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.
Two new IPAs from San Diego’s Ballast Point: A daytime-friendly hazy IPA and an on-trend brut IPA. Let’s dig in. Ballast Point Passing Haze Hazy IPA – Sessionable or no, this is a weird hazy. Golden-green in color, it’s amply hazy in appearance but doesn’t get there on the palate. An immediate note closer…
Founded in 2004, LA-based Greenbar Distillery is a stalwart pioneer of craft distillation. We’ve covered their spirits multiple times over the years, including looks at malt whiskey, an amazing amaro, and even vodkas dating back to before the company was even called Greenbar. Today we look at six products from Greenbar, including two vodkas (which…
Yes, Virginia. Wine from Virginia, Virginia. Early Mountain — which recently won big in Virginia’s Governer’s Cup Wine Competition — can be found on the Monticello Wine Trail in Madison County (not that Madison County), where it produces a wide range of wines from grapes both international and obscure. We tried three of them, mostly…
Four years ago I was gushing over Herradura’s cristalino style anejo, which spends “up to 49 months” in oak barrels before being color filtered back to clear. Today we take a fresh look at this tequila, and my how times have changed. Either this tequila has changed or my palate has changed, or both. Either…
It’s not just whiskey, this is Fine Texas Spirit Whiskey — produced, blended and bottled in San Antonio. If you’re not familiar with the spirit whiskey category (and why would you be), it has that funny name because the bottle includes 21% grain neutral spirits. The other 79% is “a blend of premium bourbons. The…
The self-taught collaborative of Treaty Oak Distilling can be found in Dripping Springs, Texas, where founder Daniel Barnes has been producing gin and whiskey since 2006. The portfolio today includes both sourced and locally distilled spirits, with some of the rye and bourbon coming from some rather unusual suspects. The company produces six (recently repackaged)…
Barefoot doesn’t just make crazy cheap nonvintage wine. It also makes these “wine-based spritzers,” which are tiny single-serve cans of wine, seltzer, and flavorings, all canned at 5.5% abv. We’re hardly in the spritzer season, but consider bookmarking this for when the weather turns warm and a poolside gathering is in the cards. Barefoot Spritzer Crisp White –…
One of the strangest spirits I’ve seen this year, Gold Bar whiskey’s oddities start with the packaging. It’s packaged inside a replica of a gold bar (complete with a base that makes the whole thing akimbo), a nod to founder Elliott Gillespie’s acknowledgement that he’d need a few real gold bars to get into the…
1924 is Gnarly Head‘s “limited edition” label, as silly as that sounds. The “1924” designation is a nod toward Prohibition; these are the wines folks apparently liked to drink back in the day. (See more context in the comments.) Here’s a look at two of the sub-brand’s most recent releases, both heavy duty reds —…
Richard L. Chilton, Jr.’s book Adventures with Old Vines, is, in no uncertain terms, a book of vintage charts. “Vineyard Profiles,” rather, as the book puts it. From page 53 to 269 (the end of the book), Chilton — who owns and operates Napa’s Hourglass Winery — runs through a collection of wine producers, painting a portrait…