Rated A-
Reviews of spirits, wine, and beer (and various errata like mixers and garnishes) comprise more than 80% of the content at Drinkhacker, and the A- rating is used for very good to exceptional products. On a five-star scale, these products would score 4 stars. On the traditional 100-point scale popular with many wine and spirits graders, these products would merit scores of 90 to 93 points.
El Mayor has long been a favorite tequila of Drinkhacker, and it’s also one of the most innovative kids on the block. Its series of special editions is unmatched in depth and breadth, and its latest offering continues its run of creativity, using coffee beans to give a reposado a racy twist. How it works…
La Maison & Velier’s Habitation Velier is an especially unusual collection of rums from a bottler that’s already known for its out-of-the-ordinary offerings. The range, which currently spans 45 releases, is designed to be educational in nature, designed to showcase the power of pot distillation and how it varies from one producer (and region) to…
American Harvest Vodka hails from Idaho, and that means it’s gotta be made from potatoes, amirite? Sorry, folks: This is a red winter wheat distillate, organic and non-GMO at that, proofed with local water drawn from the Snake River Plain. No additives. American Harvest Vodka Review The nose of the vodka is extremely clean, ethanol…
Ireland’s The Shed Distillery is reaching deep into the botanical bag to keep their annual limited-edition offerings flowing. If you thought last year’s Brazilian Pineapple was exotic, this latest release is maybe even more unique. In collaboration with Bruno Vanzan, two-time world champion mixologist, Gunpowder (no longer formally using the old Drumshanbo branding — though…
The latest in Old Forester’s 117 Series is a bourbon that honors its legacy as one of the few distilleries legally permitted to produce whiskey for medicinal purposes during Prohibition. Prohibition Era Still Proof is a bourbon bottled at 130 proof, which was the bottling abv during Old Forester‘s 100-day distiller’s holiday a few years…
Garrison Brothers‘ Laguna Madre is considered (by it and by others) to be its most prized whiskey, the mash of 74% corn, 15% wheat, and 11% barley aged for four years in white American oak barrels and then transferred into French Limousin oak casks for another four years of aging in the Texas Hill Country…
This 2020 vintage cabernet from Drinkhacker standby Rodney Strong is a current release as of early 2026, but despite its advanced age and Reserve status, the wine — crafted from Sonoma County fruit — is available for a mere 60 bucks. There’s no word on varietal additions beyond cab, but it’s aged 24 months in…
I’ll be honest: It’s becoming a little difficult to distinguish some of Vermont’s Lawson’s Finest Liquids releases form one another. The operation, which focuses heavily on high abv IPAs, recently dropped Hop Wired, a hazy IPA made with a blend of El Dorado, Simcoe, Citra, and Cascade hops. If those sound familiar, it’s because they’re some…
Iowa’s Templeton Whiskey has launched the first in a new collection of bottlings called Hidden Stash. Intended to support “the pinnacle of its aging program,” the series begins with a 13 year old rye whiskey, sourced from Indiana. It’s made from a classic 95% rye/5% barley MGP mash and matured in heavy char barrels before…
Central California’s Carmel Valley is home to Bernardus, a long-running winery with a particular focus on chardonnay. Ingrid’s Vineyard is planted directly on Bernardus’s property, growing Dijon clones 76 and 95, the finished product aged in 100% new French oak. Only 1470 bottles were produced from this 2023 vintage. Notes of coconut and lemon curd…