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).
Hot on the heels of its new Bottled in Bond selection, Jack Daniel’s is out with another release. This one is going to be far more prized than the Bonded expression (which is now a permanent offering), with just 200 barrels’ worth of this “Heritage Barrel” offering on the market. JD explains what that is:…
Ah, Abraham Bowman Oak Series, we hardly knew ya. Launched at the end of 2024, this “series” from the Sazerac-owned Virginia-based distillery lasted only a little more than a year, but in that time, it delivered an impressive French Oak expression and a solid, if considerably more straightforward, American Oak release. For their third and…
Bluebird Distilling, founded by Jared Adkins in the town of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania—just northwest of Philadelphia—continues the state’s deep-rooted whiskey-making tradition. Committed to quality and authenticity, Bluebird distills its spirits using 100% American-grown grain. The distillation process begins with milling the grain to a flour, which is then steeped in water heated to 150°F for 90…
Jim Beam‘s latest release is an ultra-luxe bottling that will be exclusive to travel retail. It’s also the first collaboration between father and son Fred and Freddie Noe, a 15 year old bourbon distilled in 2004 that is the first bourbon in the Jim Beam portfolio to bear Freddie’s name. Bottles are packaged inside a…
Maison Ferrand‘s S.D.A. — Selection des Anges, the angels’ selection — is not a new expression, but the brand has recently retooled it, creating new packaging and upping the proof slightly from 80 to 83.6. We never reviewed the expression in its pre-Covid incarnation, but we’re digging in to a 2021 bottling all the same. It’s…
The story of Rieger (aka J. Rieger) is the story of Kansas City whiskey, a distinct style that got started way back in 1887, was lost during Prohibition, and was relaunched in 2014 by KC bartender Ryan Maybee and Andy Rieger, great-great-grandson of the original Rieger clan. What made Kansas City whiskey special was the…
We’re five years into Dewar’s Champions Edition releases, and for year five this 19 year old is being uniquely finished in Calvados apple brandy casks — “a nod to Pennsylvania’s historic apple brandy tradition.” (Relevant because the 125th U.S. Open was held at Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh.) That’s the upshot, so let’s dive in.…
Want to share your love of bourbon with friends and family who have yet to embrace the beauty of America’s native spirit? Cocktails serve as an enticing gateway for non-bourbon drinkers to discover the remarkable depth of bourbon’s flavors. By cleverly blending bourbon with a variety of ingredients, such as zesty citrus, aromatic bitters, and…
Convocation is release #28 in the long-running Exceptional Cask Selection Series from Barbados-based Foursquare, one of the bluest of blue chip rum operations anywhere. This rum is a blend of two distinct 14-year-old single blended molasses rums from coming from the double-retort pot still and twin column Coffey still at Foursquare. One was aged in…
The Glenrothes has malts at 10, 12, and 18 years old (and more) — so why not fill in the gap with a new, 15 year old expression? “The 15” is a permanent addition to the line, matured entirely in sherry casks for its decade and a half of aging. Master whisky maker (a unique…