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.
The Hilt Estate can be found in California’s Santa Rita Hills, where it creates a range of wines including Riesling, Syrah, and its flagship releases of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, under the guidance of winemaker Matt Dees. Today we look at The Hilt’s estate-grown Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, both from the standout 2023 vintage. 2023…
In 2022, we covered the launch of Dos Hombres, a then exclusively mezcal brand backed by actors Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. At the time, we tipped our hat to the Breaking Bad stars for the super cool way they chose to focus on mezcal instead of the more ubiquitous and celebrity-saturated tequila category. But…
I’m often skeptical of “better” sodas because, well, they often taste like ass. Is it possible to make a carbonated beverage with no added sugar and no artificial flavors and make it taste good? Turns out you can: Something & Nothing has seemingly done the impossible with its collection of sodas, which use fresh grape…
Maestro Dobel continues to innovate, this time by returning to the good old days of artisanal tequila production (and eschewing its trademark cristalino presentation). Dobel Tahona Tequila Blanco is a 100% organic blanco tequila made with classic techniques: tahona agave pinas crushed on a volcanic stone wheel, masonry oven roasting, fermentation with open-air wild yeast…
The GlenDronach has been making whisky since 1826. To celebrate its bicentennial, the historic distillery has released (in very limited supply) its oldest expression to date: The GlenDronach Aged 56 Years. True to form for the Highland producer, this whisky certainly leans into sherry maturation, having spent its entire life across Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez…
The Baldacci family has established itself as a perennial favorite on the site, often making post-review encore appearances on our curated roundups of top 10 wines. Their familiarity is not without solid justification: nearly three decades into the winery’s run, the story is less about chasing notoriety than building something of high-quality reliability: something to…
Virginia whiskey lovers, you know the drill. A. Smith Bowman is out with another Abraham Bowman Special Release. The lottery closed May 11 (womp womp), but there’s still a chance some bottles will go unclaimed at the end of the month. In the past, a few bottles have even circulated through the Virginia ABC and…
As David wrote in his 2025 review, High West’s Bourye has build a bit of a cult following — and deservedly so. This ever-evolving blend of bourbon and rye from some combination of Indiana, Kentucky, and Utah is one of the most reliable American whiskeys on the market, and it’s a whiskey I never turn…
With Irish whiskey still on the rise, new brands are popping up left and right. Case in point is John L. Sullivan, produced by an outfit called Good Spirits Bottling. This small batch Irish, named after the last bare-knuckled boxing heavyweight world champion, is distinguished by being aged in “single use” Bourbon barrels. Now, most…
It’s our second year running looking at the sparkling wines of Roederer, perhaps the most iconic sparkling wine producer in the U.S. (not to mention France). Let’s dive back in! NV Roederer Estate Brut Anderson Valley (2026) – Still a multivintage blend of 40% pinot noir and 60% chardonnay, with 10 to 15% reserve wine…