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).
Caramel is a tricky flavor to begin with: Basically it’s burnt sugar, and that carries with it all kinds of challenges. Godiva makes a pretty good caramel/chocolate liqueur, but Van Gogh raises the stakes with a naturally-flavored vodka that’s straight up caramel, and 70 proof to boot, leaving much less room for flavoring agents. This…
Hey, who doesn’t like a birthday? The bourbon gurus at Old Forester like it enough that every year they celebrate by releasing a new, special-edition bourbon to celebrate the birthday of their founder (September 2), something they’ve done every year since 2002. For this 8th edition of the Birthday Bourbon, Old Forester offers a whiskey…
With just 300 bottles coming to the U.S. this fall, odds are good you are not going to be drinking any of Suntory’s Yamazaki 1984 vintage whiskey — the first vintage-dated whiskey the company has released in the U.S. And that’s a shame, because based on what is the teeny-tiniest sample of a whiskey I’ve…
Produced in the final years of the Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville, this high-end bourbon rounds out the Jefferson’s line of Kentucky whiskeys, though supplies will be limited, to say the least. Plus, it’s Jefferson’s Presidential Select, which means it was selected personally by Thomas Jefferson. Right? This is a big bourbon, fragrant with roasted nut…
Released this summer, El Grado is a new, ultrapremium, 100 percent agave tequila to arrive on U.S. shelves. Available in the three traditional expressions (and mainly in Texas for now), we got our hands on the reposado for a sample. Rested for six months in old bourbon barrels, El Grado’s reposado is a pale yellow…
Watch out American Honey, there’s another bourbon-inspired honey liqueur on the market, and it’s gonna be breathing down your neck but quick. Evan Williams has turned in its own rendition on the honey-flavored liqueur, this one with the promise of “extra-aged bourbon” in the mix. It can’t be much — the color of this liqueur…
Ciroc is one of the big spirits success stories in recent years, and it’s now, according to the company, the #3 ultrapremium vodka brand on the market, after Grey Goose and Belvedere. (Fun fact: The name is made up, a combination of the French words cime (summit) and roche (rock).) This week I had the…
Absolut Boston is the third city-themed vodka from the massive spirits company, but the first of that bunch I’ve had the chance to sample. Some thoughts — before the bottle vanishes altogether. Absolut Boston is flavored with black tea and elderflower, an interesting and overall quite successful combination. Everyone loves elderflower — you can’t turn…
Whatever you do, don’t Google “lemonparty.” This drink is not inspired by what you’d find (and likely be horrified by) if you did that. Rather, it’s the name of the group several friends of mine and I have in the video game Rock Band. Of course, the band name is inspired by the aforementioned website,…
Next to Bruichladdich and Bunnahabhain, Auchentoshan is one of my favorite names in the Scotch whisky business. The company (a lowland distillery) also makes some fine whisky to match its name. We recently got a hand on three of its more widely available expressions. Comments on each follow. Auchentoshan Classic Review This is the company’s…