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).
Terroir is one of whiskey’s most fascinating ideas, and one of the toughest to pin down in any meaningful way. In wine, it’s easy to picture. A grape grown in a specific place can carry the imprint of its surroundings, shaped by soil, climate, elevation, and everything in between. Whiskey rarely offers that kind of…
Light whiskey stepped into the American playbook in 1968, when federal regulators created a new category. The move was less about tradition and more about survival. Vodka and other lighter imports were pulling drinkers away from bourbon, and distillers needed something that could hold its own in that shifting landscape. Despite the name, light whiskey…
Chicken Cock is known for some exotic and complicated whiskeys, but today’s release is one of the most easily understandable offerings in its lineup to date. Chicken Cock Wheated Bourbon is the first-ever wheated bourbon from the line, made from a mashbill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, and 12% malted barley. The Kentucky distillate, sourced…
We’ve reviewed a number of gins from Tamworth Garden Distillery, and they make brilliant spirits with a healthy irreverence for tradition, but the one we sample today is the most unusual we’ve tried to date. Emshika’s Garden Thai Chili Gin is, as the name subtly suggests, made with Thai chilis in collaboration with Chang Thai…
Buffalo Trace’s Single Oak Project was one of the most ambitious bourbon experiments in history, a project that took eleven years to complete from start to finish and which involved the creation of 192 different barrels of whiskey, each differing based on seven variables, including the following: • Mashbill (wheat or rye recipe) • Entry…
Somewhere in the last few years, the carajillo became an iconic after-dinner drink that, in some parts of the world, began to eclipse the espresso martini in popularity. The official recipe for the carajillo is simple — espresso and Licor 43 liqueur, shaken vigorously — though plenty of versions made with additional spirits exist. Licor…
Northern Kentucky’s New Riff isn’t afraid to experiment with grain varieties, blends, and mash bills. An adventurous release calendar has certainly paid off, and in recent years, the distillery has been on a tear with excellent single malts and other age-stated whiskeys. New Riff’s collaborations with other companies have also spanned several categories. They’ve twice…
Chocolate is the most iconic of desserts, yet it’s widely maligned when it comes to cocktails. The chocolate martini? Is that a serious cocktail that anyone would drink outside of a bachelorette party or while enjoying a cover band on a cruise ship? Hey, it’s time to put aside prejudices and embrace the power of…
Copper & Cask, owned by Latitude Beverages, does not distill its own whiskey but makes blends with whiskey drawn from distilleries across Indiana, Kentucky, and Canada. Today we are trying two whiskeys: one drawn from well-aged bourbon casks in Indiana and another drawn from very well aged casks in Canada. The latter is a Cigar…
Dona Victoria is a line of tequila from Ocean Azul, which is by all accounts an independent spirits bottler that leans hard into the bottle part. Check out their website, and you’ll find alcohol inside bottles shaped like a pair of handguns, complete with fancy display box, or even a birthday cake (both vanilla and…