Drew Beard
Just when we thought we had a handle on the many different batches and special label releases, Barrell Craft Spirits threw another curveball at us this fall with a bourbon that, at least now, is a series unto itself. We’ve seen six different releases under the Cask Finish Series, but for reasons that elude me,…
For nearly a decade now, Baltimore’s Sagamore Spirit (now just Sagamore) has been singularly focused on making their Maryland-style rye, at first from contract-distilled spirit and more recently with their own stocks of Maryland-distilled whiskey. Reviving the lost tradition of Maryland rye has been their bread and butter. So, it was something of surprise to…
Bunnahabhain introduced a cask strength version of its flagship 12-year-old single malt back in 2021. It started life as an annual release but then took 2024 off. Now it’s back and slated for regular, yearly appearances, or so we’re told. Bunnahabhain is the most northerly distillery on Islay, the island best known for its peaty…
You may have noticed more offerings on the shelves lately from Loch Lomond. That’s because the brand reportedly renewed its focus on the U.S. market in 2025 after a brand refresh in 2022. We were quite impressed with the results for the entry-level, 12-year-old expression reviewed earlier this year. A rarer, 18-year-old release is also…
Tequila Centinela may be new to us at Drinkhacker, but according to their bio, the family-owned distillery has over a century of experience with tequila production. Founded in 1904, it was the first tequila distillery established in Arandas, the home of Highland tequila in Jalisco. As the self-described “Guardians of True Tequila,” Centinela makes their…
Grape-based gins aren’t exactly a new thing, but they remain rare even after years of innovation and numberless new brand launches during the now-fizzling gin boom of recent years. New Zealand’s Strange Nature distills its eponymous gin from grapes but not just any grape. Strange Nature is made entirely from the grape that arguably put…
Bardstown Bourbon Company just can’t help themselves. With their many distillery exclusives, and unique collaborations, the Discovery Series (or “Disco” to diehard fans) had become perhaps the most reliably straightforward annual release in their lineup. Well, not anymore. At its core this whiskey is still, like the last few releases, a blend of Kentucky bourbons,…
In case you hadn’t noticed, Baltimore’s Sagamore Spirit has dropped the “Spirit” from their newest labels, one of which recently sported the first double-digit age statement for the brand. That 10-year-old offering was made using the distillery’s Maryland-style recipe but drawn entirely from whiskey distilled in Indiana. While a rye that old is impressive, Sagamore’s…
Not technically a bourbon or a rye, Sour Mash remains one of Michter’s well-kept secrets and helps to set the brand apart from other, more straightforward American whiskey lineups. The Toasted Barrel Finish expression of this whiskey, which arrived in its third installment in September, is even more unique. As with all other Toasted takes,…
Jack Daniel’s is more than just Old No. 7. While that world famous Tennessee whiskey – a bourbon at its core – remains the distillery’s bread and butter, they’ve spent more than a decade perfecting their rye whiskey. We saw the promise in early, younger expressions of their high rye mashbill (70% rye, 18% corn,…