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.
Christopher Pellegrini is trying to do for Japanese shochu what Ron Cooper did with mezcal. The American ex-pat and author of The Shochu Handbook is seeking to “connect the world with artisanal, koji-fermented spirits of Japan.” Honkaku’s portfolio includes koji whiskey, shochu, and aged awamori from 22 family-run distilleries established between 1745 and 1947. We received…
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Fuji is a storied distillery that earns its name for a distinctly relevant reason: It’s the closest distillery to Japan’s Mt. Fuji, mere miles away from the base of the iconic peak. Fuji Single Grain Whiskey is a blend of three different grain whiskeys produced at the distillery. Per the distillery, “those different grain whiskeys…
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The second release in Stone’s Fan Favorites series is this expression, first brewed in 2011. Baird / Ishii / Stone Japanese Green Tea IPA is a collaboration between Stone and Bryan Baird of Japan’s Baird’s Brewing and Toshi Ishii of Ishii Brewing in Guam. It’s a fairly simple recipe, made with Warrior, Crystal, Helga, Aramis, and…
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Oregon’s Hood River Distillers has been cranking out Pendleton Canadian whisky for longer than Drinkhacker has been around, dropping additional expressions over the years, most of which we’ve reviewed at some time or another. Today we take a retrospective look back at the three most available whiskies of the four-expression permanent lineup, all but the…
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Thomas Ashbourne is a new brand that partners with celebrities to bottle and can ready-to-drink cocktails. The objective is to offer top-of-the-line variations of favorite cocktails that are as simple to obtain as popping open a bottle or can. There is always plenty of pomp and circumstance surrounding any celeb-related project so best to override…
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The seventh editions of Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s Fusion and Discovery Series have hit the shelves. While the concept behind the two hasn’t changed, this latest pair of releases does appear to mark a new level of complexity and uniqueness, at least in their basic construction. The blending wizards at Bardstown Bourbon Co. have rarely combined…
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The Pathfinder Hemp and Root is a unique little oddity: fermented from hemp and then distilled, the non-alcoholic spirit is then infused with a variety of botanicals, including wormwood, angelica root, ginger, sage, juniper, saffron, orange peel, and Douglas fir. Note that though it’s made from hemp, there’s no THC in the product. The Pathfinder…
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Well, pilgrim. You thought John Wayne would be satisfied with just a bourbon bottled in his name? Well guess what, now The Duke has lent his signature to tequila, which is available in three (unexpected) expressions, reposado, anejo, and extra anejo. No blanco here, folks. John Wayne only consumes oak-aged spirits, it seems. A slight…
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The label of this wine does its very best to inform customers that this Domaine Bousquet offering is a bottle for celebrating, with numerous toasts and well-wishes from around the world in a handwritten font and lively colors. “A La Vida,” when translated, bears a resemblance to the Hebrew toast “L’chayim,” which means “to life!,”…
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The latest tequila distillery to jump on the cristalino craze is Avion, which formally drops this into its oversized Reserva Range. Avion’s Cristalino is a blend of añejo and extra añejo tequilas that is then double charcoal filtered to clear. Let’s give it a whirl. Initially, the nose is decidedly on the green side, with…
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