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, we see products that are relatively undistinguished, except perhaps in one or two minor factors. These products are generally not 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 75 to 78 points.
Lux Row’s Ezra Brooks brand is getting the glow-up treatment, with new and reformulated versions of two of its entry-level products, Ezra Brooks Straight Rye and Bourbon Cream. Both are changing proof, recipes, bottles, and labels, so let’s dig in and see if these changes are for the better. Ezra Brooks 99 Straight Rye (2023)…
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Is the world ready to try a high-end, 23-year-old flavored whiskey? One brand is banking on the answer being “yes,” and thus Crown Royal Golden Apple was born. As the newest entry in Crown Royal’s Master Series, Golden Apple is a blend of Canadian whiskies aged for 23 long years that is flavored with golden…
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Get ten bucks to put toward a bottle of whiskey — or perhaps a whole liter of the stuff? Why, Old Crow’s been dominating the bottom shelf for nearly two centuries since Dr. James Crow introduced the world to his medicine, and it doesn’t look like the price has shifted more than a few nickels…
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The Spritz isn’t the hardest cocktail to make, but opening a bottle of sparkling wine just to whip up a single drink seems wasteful. Enter Almare Spritz, a ready-to-drink option available in three varieties and made in the Veneto from the same glera grapes used for Prosecco. Each of the trio comes in a 750…
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Ready for more country music-inspired whiskey? Bluebird Days is a collaborative whiskey between musician Jordan Davis and Bluebird Distilling Master Distiller Jared Adkins — “and their shared love for a perfect bluebird day.” The bottle is a blend of two of the Pennsylvania-based operation’s distillates — a bourbon and a wheat whiskey, both produced in-house…
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Hendrick’s is cranking out special editions like gin is going out of style, the latest being the Harry Potter-esque Flora Adora, the fourth installment in the Hendrick’s Cabinet of Curiosity lineup. Designed by master distiller Lesley Gracie, Flora Adora is built around flowers, though details beyond that are sketchy. The base spirit includes all the…
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Our friends at Indiana-based Sun King are back with a huge load of new beers, this round heavy on IPAs and, oddly, beers built around caramel of some sort. You’ll see what we mean as we dip into the specifics. Let’s crack open some cans. Sun King Surf Lessons IPA – Sweet, almost syrupy at times,…
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As the team behind the podcast Bourbon Pursuit releases new bottles under their Pursuit Spirits brand, they’re leaning into flavor territory beyond just blending. For the first bourbon and rye in “The Oak Collection,” founders Kenny Coleman and Ryan Cecil have imparted additional wood influence via a variety of oak finishes. As outlined in a…
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If your idea of a proper cocktail is one positively brimming with booze, Tip Top Proper Cocktails has one for you with its ready-to-drink margarita. Made with tequila, orange liqueur, and I can only assume the tiniest squeeze of lime, this stiff drink comes in at a heavy 26% abv, roughly three times the alcohol…
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New Zealand’s Cloudy Bay recently sent us a trio of wines — with both the 2021 and 2022 vintages of its iconic sauvignon blanc represented. Let’s dig into all of them. 2020 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir Marlborough – A pedestrian pinot, slightly beefy with distant, demure fruit that tries only fitfully to break through the…
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