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).
Armenia‘s Ararat brandy is out with an odd new expression, which is flavored with coffee. There’s not a lot of information about what’s in the bottle here — either the age of the brandy used or any information about the coffee — but we won’t let that stop us. Let’s dive in. Ararat Coffee Brandy…
Just when we thought we had a handle on the many different batches and special label releases, Barrell Craft Spirits threw another curveball at us this fall with a bourbon that, at least now, is a series unto itself. We’ve seen six different releases under the Cask Finish Series, but for reasons that elude me,…
For most whiskey fans, December marks the end of release season. For devotees of Colorado-based Stranahan’s (self-proclaimed “Strana-fans”), it’s time for Snowflake, the distillery’s most anticipated and acclaimed whiskey. Bottles go on sale following a week of branded festivities, with nearly all going to those who camped out to reserve spots in line. Whiskey, it…
Monkey 47‘s annual special edition for 2025 — wherein a 48th ingredient is famously added to the botanical bill — is focused on fleur de sel, salt from Camargue’s pale-pink salt marshes in the south of France. Given the connection between gin and briny olives, it’s a combination that makes immediate sense, unlike some prior…
Absinthe Ordinaire is a decidedly non-traditional absinthe — in fact, it’s not a true absinthe at all but a liqueur, made with sugar and artificial color, and bottled at just 46% alcohol. The French product does claim a historic recipe dating back to 1792 and includes classic ingredients of true absinthes, including wormwood. I did have…
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof has been synonymous with bourbon since the beginning, but today the brand expands the Barrel Proof brand to a new spirit — rye whiskey. (So not too far from home.) ECBP Rye #1, batch A925, is a 12 year, 3 month old offering, made from a mashbill of 51% rye, 35%…
When the story of American whiskey gets told, Kentucky and Tennessee still claim most of the pages. Lately, though, voices from Maryland, Pennsylvania, and a handful of other places have started pushing back, reminding everyone that distillation once thrived far beyond the Bluegrass and the Volunteer State. Even with that renewed attention, North Carolina’s chapter…
Johnnie Walker Black Ruby is one of the blender’s more complex products, featuring a complicated maturation that involves PX and oloroso sherry casks, “seasoned” red wine casks, and ex-bourbon casks — and no Port at all, as the name of the whiskey might connote. It’s also only available outside the U.S. or in duty free/travel retail…
Hotaling & Co. is a San Francisco-based distillery that officially split from Anchor Brewing around 2017, an especially fortuitous turn given the latter company’s closing in 2023. (The brewery has since been purchased, though there’s no immediate sign it will restart operations.) But Hotaling’s history predates that legal separation by decades, and the distillery has…
Rum is often synonymous with tales of empire — sugarcane fields and island colonies ruled by Spain, France, and England. Yet the story of rum stretches far beyond the Caribbean. Today, this spirit of exploration is produced in more than 100 countries across the globe, making rum one of the world’s most diverse and expressive…