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.
Lately we’ve received a whole bunch of “stocking stuffer” sized gadgets suitable for wine and beer fanatics. Rather than review them individually, we’re rounding them up here in a mega-gizmo post. Thoughts follow. Hermetus Bottle Opener & Resealer – Sometimes you don’t want to drink that entire half-liter of beer, but if you’ve pried off…
Discriminating drinkers aren’t immune from the mainstream, and ultra-micro-craft brews aren’t always available when you’re looking for a six pack at your local convenience store. What then about the biggest beer of them all? Today we look at the complete lineup of Budweiser beers, which now includes six different bottlings. Thoughts follow. As the oldest…
Harvest Spirits Farm Distillery, in Valatie, New York, focuses like so many other operations in this region on using local fruits to produce artisinal, farm-to-bottle spirits. The lineup below represents a full farmers’ market of goodies. Thoughts on the bulk of Harvest Spirits’ production follow. Harvest Spirits Core Vodka – Another vodka distilled from New…
That Boutique-y Whisky Company isn’t something I made up. That’s really what it’s called. This oddball label (again, I mean that literally, as the labels have comic book-style drawings on them) is being used for a new line of independent bottlings of single malt Scotch whiskys. Like most single malts, these whiskys are a blend…
Finger Lakes Distilling operates out of, you guessed it, the Finger Lakes region of New York, well known as an up-and-coming wine region but also a hotbed of craft distilleries, too. Finger Lakes makes two young whiskeys which we recently put to the taste test. Both are 91 proof. Finger Lakes Distilling McKenzie Bourbon Whiskey…
Chai tea is one of the “it” flavorings of the ’10s, and Yahara Bay, which produces the V Bourbon we reviewed a few days ago, takes a different tack than the various chai liqueurs on the market. Instead, the company flavors vodka with chai to create a unique (and more powerful) spirit. The color of…
Thanksgiving on a budget? Six wines from Bolla arrived for our consideration for a spot on your Thanksgiving table, including one infamous classic. Thoughts (and a special video) follow. NV Maschio Prosecco Brut – Surprisingly bland for Prosecco, very light fruit on the nose, and lesser fruit character on the body — predominantly sour apple,…
The company that brought us Fluffed Marshmallow vodka is back with more flavors that would have Rasputin rolling in his grave. Here’s what will be haunting beach bars in 2013. For what it’s worth, my wife enthused about the dessert-drink worthiness of both of these concoctions, and in modest proportions, she might be right, although…
Figs are one of my favorite unsung cocktail ingredients, so I was delighted to see that someone was finally producing a fig liqueur. Correction: Fig and aniseed liqueur. Hrmmmm. Mahia actually is a general term for anise liqueur in (Algerian) French, and this spirit (produced in New York) is inspired by that traditional liqueur —…
What do we have here? The world’s first ever Champagne “created to be enjoyed over ice.” You read that right, and I’m still asking myself why someone would do such a thing to a drink as lovely as Champagne. Moet Ice Imperial is a blend of nonvintage Champagne, and it doesn’t take long to catch…