Rated B
Reviews of spirits, wine, and beer (and various errata like mixers and garnishes) comprise more than 80% of the content at Drinkhacker, and the B rating is used for products that are good but which we don’t exactly love — and which we can provide with a qualified recommendation. On a five-star scale, these products would score 3 stars. On the traditional 100-point scale popular with many wine and spirits graders, these products would merit scores of 83 to 86 points.
In 2019, one of our favorite vodka producers, Infuse Spirits, branched into whiskey. The results were, well, not the best, and eventually the line was scrapped and rebranded, with no mention of Infuse on the label at all. Recently, a revamped Broken Barrel re-emerged on the scene and, given our rather tough assessment of its…
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Blind tasting whiskey is lots of fun… but it’s awfully hard to do alone. I mean, you bought the bottles, so you know what they are. Blind Barrels solves that problem with what it calls the first blind whiskey tasting subscription kit. I’d suggest that Flaviar was there first, but there’s room for both of…
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Kendall Jenner’s ownership of 818 Tequila is an understandable turnoff for many drinkers and a sign that celebriquila has finally reached a tipping point… or so I thought, at least, until 818 started winning a bunch of awards, including the top spot in a blind tasting of celebrity-owned tequilas (which, admittedly, may not be the…
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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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Sam Maverick Spirits in San Antonio isn’t a brand I was familiar with before this, but we’re diving right in with its limited edition barrel proof bourbon. Some details, courtesy of the distillery: Maverick Whiskey’s limited-edition Samuel Maverick Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a Certified Texas Whiskey, has the gusto to make any dad happy.…
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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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Blue Run‘s second release of the year is another contract-distilled product with Jim Rutledge as “liquid advisor” on the project. Blue Run “Reflection I” Kentucky Straight Bourbon is a small-batch whiskey which Rutledge distilled at Castle & Key Distillery in 2018. Just 200 carefully selected barrels were chosen for this bottling, each toasted to a…
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Light whiskey is having a mild renaissance of late, including this latest from Penelope, which was distilled from corn by Seagrams Indiana in 2008; aging was completed in second fill oak barrels for 13 years. Thoughts follow, along with a look at the latest Barrel Strength Batch from the company, batch #8, and a…
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These cold brew iced teas are lightly sparkling, caffeine free, and lightly sweetened — to the point that a 12 oz bottle offers only 25 calories. Funded in part by Brad Pitt, the line is available in at least five different flavors, including a variety pack. Enroot Cold Brew Tea Strawberry Lavender Rosemary Tulsi –…
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Over the last few years, a number of new mezcals have come to the USA in response to exploding interest in the smoky agave distillate. Gracias a Dios, Spanish for “Thank God,” is a joven (unaged) mezcal made by Oscar Hernández. It is made with 100% espadín agave grown in Matatlán, Oaxaca. It deserves note…
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