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.
Brewed with pineapple, coconut, and apple, Tropical Sparkale is the latest in a long line of fruit-centric beers from San Francisco-based 21st Amendment. This one’s billed merely as a “sparkling beer,” and is crafted to reduce both alcohol and gluten. And hey, I hope you like fruit. This is a monster full of coconut and…
When I stumbled upon Glendalough’s well-aged Irish whiskeys at a recent WhiskyFest, I knew that the baby sips doled out at these festivals weren’t going to do it. I named the distillery’s wholly unique 17 year old my favorite whiskey of the night, and finally we received a follow-up sample of it and the equally…
My latest foray into Flaviar’s new quarterly subscription club is this trio of whiskeys from three different Texas distilleries. (Forgot what this club is all about? $95 gets you a single shipment or $300 buys you four shipments over the course of a year. Each shipment includes a tasting kit of three themed 50ml samples…
The latest Irish whiskey from Knappogue Castle is this 12 year old single malt, aged in bourbon barrels and then finished in Marco De Bartoli Marsala casks from the region of Samperi in Sicily. You can smell the Marsala wine influence immediately when you crack open the bottle. The aromas of oxidized wine, citrus peel,…
Los Vecinos Mezcal hit the scene last year with a killer expression made from espadin agave, produced by its independent co-op (of sorts) comprised of 10 mezcaleros. Now it’s back with two new mezcals, a blend called Ensamble and an expression made of 100% tobala mezcal. Let’s give them both a try. Los Vecinos del…
Following up on expressions like its Tennessee Fire and Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel’s continues to tinker with adding flavored expressions to its repertoire. The latest: Tennessee Apple, which is exactly what you think it is, a heavily flavored mix of JD and apple liqueur. It tastes exactly like you’d expect, too, starting with a nose…
Let’s hear it again for innovation, eh? What the heck is Haus? Haus is described as “the first direct-to-consumer alcohol brand that’s redefining the liquor industry to deliver what today’s generation of drinkers want.” Now let’s put aside the fact that wineries have been selling directly to consumers for decades. Haus is something entirely different.…
Flat Top Hills is a new line of wines from another member of the Mondavi family, Angelina Mondavi, marking “the first time a member of the ‘G4,’ the fourth generation of the family, has been involved in winemaking under the family-owned and family-run company banner.” Unlike many Mondavi-driven wines, these are designed to be easily…
Here’s a quartet of new releases from the iconic Russian River Valley winery, J Vineyards — three pinots and one sparkler. NV J Vineyards Brut Rose (2019) – We’ve seen this sparkler a few times over the years, and the experience feels quite familiar in comparison at least to 2018. Boldly creamy with notes of…
We’ve spent a lot of digital ink on the products of Budweiser, so why not branch out into some other ultra-mainstream brews? Like Busch? Yeah! Busch recently partnered with the Big Buck Hunter video game to support wildlife conservation efforts, complete with a custom can that features a bevy of bucks just begging to get shot.…