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 solid products that we don’t exactly love, but which we still heartily recommend. On a five-star scale, these products would score 3.5 stars. On the traditional 100-point scale popular with many wine and spirits graders, these products would merit scores of 87 to 89 points.
Beam’s Little Book release for 2022 arrives as another very unusual blend, this time incorporating a bourbon and four straight malt whiskeys, each with a different finish, some quite unusual. What’s in the bottle? Here’s the breakdown of the blend: 4-year-old straight malt whiskey finished with cherrywood staves 4-year-old straight malt whiskey finished with applewood…
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11 years ago we reviewed a fresh new release from Caorunn Gun, infused with such exotic botanicals as rowan berry, bog myrtle, and Coul blush apple. (See the link above for the full list.) Now Caorunn is out with a “Highland strength” edition, nearly 25 proof higher in strength than the original. (Botanicals here are…
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Felipe Tosso, head winemaker at Chile’s Ventisquero, was recently in town to showcase his wines. Our schedules didn’t align, so we did the next best thing: Connecting over Zoom to discuss his approach to winemaking in this 2600-mile long country, his philosophy running to low intervention, basic production techniques, and minimal filtration. Tosso is all about…
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Ready for the third Larceny Barrel Proof for 2022? C922 has arrived, and we’re ready to dive in. The wheated bourbon’s nose is agreeable but initially indistinct, as if it’s being experienced through a coffee filter. A splash of water really helps bring it to life, where notes of peanut brittle, some coffee bean, and…
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Guatemalan rum brand Botran has been unavailable in the U.S. market since 2019. Now the brand is back, with new expressions, new branding, and a new sustainability accreditation Basically: new everything. The bulk of the new Botran Rum line now carries a number on the label, unlike previous editions, but not that these are not…
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Casa Noble’s latest bottling, Marqués de Casa Noble, is an unusual tequila that defies easy categorization. It’s described as a blend 21 añejos and extra añejos, aged in French oak. Specifically, the blend includes 12 extra añejos and nine añejos aged one to five years. By blending unique aromas, Jose “Pepe” Hermosillo, Casa Noble’s Founder…
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Chile-flavored vodka is typically described as usable only for Bloody Mary cocktails. And that is basically something I agree with. What else have I ever used pepper-infused vodka for? St. George’s expression of pepper vodka isn’t shy. Infused with California jalapenos, habaneros, serranos, and bell peppers, there is no shortage of capsaicin to go around…
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Big news from Benriach, which has just dropped its first single cask, single malt Scotch whisky bottlings ever available in the U.S. Three expressions are arriving, all extremely limited (only a few hundred cask strength bottles each) and ranging in ages from 12 to 24 years old, with each drawn from a different type of cask…
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It has been over a decade since we last checked in on Matusalem rum. While the Gran Reserva 15 Years Old remains the brand’s flagship, their portfolio is rather extensive, including a white rum, Gran Reserva 18, and Gran Reserva 23 among others. We’ll hopefully get to some of those in due time, but before that,…
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Dutton Estate‘s summer wine releases have arrived. Today we look at a quartet of offerings from this Sonoma-based pinot specialist. 2020 Dutton Estate Chardonnay Kyndall’s Reserve – No shortage of oak here, this aggressive chardonnay is punchy with vanilla, brown butter, and toasty lumberyard elements. Almost chewy in texture, with elements of coconut, white flowers,…
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