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).
With Irish whiskey still on the rise, new brands are popping up left and right. Case in point is John L. Sullivan, produced by an outfit called Good Spirits Bottling. This small batch Irish, named after the last bare-knuckled boxing heavyweight world champion, is distinguished by being aged in “single use” Bourbon barrels. Now, most…
Listen, there are gimmicks and there are gimmicks, and the golf world has far more than its fair share of them. Oceano Azul’s Fairway Cognac, however, is perhaps the most ambitious scheme we’ve seen to date, and that includes whiskey Ducks Unlimited-branded whiskey bottled in a shotgun shell, metal WhistlePig piggy banks, and booze contained…
American whiskey has spent more than a decade experimenting with finishing casks, and the pace hasn’t slowed. Distillers seem locked in a quiet contest to uncover the next captivating angle, whether that means breaking new ground or refining techniques that have already proven their worth. In May 2018, Nelson’s Greenbrier in Nashville introduced Belle Meade…
Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte brand hits a milestone with this latest release — at 18 years old it’s the oldest expression of Port Charlotte the distillery has ever released. It’s made with 100% Scottish barley but features a complicated barreling regimen, outlined below. Let’s give it a whirl. Update: In 2025 the whisky was reissued in…
The name may be a little confusing, but the new Bulleit Bourbon Mesquite Smoked Malt is not a single malt like Bulleit’s recent entree to the ASM category. Rather, it’s a bourbon, made with the addition of smoked malt in the mashbill. Specifically: 65% corn, 30% mesquite smoked malted barley, and 5% (unsmoked) malted barley.…
There’s an active conversation unfolding in American whiskey about what comes next. The bourbon boom had its run. Single barrels had their moment. The sourced whiskey era forced a round of self-reflection. Now producers are asking sharper questions about identity, and more often than not, the answers circle back to wood. Not just how it’s…
There is something glorious about walking into a ballroom and seeing dozens of tables collectively pouring hundreds of different wines or whiskeys. I recently attended two “Grand Tastings” in and near Boston, and it got me thinking about what makes for a successful Grand Tasting and how people can get the most out of the…
Nancy Fraley first conceived Joseph Magnus Cigar Blend in March 2016, with the first public release arriving later that year. In the years since, a wave of American whiskey producers have introduced their own interpretations of the cigar blend concept, many bearing a striking resemblance to Fraley’s original vision. The category has filled out with…
In the spring of 2026, Buffalo Trace introduced the second release in its Daniel Weller experimental series: Daniel Weller Spelt Wheat Bourbon. Daniel Weller, grandfather of William Larue Weller, settled in Kentucky in 1794 and entered the whiskey trade in 1849. Over time, the Weller name became closely tied to wheated bourbon as a style.…
“Drink better vodka,” a ringer around the neck of Salvation Spirits Premium Vodka commands. Presumably, the instruction relates to the bottle in hand — made in Fredericksburg, Texas from a mystery process that the company doesn’t reveal. Per Salvation: “Here’s what we can tell you: premium ingredients, advanced technology, the removal of greed from the…