Rated A+

Reviews of spirits, wine, and beer (and various errata like mixers and garnishes) comprise more than 80% of the content at Drinkhacker, but only a few (less than 1%) merit our top score of an A+ rating. On a five-star scale, these products would score a full 5 stars. On the traditional 100-point scale popular with many wine and spirits graders, these products would merit scores of 98 to 100 points.

Review: Heimat Barrel Finished Bosc Pear Liqueur

By Monica Uhm | April 22, 2023 |

Ute Londrigan is the founder of Heimat NY, a small-batch fruit liqueur producer based in the quiet suburbs of New York, ideally situated between the bustling city and the lush and diverse fruit farms further north. The launch of Heimat NY in November 2018 seems almost predestined, as Londrigan carries the torch of the craft…

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Review: VinXplorer Beverage Backpack and WineHive Wine Rack

By Monica Uhm | April 20, 2023 |

What more could wine consumers want these days? It seems the metropolis of wine accessories and accoutrements at one’s fingertips are busting at the seams already. What could the community of fine wine lovers still need? FlyWithWine seems to putting that question back on the table by offering a portfolio of select products that seek…

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Review: 2010 Graham’s Quinta dos Malvedos Vintage Port

By Christopher Null | February 21, 2023 |

  It’s not every day that vintage Port shows up on our doorstep, and even rarer that it’s of the quality that we see in the wine we’re reviewing today. Vintage Port is not declared every year, and 2010 was not designated as one. That however doesn’t stop Port producers from releasing something in those…

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Tasting Report: Jack Rose Premier Drams 2022

By Drew Beard | August 5, 2022 |

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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Review: Hardin’s Creek Bourbons – Jacob’s Well and Colonel James B. Beam

By Christopher Null | July 25, 2022 |

It’s unicorn launch time — again — as Beam (now formally known as the James B. Beam Distilling Company) launches Hardin’s Creek, a brand that will offer “unique and rare, limited-edition whiskeys rooted in the Beam family legacy. These new whiskeys have been crafted by Freddie Noe, recently announced as master distiller of the new…

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Review: Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 Years Old

By Drew Beard | September 13, 2021 |

Julian Van Winkle III, by all accounts the godfather of today’s bourbon hysteria, put the family name on more than just bourbon. While the annual 15-, 20-, and 23-year-old bourbon releases are some of his most sought-after inventions, a slightly lesser known, but no less coveted, rye whiskey sits among the “Pappy” lineup. The Van…

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Review: A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #1

By Drew Beard | July 11, 2021 |

We’ve long been impressed with the bourbons rolling out of Virginia’s A. Smith Bowman distillery. While new, hyper-rare limited edition releases under the Abraham Bowman label come around roughly once a year, there hasn’t been any change to the lineup of their core portfolio since the addition of Port Finish in 2017. Now the distillery…

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Review: Fishers Island Canned Craft Cocktails

By Monica Uhm | May 23, 2021 |

One of the pioneers of ready-to-drink cocktails is Fishers Island Lemonade, launched by Bronya Shillo in 2014 based off the popular signature cocktail served up at the Pequot Inn (based in Fishers Island), which was owned by her family. This year they have added 3 new flavors and a frozen version of their lemonade. Their…

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Review: Laphroaig 30 Years Old – The Ian Hunter Story, Book Two: Building an Icon (2021)

By Christopher Null | April 1, 2021 |

The second release — or book, I guess — in Laphroaig’s collectable Ian Hunter Story series has arrived. Like the 2019 Book One, it’s a 30 year old whisky, though this one is completely aged in oloroso sherry casks instead of bourbon. Here’s the short of it: In over a decade of tasting at least…

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Review: Cascade Brewing Contemporary Fashion

By Stephen Allison | January 29, 2021 |

Cascade Brewing, located in Portland, Oregon, is not a typical brewery. The first detail to clue you in is a look at their line-up of beers: not one IPA. Heck, not even an amber ale, stout or lager in sight. In fact, I’m hard pressed to find a single beer that neatly falls into one…

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