backyard bar space with its newest product, the Rambler Cocktail Shaker. Earlier this year, we test drove the Rambler Beverage Bucket, a straightforward yet impressively capable mini cooler of sorts, but moving into the cocktail gear space feels like a new frontier for the brand. How does Yeti’s trademark…

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Review: Boulder Spirits American Single Malt The 10 Essentials

By Drew Beard | November 22, 2023 |

With an official American single malt designation due any day now, Colorado’s Boulder Spirits should be well-positioned to take advantage of the recognition, as their portfolio has been crowded with the style for years. We got our first taste in 2022 with a duo of single malts that were admittedly still a bit rough around…

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Review: Catoctin Creek Hot Honey Rye

By Drew Beard | November 18, 2023 |

This fall, Catoctin Creek released Hot Honey Rye, the first permanent addition to the small craft distillery’s core range in over five years. First introduced as a limited Barrel Select offering in 2022, this flavored whiskey is now slated for the big leagues with distribution to all of Catoctin Creek’s mid-Atlantic markets, as well as…

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Review: Bardstown Bourbon Company Discovery Series #11 and Collaborative Series Goose Island

By Drew Beard | November 17, 2023 |

Bardstown Bourbon Company dropped new additions to their Discovery and Collaborative Series this fall, and we’ve got thoughts to share on two of them. First up, the 11th installment in the Discovery Series, a line that, until this latest release, relied entirely on sourced whiskey for its often elaborate blends. Next is a new addition…

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Review: Blackened x Rabbit Hole Whiskey

By Drew Beard | November 16, 2023 |

Finally, we’re digging into the Masters of Whiskey series from the heavy metal-inspired whiskey-makers at Blackened. For those not in the know, Master Distiller and Blender Rob Dietrich partners for each release in this series with a notable whiskey personality to create a uniquely finished whiskey that also undergoes Blackened’s patented Black Noise sonic-enhancement process.…

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Review: Mary Dowling Bourbons – Tequila Barrel and Double Oak Barrel

By Drew Beard | November 11, 2023 |

Some whiskey brands dig deep into obscure history for their backstory, but Mary Dowling, the latest from Rabbit Hole founder Kaveh Zamanian, is a story I’m honestly surprised hasn’t been told yet. I had the opportunity to chat with Kaveh about his new venture at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in September, and he gave me…

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Tasting Report: Jack Rose Premier Drams 2023

By Drew Beard | November 7, 2023 |

After a bit of back-and-forth on the date, whiskey mecca Jack Rose Dining Saloon finally landed on October 2nd for this year’s Premier Drams festival. We would have honestly rescheduled a liver transplant to make it, and after the embarrassment of brown water riches on offer this year, we just might have to in 2024.…

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Review: IPAs of Wicked Weed: Pernicious, Perni-Haze, and Freak of Nature

By Drew Beard | November 4, 2023 |

We’ve tasted a lot of beers from Wicked Weed Brewing, but somehow it seems we’ve avoided some of their most straightforward offerings. Today we’re taking a look at three different India Pale Ales from the brewery, all available year-round. Wicked Weed Pernicious IPA – If there was a flagship IPA among all of Wicked Weed’s…

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Review: Remus Highest Rye Bourbon

By Drew Beard | November 2, 2023 |

Whiskey fans have come to appreciate, even adore, lots of MGP whiskeys since those early days of the bourbon boom when sourced was a dirty word. Their 95/5 rye whiskey helped turn neat sippers near and far into cocktail drinkers. And as more and more bourbon from the Lawrenceburg, Indiana distillery entered the market behind…

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Review: Isle of Skye Blended Scotch, Complete Lineup (2023)

By Drew Beard | October 29, 2023 |

While we encountered a younger Isle of Skye offering in a previous life, owner Ian Macleod Distillers has recently brought the entire range of Scotch blends stateside. The lineup runs a broad age gamut, from 8 to 30 years old, and each expression now sports fancy new packaging. Named for Skye, home to Talisker Distillery,…

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