News
Our catch-all News category digests the latest news and current events taking place in the wine, beer, and spirits industry. You’ll find individual news reports as well as our “Drinkhacker Reads” news roundups in this section.
You may have missed the news that Colin Gordon left Ardbeg Distillery last year to return to his roots in malting on the mainland. Succeeding him in his role as Distillery Manager is Bryony McNiven, a daughter of the island with a very Ardbeg-heavy resume. Her father was a longtime stillman, and she has spent…
San Felice is a Tuscany-based winery that has received ample attention here at Drinkhacker, and recently we were fortunate to connect with San Felice’s Director, Carlo De Biasi, to discuss a variety of topics. What follows is a lightly edited excerpt from our conversation. Drinkhacker: We are living in very interesting times, to put it…
Happy Women’s History Month! Putting together an extensive list of women-owned whiskey brands would have been challenging only 10 years ago. But things have changed, to the point where I could now write for hours about the women leading American whiskey alone, much less other spirits categories. That said, women still make up a small…
You may not know his name, but Philipp Blaser is the man behind a bar or restaurant at which you’ve probably spent quite a bit of time. As Global Senior Vice President of Food & Beverage for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Blaser is in charge of over 600 bars and restaurants across 130 hotel…
Bronze. Double Gold. Double Platinum. In the world of spirits awards, it’s tough for consumers to make sense of the accolades on a bottle. It’s difficult enough to differentiate one medal from the next, let alone among different competitions. Whether competitions purposefully or incidentally seem like walled gardens is up for debate. Some organizations may…
Purchasing and opening a bottle of wine is a big commitment. With 5 or 6 glasses in a bottle that can easily cost hundreds of dollars, it’s easy to understand why the wine world is so intimidating to people. Bet wrong and you’re out a small fortune — and possibly wasting a whole lot of…
At just 28 years old, Iowa’s Gene Nassif wears a lot of hats. By day, he’s a practicing attorney focusing on family law. By night — and on the weekends and whatever other spare time he can muster — Nassif is co-owner of Cat’s Eye, a Bettendorf, Iowa-based micro distillery more widely known for its “Obtainium”…
Perennial spirits entrepreneur Raj Bhakta has already cemented himself as one of America’s most ambitious booze salesmen. He founded WhistlePig and helped create an entirely new generation of whiskey drinkers, with a heavy focus on premium rye. His second foray into the premium category took a decidedly upmarket turn with Bhakta, a brand based around…
2022 is shaping up to be an unusual year for the spirits industry. “Learn to live with the pandemic” has become a frequent, optimistic refrain, but what does it mean for an industry that saw many of its customers completely change their drinking habits over the last two years? Never mind the welcome return to…
At its core, marketing is a peculiar craft. Every day at Drinkhacker HQ, our inboxes fill with product press releases and exciting announcements about executive promotions at booze companies. While some pitches are straightforward with few antics or gimmicks, others defy description. Then there are the ones that catch our attention and reel us in,…