Spirits
Spirits are beverages made by the process of distillation. The “Spirits” category is not commonly used at Drinkhacker because the vast majority of reviews we publish fall into this category. It is used only occasionally to help organize our category list (and mainly gets clicked by accident).
The third of five planned whiskeys in Maker’s Mark’s Limited Release Wood Finishing Series has arrived. The Stewards Release follows 2025’s The Keepers Release and 2024’s The Heart Release, this time honoring the “stewards” of the distillery, which seems to cover everyone from quality control to marketing. Curiously, the listed stave finishing recipe for this…
Starting in 2025, Barrell Craft Spirits began introducing several lineup rebrands. To kick off 2026, we’ve got the latest in their “Red Label Series”: a 12 year, age-stated blend of straight bourbons, finished in toasted American oak. The release is the most immediate followup to last year’s (fantastic) French Oak bottling, which cracked our Top…
Violet Crown Spirits in Bastrop, Texas, produces a variety of obscure liqueurs and other spirits, including multiple absinthes and amari, the latter of which we turn our attention to today. We’re looking at three of them, each decidedly different. Violet Crown Spirits Midnight Marigold Bitter Cordial Review This herbaceous amaro was created in collaboration with…
Resting on the banks of the Roanoke River in Weldon, North Carolina, Weldon Mills Distillery occupies a space where industrial history meets modern craftsmanship. Established in 2018 by Bruce Tyler and Michael Hinderliter, the operation faced an immediate hurdle when it secured its distilling permit in November 2019, only to see global events stall production.…
Redbreast’s Iberian Series — now featuring five whiskeys finished in different types of Spanish sherry casks (and one in Port) — continues its journey with this exotic expression, finished in Moscatel wine casks. Crafted by Master Blender David McCabe, this limited-edition honors both Redbreast’s heritage and innovation by using Moscatel Wine casks from the historic…
Corte Vetusto is a new brand to us, though it lays claim to status as “the world’s most highly awarded mezcal brand.” Newly available in the U.S., Corte Vetusto is a small batch, single-sourced mezcal that is uniquely distilled to proof, with each expression offering a different, natural, and uncut abv. While the espadin expression (100%…
Kentucky’s Green River recently released a new addition to their already extensive lineup of bourbon and rye, and fans of cask strength whiskey are sure to take notice. Green River Wheated Full Proof joins a handful of high octane offerings in the brand’s portfolio including the standard Full Proof and single barrel, both made from…
High N’ Wicked‘s Warlander is a blend of bourbon and rye, all sourced from Kentucky — specifically 50% 4 year old rye, 33% 3 year old rye (both 91% rye/9% barley), and 17% 4 year old sweet mash bourbon (51% corn/39% rye/10% malted barley). Blends like this are becoming more and more common, but it’s…
Town Branch Distillery makes a lot of whiskey that spans the spectrum of quite beloved to almost reviled, and with Imperium MMXXV (that’s 2025 in Roman numerals), the company attempts to add another top shelf whiskey to its arsenal. Imperium MMXXV — the second Imperium release after MMXXIV in 2024 — draws from “Town Branch’s…
Korea fervor has given soju a moment of late, so it’s natural that soju would find its way to the ready-to-drink seltzer world. Hello Soju is currently offered in five flavors — many evoking the flavors you’ll find with regular soju from Korea — each made with a combination of real soju, grain neutral spirits,…