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 represents the cream of the crop — excellent products with only minimal flaws. On a five-star scale, these products would score 4.5 stars. On the traditional 100-point scale popular with many wine and spirits graders, these products would merit scores of 94 to 97 points.
We are fans of the original Gin Mare, with its unique olive character, and now the producers have released a special edition as a follow-up. Gin Mare Capri is similar in design to its precursor but has some notable differences. It is made, their website explains, “with Italian bergamot from Calabria and lemons from Capri,…
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It was a terrible, no-good two years for in-person spirits events (make that in-person events of any kind), but things are finally, thankfully starting to return to normal. Chris noted (with some surprise) that Whiskies of the World held its San Francisco event last fall but at a reduced scale. Washington, D.C.’s famous Jack Rose…
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I was surprised to discover that we haven’t done a formal review of Illumination in five long years. That’s a shame, because this wine, made by Napa’s Quintessa, remains a standout when it comes to sauvignon blanc (albeit one blended with sauvignon blanc musque and semillon, which is said to allow the wine to withstand…
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Italy is a world of wine unto itself which produces a broad range of varietals and styles that don’t always make their way to the U.S. But there are efforts underway to expand the varietals that can be found on our shores, and today we’ll be reviewing five excellent Italian wines that may be new…
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The release last year of Sagamore Spirit’s first bottled-in-bond rye, made entirely in-house at their Baltimore distillery, somewhat overshadowed the release of this whiskey, an eight-year-old Reserve Series offering distilled on contract in Indiana. While the distillery’s Reserve Series has typically focused on unique finishes like tequila and calvados, Sagamore kept things simple with this…
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Made in Italy and distilled in a traditional copper pot still, Portofino boasts 21 botanicals, and although the full list remains secret, the bottle and their website mention juniper, lemon, lavender, rosemary, marjoram, sage, iris, and rose. Poured into a glass, the gin offers a very aromatic nose that includes perfumed notes of rose that…
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The Irish whiskey magicians at Glendalough take a return trip to Japan (following on its previous 13, 17, and 25 year old releases) with the launch of Glendalough Mizunara Cask-Finished Whiskey, a youthful 7 year old single malt that is finished in this rare, Japanese oak. (Glendalough was the first Irish whiskey producer to use…
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Independent whiskey bottler Lost Lantern has been busy of late. We already covered their spring releases for 2022, which comprised four different bottlings, but for their summer collection, Lost Lantern is offering a whopping seven different single casks from six different distilleries, their largest collection to date. And there are quite a few winners in…
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Summer’s in full swing, and many a young man’s mind turns to beer if for no other reason than to cool down a bit. Our fourth annual Top 10 Beers of the Year list is here to help you make sense of an increasingly crowded market with a look at 10 top brews that made…
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Rossville Union is a straight rye whiskey in Luxco’s growing category of house brands is and produced out of Lawrenceburg, Indiana. If this makes you think MGP, you would be right. Luxco recently renamed the producer of its house branded spirits Ross & Squibb Distillery, formerly included under the overall MGP distillery umbrella. (MGP continues…
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