Reviews
Reviews of spirits, wine, and beer (and various errata like mixers and garnishes) comprise more than 80% of the content at Drinkhacker, and here you’ll find the entire Drinkhacker review archive in one place. Products are rated on a letter-grade scale that should be familiar to most, with F as our lowest, “failing” grade and the very rare A+ as our top score.
Top Reviews Posts:
Notes on Grading
How to Analyze, Score, and Review Whiskey
With Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam, Wild Turkey stands as one of the pinnacles of mass market whiskies. Of course, Wild Turkey has a far more dangerous reputation, owing to its 101 proof status… it’s right there in the name of the product! Wild Turkey is a surprisingly tame spirit for something with “Wild” in…
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When one says “Pale Ale,” Michelob isn’t a brand that immediately springs to mind. Parent Anheuser-Busch is expanding the Michelob brand, making some seasonal beers permanent and national in availability. I got to try three of them over the weekend. Michelob Pale Ale – This is a fairly traditional Pale Ale style beer, amber in…
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With Shafer’s 2003 Cab, on first blush, there’s heat and considerable tannin on the palate. That tannin doesn’t fade, even after four hours of sipping, I’m still getting a lot of heavy tannic notes, indicating this wine’s got years ahead of it before it peaks. The fruit beneath is enticing, even though it’s tight as…
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Read any bar menu and you’re likely to find at least one cocktail containing 10 Cane Rum. Why’s it so popular? Let’s explore. For starters, unlike most rums, which are made of molasses, the 80-proof 10 Cane is made from pure, pressed sugar juice. Though it’s technically a white rum, it’s also aged in oak…
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Did you know: It was illegal to distill vodka in Switzerland until 1999? A vestige of World War II, when it was felt inappropriate to turn grain, in short supply, into booze instead of bread. (Though, if I had my druthers, I know what I’d give up.) Xellent was the first — and so far…
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When you’re drinking your federally-mandated 27 gallons of water a day, you might as well enjoy it going down. Flavored water is nothing new, but Ayala’s takes a different approach, flavoring its bottled waters with natural herbs instead of chemical sludge (check the nutrition facts on a bottle of Propel if you don’t believe me).…
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Today is Mexican Independence Day. (Independence from Spain in 1810, Einstein.) That means you should be drinking tequila right now. Or at least a Pacifico. Alas, I’ve but one bottle of tequila in the Drinkhacker review queue, and it’s not exactly something you’re going to want to suck down til dawn. Sorry. Anyway, you read…
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If you’re looking for major names in absinthe, they don’t get much bigger than Pernod. The company started making absinthe in 1792 (which earns it the title of the “original” absinthe producer) and was the biggest brand of absinthe up until the 1915 ban. After that, the company moved to Spain and continued to make…
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Somewhere between Drambuie and Almendrado lies Agavero, the curious tequila liqueur in the distinctive bottle. Agavero is a blend of 100% agave tequilas (both reposado and anejo) to which Damiana flower essence is added. (If that sounds familiar it’s because Damiana is also the namesake of the eponymous herbal Damiana liqueur, something I use liberally…
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Courtney Cochran is one of these hipster gals trying to change the wine world and refocus it on a younger crowd, away from the Robert Parkers of the industry. Great, I’m all for it. Now she’s got a book out, Hip Tastes – The Fresh Guide to Wine, which is sort of an introductory text…
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