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).
Four Roses is back with another Small Batch release, of which a mere 3,600 bottles will be made, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the distillery’s Lawrenceburg structure. Crafted from three of Four Roses’ recipes, it includes whiskeys aged 15 years, 11 years, and 10 years, married together and bottled at barrel strength — 110.1 proof,…
Cardhu Single Malt — a major component of Johnnie Walker blends — has been out of U.S. liquor stores for years — not since 2003 has a single malt version of Cardhu been for sale in the U.S. (A controversial “pure malt” expression of Cardhu — a blend of single malts from various distilleries —…
Hey Mr. Sheriff, there’s a new gun in town in the bitters category. Called The Bitter Truth (get it?), this brand hails from Germany and now spans eight types of bitters. The house style is, how shall I put it, bitter. Strong on the bitterness, less of a focus on the fruit or other components…
Take standard Beefeater and add hints of elderflower, blackcurrant, and hibiscus flower and you’ve got Beefeater’s limited-release Summer Edition gin. At least that’s what it says on the bottle. In my mouth, this tastes an awful lot like standard gin to me, with juniper top notes — always big in Beefeater — still dominating the…
You aren’t imagining things: UV Coconut is white. Not clear in a white bottle. It’s white. Like milk. It’s actually the first white vodka, a naturally-flavored spirit sweetened (considerably) with sugar cane, distilled four times, and left in a murky/milky color for you to figure out how exactly to present it. The utility is obvious:…
I get that the words “Old Crow” and “Reserve” don’t immediately make sense together. Though it was the first ever sour mash whiskey, dates back to the 1830s, and counts U.S. Grant among its famous drinkers, it’s still a budget brand, sold by the handle for $10 or less, a simply bourbon that gets the…
This new whisky from The Glenrothes has the distinction of being the distillery’s first kosher whisky. Now in limited release in a half-dozen states in the U.S. (sorry, Tennessee!), this Speyside single malt carries no age statement but is named after the type of oak (scientific name: Quercus Alba — American oak, ex-bourbon barrels) in…
First let’s cover the color: Hennessy Black, a spinoff of standard Hennessy Cognac designed as a cocktail ingredient, is not black. It’s a dark gold color, much like any cognac you’re likely to encounter. A blend of up to 45 eaux-de-vie, Hennessy Black is aged five years and dropped into a wholly opaque bottle designed…
Puritans, be advised: Two Ls or three, Ilegal Mezcal is certainly legal, although the rustic labels and wax-sealed cork stoppers may make you think otherwise. This small batch mezcal from the Oaxaca region of Mexico is hand numbered and produced in very small lots (typically under 2,000 bottles per lot). All 100 percent agave, of…
Try this experiment: Next time you have a fine meal in front of you, open up a bottle of tequila and see how well it goes with dinner. I had the chance to do this, courtesy of an event put on at San Francisco’s Jardiniere restaurant, thrown by Partida Tequila and Folio Fine Wine Partners,…