Rated C
Reviews of spirits, wine, and beer (and various errata like mixers and garnishes) comprise more than 80% of the content at Drinkhacker. At the C level, products are considered common and lackluster at best. These products are almost never recommended, as better alternatives abound. On a five-star scale, these products would score 2 stars. On the traditional 100-point scale popular with many wine and spirits graders, these products would merit scores of 72 to 74 points.
Move over Crown Royal. There’s a new kid on the flavored Canadian whisky block. Forthwest Whisky Co. launched earlier this year with a portfolio of three flavored offerings and one unflavored blend. The whiskies are all sourced from an unspecified Canadian producer and finished at Oregon’s Hood River Distillers with glacier-fed spring water from Mt.…
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Borealis Vintners draws its grapes from both Oregon and Washington, and with summer approaching, they sent us two whites and a rosé to review. They also make a Pinot Noir, not reviewed here. Let’s give them a try. 2022 Borealis Pinot Gris – 100% Pinot Gris from Oregon. This wine is sweeter than most Oregon…
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Saint Viviana is retailer The Zero Proof’s proprietary line of non-alcoholic wines, made by California winemakers by dealcoholizing “fantastic wine,” and keeping additives (like oak extract) to a minimum. A white and a red are on offer. We tried both. Saint Viviana Sauvignon Blanc Dealcoholized Wine – This definitely smells the part, with a brisk…
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Patricia Green Cellars is one of Oregon’s leading wine producers and now it’s getting into … whiskey! Why not, right? You have never encountered whiskey like these, in large part because none of them are whiskey the way you probably think about them. All of them are made at least in part with brandy distilled…
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Firestone Walker never met a beer style it didn’t like, and while it is constantly churning out sours, barrel-aged expressions, iconic lagers, and more, it’s the IPAs that Firestone really seems to gravitate to. Lately, the brand has dropped three different mixed-IPA cases, all featuring something new and something old. Today we look at 6…
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As the holidays approach, cocktails will continue to get sweeter and sweeter, which means folks will be increasingly reaching for the Baileys, Kahlua, and chocolate-flavored liqueurs for their celebratory tipples. We’ve covered a number of Austria-based Mozart‘s choco-centric liqueurs over the years, but not these two, a coffee-meets-chocolate expression and a daring white chocolate offering.…
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King Robert II is a budget Scotch brand that got a relaunch last year from its owners at Ian Macleod. Now available throughout the U.S., three expressions are on tap — a non-age-statement “treble cask” edition, a 12 year old, and a 15 year old. (We’re reviewing the first two today.) Some details: The brand…
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Laneta’s website features but a single page and many images, all of which are overlaid with text. The most striking of these images features a farmer harvesting agave. “The Truth,” it proclaims, followed by a description of how the absurdly beautiful bottle and its faceted base were inspired by the toil and craft of tequila…
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As I slowly continue the journey of organic erosion and cognitive decline we all inevitably face, I find my tastes occasionally regressing, drifting back to various points of origin. Sometimes it is out of necessity as to what is being served, but there are times when it’s to find out just how much my palate…
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Today we dive into three very different beers from Boston’s Harpoon. No need to prolong the prologue. Let’s dive in. Harpoon Juicer Hazy IPA – Straightforward but dead-on perfect for the style, this concoction of Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy, and Azacca hops is made using a “unique brewing technique called ‘dip hopping,’ where the hops are…
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