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).
Bruichladdich’s annual release of the three ultra-peated Octomore whiskies have arrived, and as usual Adam Hannett — now elevated to the title of master blender (though he’s also still the head distiller) — guided a collection of whisky writers through the ins and outs of this year’s production. As is the norm, these are all 5…
Japan’s House of Suntory surprised everyone this year with a truly luxe offering: This Yamazaki Distillery offering is the oldest mizunara oak-aged whisky that the distillery has ever released. A full 25 years of time in Japanese oak is no small feat. If you don’t already know mizunara, Suntory offers a little back story on…
When Jefferson’s launched its Cognac-finished rye back in 2021, it was new territory for a company that had almost exclusively produced bourbon since Trey Zoeller and his father Chet started the brand in 1997. And yes, I know Jefferson’s released some very old, very limited, and now very expensive rye whiskeys in their early years.…
Brian Beyke has carved out a respected name for himself in the bourbon community, both online and off. Known to many through his social media presence as @abandonbourbon, Beyke’s reputation is built on authenticity, deep industry connections—including with the founders of Seelbach’s and Pursuit Spirits—and, most importantly, a genuine passion for bourbon. That passion traces…
The tiny Hawaiian island of Kauai is home to Koloa Rum, a small operation with a surprisingly robust line of rums, a coffee liqueur, and ready-to-drink cocktails. All five rums are made from the mash of raw cane sugar, double distilled in a copper pot still, and cut with filtered water from Mount Waialeale. That said, there’s…
Earlier this year at the Texas Whiskey Festival I encountered a collection of whiskeys bottled under the Smiling Oak label. The curious thing was that they measured their age in weeks, not years — but they tasted surprisingly good. The man behind the madness is Joe Pelati, a former petrochemical scientist in Houston, who two…
GlenDronach is continually dropping luxe single malt special editions, but it turns out it can also do more approachable bottlings. While “The Master’s Anthology” may sound pretty ritzy, this trio comprises three affordable bottlings, all collected under a theme, and all non-age stated. Each whisky features a different maturation, but all three utilize some level…
In 1979, the Charlie Daniels Band’s hit song, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” told the now-legendary tale of a fiddle-playing showdown between the Devil and a young man named Johnny. Years later, in 1993, Mark O’Connor, joined by Johnny Cash, Marty Stuart, and Travis Tritt, released the sequel, “The Devil Comes Back to Georgia.”…
This is by my count the fourth revision of Jim Beam Black Label since we started Drinkhacker in 2007. After updates in 2010, 2015, and 2016, “Jim Beam Black” has been fully reimagined with a new bottle, a higher proof, and a lower age statement — now 7 years instead of 8. Clearly designed to…
Scotland’s Fettercairn Distillery has been around since 1824, but it took over 200 years for the whisky to make it across the pond (to U.S. distribution, at least). Starting in summer 2025, the brand began rolling out limited, well-aged, high-end expressions to the American market at the ages of 24, 28, 40, 46, and 50…