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).
Buckle up, Bowmore fans. Islay’s oldest licensed distillery is introducing four new expressions to the U.S. market, each from its Sherry Oak Cask Collection. These include 12, 15, 18, and 21 year-old single malts, all matured across a variety of both ex-bourbon and sherry seasoned casks. The 12 and 15 year old expressions hit stateside…
Entirely USDA-certified organic, Pezuña Blanca Tequila is a new line of tequilas making its way to US markets now. One noteworthy detail of production: the tequila is made using the natural yeast in the environment. Beyond that, we don’t know much about the brand. The tequilas come in attractive, earthy, over-sized, bottles and would make…
We’re finally tucking into the second and final release of Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond from 2025, which as usual shipped late — in mid-December, though technically that’s still “Fall 2025.” As a refresher, Old Fitz bonded releases can range in age wildly, from 8 to 19 years (so far), but many of the more notable releases are…
Chip Tate entered the American whiskey conversation in 2008 with the founding of Balcones Distilling in Waco, Texas. Operating from a repurposed welding shop, Tate engineered and assembled his own copper stills, setting the stage for a hands on approach that quickly separated his work from established producers. At a moment when small scale distilling…
Amaretto has been part of the cocktail world since at least 1851, when history says the liqueur was invented. While amaretto — Italian for “a little bitter,” a diminutive of amaro — is now thought of as an almond-flavored spirit, the reality is that most amaretti do not contain any almonds at all. What they’re going…
Tullibardine keeps mixing up its lineup, and while you will find its numerically guided Signature Range in the U.S., you will also now discover three expressions exclusive to the country, two with age statements, one without, and all focused on affordability. The distillery site dates back to 1488, but these three offerings are as fresh…
This is our second round with the independent bottlers at The Single Malts of Scotland, but unlike our first round, these are designated as “Reserve Casks.” I’m not entirely sure what makes them Reserve Casks — none are single barrels but rather blends of 3 to 10 barrels, and they all seem to be exclusive…
Sazerac’s luxe Last Drop series is stuffed with whiskeys and brandies, but for its 40th entry into the series it’s turning to a new category: Tequila. The Last Drop No. 40 was created by Carmen Villarreal at Casa San Matías, where three very old barrels of tequila were blended to produce this release of 435…
On January 19, 2024, American single malt whiskey received formal recognition from the Federal Tobacco, Tax, and Trade Bureau. Seattle’s Copperworks Distilling played a central role in the push for an official standard of identity. Although the designation itself is still new, Copperworks has spent more than a decade producing unique, high-quality American single malt.…
In 1971, folk singer and songwriter John Prine released the song Paradise, a clear-eyed account of the damage caused by surface coal mining in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, the place his parents called home. The song describes how entire hillsides were stripped away with dynamite and heavy machinery to expose the coal beneath them. Prine name-checks…