Monica Uhm

Monica is an incurable dilettante, who is relentlessly curious about books, brews (the coffee kind) and bourbons.

Review: Filthy Cocktail Kits and Garnishes

By Monica Uhm | March 1, 2023 |

Filthy is based in Miami and is the latest contender in the cocktail kit arena trying to raise the bar (this pun was unavoidable) for the DIY home classic cocktail game. Filthy was founded by Daniel Singer because, well, accordingly to the website, “He loved cocktails but couldn’t understand why the best bartenders were using…

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Review: Hard Truth Master’s Reserve Sweet Mash Rye – RW-3, RW-4, and RW-6

By Monica Uhm | January 17, 2023 |

Indiana-based distillery Hard Truth is looking to instill a new tradition around the holidays with annual limited (extremely limited) releases of flavored specially roasted malted rye whiskeys. In 2022 they kick started this collection with first three of the series – Chocolate Malt, Caramel Malt, and Malted Rye – as further described below: Launched on…

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Review: Puncher’s Chance Bourbon The Left Cross 14 Years Old

By Monica Uhm | December 13, 2022 |

Oregon-based Wolf Spirits is wasting no time in building out their new line of Puncher’s Chance bourbons. In 2021 Drinkhacker reviewed their inaugural Puncher’s Chance, a blend of 4 and 6 year old sourced Kentucky bourbon, and in 2022 their follow-on D12stance expression, which leaped to a 12 year old age statement, also sourced, this…

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Review: The Wine Savant Guitar Whiskey Decanter Set

By Monica Uhm | December 10, 2022 |

‘Tis the season to attempt to answer a question as frustrating as ever: What to get someone who “has everything”? The answer, of course, is as frustratingly ambiguous: “it depends,” since at that point, you have been digging deep and rappelling over cliffs into the crevices of the individual’s personality, interests, and fascinations in search…

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Review: Templeton Stout Cask Finish Rye

By Monica Uhm | December 9, 2022 |

Templeton’s rye whiskey expressions are no strangers to Drinkhacker. We’ve steadily followed their releases through the years, starting with their 4 year old rye back in 2009 (!) and as recent as early 2022 with their revamped 4, 6 and 10 year ryes. They have had an interesting and somewhat uneven journey in between (replete…

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Review: Broken Barrel Americana Whiskey

By Monica Uhm | December 4, 2022 |

Fast on the heels of Drinkhacker’s review of its “four core releases” along with other expressions earlier this year, Broken Barrel has recently released Americana, the latest addition to the core lineup. True to the experimental path they’ve carved for themselves, Americana showcases a particular novelty in their process, which is best shared in their…

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Review: Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey NY Rye Cask

By Monica Uhm | November 23, 2022 |

Colorado-based Stranahan’s Distillery continues its limited edition series of finished single malt whiskeys with the release of Stranahan’s NY Rye Cask, which starts with a blend of five- to nine-year-old whiskeys distilled at Stranahan’s and finished for an additional two years in rye casks from Black Distillery in Warwick, New York. (Along with rye, Black…

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Review: NV Giesen 0% Dealcoholized New Zealand Riesling

By Monica Uhm | November 18, 2022 |

Hailing from New Zealand, Giesen 0% is a recently released line of no-/low-alcoholic wines launched in 2020 by the eponymous vineyard that has been producing notable wines in the Marlborough region for decades (a few of which we covered in our profile of New Zealand wines in 2018). The 0% line actually starts with their…

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Review: Le Mone Meyer Lemon Aperitif Wine

By Monica Uhm | August 16, 2022 |

An aperitif is technically any alcoholic beverage designed to stimulate the appetite before a meal. Which brings us to Le Moné, a new line of wine aperitifs with “no secrets” on their limited ingredients which comprise Meyer lemon (in the form of California lemon peel), dry New York farm white wine, California brandy, and 100%…

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Review: WhistlePig SmokeStock Whiskey

By Monica Uhm | August 14, 2022 |

WhistlePig has always leaned towards a bit of irreverence in their exploration of whiskey expressions. Their 100% rye whiskeys have been well regarded as well as their special releases (despite their price tag). For this latest release, the company collaborated with Traeger grills, creator of the wood pellet grill, to create a BBQ themed whiskey.…

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