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).
Rum Jumbie (the name refers to spirits allegedly trapped inside the caves of the Caribbean who would possess the souls of rum drinkers) makes several light, flavored rums plus a rum liqueur. The flavored rums are all uncolored, are sourced from Panama, and are bottled at a scant 48 proof. Flavors are natural but otherwise…
Orange and tangerine, that’s what “rangtang” is meant to mean. If you don’t believe me, Google it. Or don’t. You’ll never look at this citrus vodka the same way if you do. (Ad Age explains what I’m talking about here.) Putting aside the unfortunate denotation, Three Olives’ Rangtang vodka — an orange-tinted vodka ostensibly flavored…
Cinco de Mayo is nearly upon us, and that means Drinkhacker HQ is now flooded with tequila, so we’re now getting crackin’ on the stuff. Let’s start with a simple, and pretty good, one, a new tequila brand called PaQui. Fans of smooth tequilas will immediately dig PaQui’s body, at least once they get the…
A bit harder to come by than the ubiquitous 12 Year Old Bowmore, this expression of Bowmore’s single malt is 15 years old and is denoted as “Darkest” due to its distinct color, owing to its sherry finishing. This whisky has a wonderful balance of all the elements that make good single malts great. The…
Pears are a tricky beast. Who eats pears on their own? Or even in a recipe? And yet here we have pear flavored vodka from the mammoth success that is Grey Goose. What exactly does one do with it? I’ve been toying with Grey Goose La Poire for a few weeks now and I’m still…
Chances are you’ll never encounter Mount Everest Whisky*, lest you decide to hike to Base Camp 1 by yourself. I certainly didn’t, but somehow this bottle made it back despite my laziness, and it’s sat unopened in a Marin cottage for years undisturbed. Naturally when I encountered it over Easter weekend I had to crack…
These simple tequilas are crafted from 100% agave and weigh in at a standard 80 proof. Tequila Semental Silver – Unaged and crystal clear. Strong agave character, if a little rough on the palate and in the finish. A bit smoky on the nose — but not of wood, more of a brush fire, probably…
Was it the crowds (insane), the heat (manageable), or the rumor that some lady had thrown up near the buffet an hour into the event (just gross, yet credible)? Whatever the case this year I found myself not in the whiskey groove at the ordinarily smashing Whiskies of the World San Francisco event. It was…
After spending some time with Tom Bulleit yesterday, I moved on to lunch with another whiskey world celebrity, Richard Paterson of Whyte & Mackay, which produces The Dalmore line of single malt Scotch whiskys, among other spirits. Paterson is serious about his passion and is renowned for his olfactory skills: At one point, the author…
Bulleit Bourbon is incredibly popular in San Francisco, and yesterday I got to spend a little time with the man behind the brand, Tom Bulleit. A Vietnam vet and reformed attorney, Bulleit waxed philosophical on his whiskey, an adaptation of a mid-1800s recipe passed down from his great great grandfather. Bulleit is a spicy, citrus…