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).
World Whiskey Society continues to churn out boutique, limited blends sourced from all corners of America. And while their latest release is another esoteric one, it begins with liquid from the very cornerstone of the country’s sourcing economy: Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Barrels of 20+ year-old MGP light whiskey were finished across a combination of casks that…
Seth Benhaim, known for his impactful entry into the spirits scene with Broken Barrel Whiskey, is now making waves with his latest venture under Badwater Brands: Mainland Rum. This innovative project aims to independently bottle rum distilled right here on the American mainland. While imported rums dominate the U.S. market, accounting for 85 to 90%…
I can count on one finger the number of President’s Choice expressions I’ve tasted from Old Forester, and there’s good reason for that: This whiskey has never been available at retail, but rather only from Old Forester directly. (Namely at the distillery.) For the first time ever that is changing, as President’s Choice — both…
In June 2025, Penelope introduced the inaugural release in its new annual Cigar Sessions series. Penelope Cigar Sessions Chapter 1 American Whiskey continues the brand’s blending tradition by combining three distinct styles of whiskey into a singular, unique expression. This blend features straight bourbon, rye, and single malt whiskey—all distilled by MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana—with…
Fancy vodka rarely comes with a pedigree that justifies the sky-high prices that these products typically command, but The Reid is on a whole other level. The vodka is a product from New Zealand’s Cardrona Distillery, which makes the eponymous single malt whiskies, and it’s also made from single malt — only it’s distilled to…
In the rich and evolving landscape of American whiskey, some bottles do more than just tell a story — they give back. Across the country, distillers are blending tradition with purpose, donating portions of their proceeds to support causes close to their hearts. Among them stands Cold Zero Spirits, a veteran-owned whiskey brand rooted in…
At the end of 2023, Bushmills released four limited edition whiskeys that set off a new series called Private Reserve. (We didn’t review them.) Each started with classic Bushmills single malt whiskey aged in bourbon and oloroso sherry casks, but featuring a different, unusual finish — Plum Brandy, Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Tequila Casks. Now Private…
In the realm of heralded and esoteric American whiskey, Redemption’s Ancients series made its mark in 2017 with two bottles that have become pillars of “If you know, you know.” The first was an ultra-rare 36 year-old bourbon, blended from some of MGP’s oldest stocks and totaling just 18 bottles. The second was a slightly…
Laying claim to status as the fastest growing tequila brand in the U.S. (for the moment, anyway), Alma del Jaguar hit the scene in 2023 with big ambitions, not just to make premium tequila but to help wild jaguars in northern Mexico, too. (A portion of proceeds goes toward supporting the Northern Jaguar Project, a…
Heaven Hill’s Old Fitzgerald line has been cranking out bonded whiskey on a regular clip, twice a year, but these seasonal, limited releases are hard to come by and invariably feature sky-high prices on the secondary market. Now Heaven Hill is doing something about it, dropping a permanent edition of its bonded release, bottled at…