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.
In 2023, Heaven Hill did once again what it always does to its popular whiskey lines by releasing a barrel proof version of the product. Bernheim Barrel Proof is released in batches — twice per year instead of three, the way Larceny and Elijah Craig are released — with proof and batch information denoted on…
Returning to Cantoro Market feels less like a sequel and more like checking back in on a place that never stops evolving. The scale is still mildly overwhelming, the shelves still bowing under the weight of Italian specialties you didn’t know existed or needed, and the wine section continues to emanate a low-grade sense of…
We cover the wines of Paso Robles’ Ancient Peaks with regularity, so these 2026 offerings should not come as a surprise. The value present in these bottlings, however, is more of a shock… 2024 Ancient Peaks Sauvignon Blanc Paso Robles – Quite tropical at first, this wine moves into grassier territory, with a slight astringency…
Happenstance Whiskey is a 100% women-owned & led whiskey company in Nashville, Tennessee, started in 2021 by an Anheuser-Busch alumna. The operation focuses exclusively on sourced bourbons, including a mainline release and a pair of single barrel bottlings. We tasted both the full-time Founder’s Edition and one of its single barrels — with details and…
Garrison Brothers, my neighbors down the road in Hye, Texas, release Cowboy Bourbon once a year. This annual drop is commonly drawn from 8- and 9-year old barrels and bottled uncut and unfiltered, its full-proof presentation making it one of the distillery’s most prized expressions. We’ve encountered three Cowboy Bourbon releases to date, and we’ll…
Dominican rum brand Kirk and Sweeney has changed since last we encountered it over a decade ago. At least on the surface. The move happened sometime around 2020 with the brand trading their lineup of age-stated 12-, 18-, and 23-year-old rums for a fresh, ageless core portfolio. The new product stable consists of a Reserva,…
Come mister tally man, tally me banana! Banana liqueur tends to be one of those unsung cocktail ingredients that few give much serious thought to. A splash of something yellow to give a cocktail a vague tropicality, right? Think again. Banana liqueur has entered its own small renaissance, and mixologists are discovering myriad uses for…
Providence’s Distillerie de Port-au-Prince is one of the smallest rum distilleries in the world, which means your chances of discovering its products are probably very low. The good news is that LM&V is bringing two expressions of the rum to the U.S., though it does not carry any of LM&V’s branding. We received small samples…
Dow’s has fully revamped its labels with this LBV Port release, opting for a dark label in lieu of the white label we saw in 2016 and prior. As expected, however, those changes mean little for what’s in the bottle, which remains a bold investigation into various flavors of chocolate-covered cherries, plump raisins, and a…
It’s never not a treat to sample Hampden‘s annual grand finale release, Great House, an ever-changing blend that has often ranked among our favorite rums of the year. 2025’s Great House includes only minimal production info, just that it’s a blend of “several marks of different vintages,” all pot distillate aged in ex-bourbon casks in country.…