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.
Perennial favorite California wine producer Merry Edwards is back with its first bottlings of the year (or late 2025), which we’re rounding up presently. We’ll update this post later in 2026 when the operation’s second wave of wines roll around. 2023 Merry Edwards Chardonnay Anderson Valley – Surprisingly grassy, this pastoral chardonnay as almost astringent…
In 2021, Holmes Cay released a single barrel of Guyanese rum from the Diamond Distillery in the village of Uitvlugt, the only distillery in the country. (The Uitvlugt name is used to distinguish this product from other products of Diamond Distillery, namely Port Mourant.) Now they’re back with a new cask of the same…
Marie Brizard recently launched its response to Aperol, a bright orange liqueur (naturally flavored, artificially colored) designed specifically for spritzing. The product is crafted in Bordeaux, France and is infused with over 30 botanicals, “including wormwood, bay, basil, thyme, and citrus, and complemented by cherry and apple distillates.” Interestingly, it is specifically designed to be…
Back in 2022, Sazerac launched a Cognac and named it for itself: Sazerac de Forge. Well, actually the brand had been launched about 250 years prior, so this was bringing the OG Sazerac back to life. Unfortunately, the 2022 “Finest Original” Sazerac de Forge was a bit lackluster, a clearly youthful blend with eaux de…
Wynk is a new brand of canned THC beverages, each simply constructed and designed for easy approachability. The company offers both sparkling waters/seltzers and a collection of lemonades, all packaged in 12 oz cans. Note that the THC dosage varies between the two lines: Seltzers each have 5mg each of THC and CBD. Lemonades each…
The inevitable second batch of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye is upon us, dropping for early 2026. It’s slightly younger than A925 at 11 years, 11 months old, but considerably hotter at 60.2% abv. Let’s dig in. You can also read up on every ECBP (bourbon and rye) release to date at our complete guide…
El Tesoro’s Mundial Collection continues with this fourth version, the tequila distillery’s first collaboration with the House of Suntory. El Tesoro Mundial: Yamazaki Edition brings together three masters of distilling: Carlos and Jenny Camarena, the former and newly appointed Master Distillers of El Tesoro, and Shinji Fukuyo, The House of Suntory’s fifth-generation Chief Blender. Known…
Luxco isn’t dancing around the premium nature, or price, of its newest blanco tequila. Even the name, Escasa, means “scarce” in Spanish. The details, per the brand: Crafted in Los Altos de Jalisco, Escasa Tequila is dedicated to the opulence of scarcity, the result of hundreds of years of knowledge distilled into one bottle. Founded in 2024 by renowned fourth-generation…
Buzzard’s Roost Whiskey arrived on the scene in 2019 under the guidance of founders Judy Hollis Jones and Jason Brauner. From the outset, the brand created a clear identity through secondary maturation in custom toasted barrels coopered by Independent Stave Company. These 53-gallon new American white oak casks feature staves seasoned outdoors for at least…
Founded in 2015, Isle of Harris Distillery is one of the UK’s most remote distilling operations. And with a total island population under 2,000, it’s also a business of note, at max capacity employing about 1 out of 40 people on the island. While the distillery has several whiskies in distribution both in the UK…