Review: Inspiro Tequila Luna Blanco and Rosa Reposado (2025)
Mara Smith, a former Chicago attorney, launched the Inspiro Tequila brand in 2021. As a lover of tequila, Smith felt it was difficult to know which tequilas on liquor store shelves were truly additive-free, which is a growing concern amongst tequila consumers and which continues to draw controversy. The additive-free tequila movement faces issues from…
Review: Woodinville Bourbon Finished in Tequila Barrels
Just a short drive from Seattle, situated in the heart of western Washington wine and whiskey country, Woodinville Whiskey Co. has carved out a name for itself with its bourbon and rye. Known for a hands-on approach and a commitment to local sourcing, the distillery has catered to whiskey lovers with both its flagship expressions…
Review: Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon 8 Years Old
Wild Turkey recently made headlines for launching an odd line extension: An age-stated version of its standard Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, with 8 years old proudly noted on the label. It’s particularly odd because standard Wild Turkey is said to be drawn from barrels between 6 and 8 years of age, so an 8 year…
Review: NV Bon Vivant California Sparkling Brut and Sparkling Rose (Updated 2026)
Bon Vivant’s California Sparkling Wines, part of the Roederer empire, are designed to be high-quality but no-frills offerings, presenting celebratory bottlings that won’t break the bank. We tasted both expressions available — both of which are non-vintage offerings. Intriguingly, both are 60% chardonnay, 40% pinot noir. While these are nonvintage wines, we’re updating this in 2026…
Review: Booker’s Bourbon “Barry’s Batch” 2025-01
OK, who’s Barry? He’s Barry Berish, the former chairman and CEO of Beam — and a friend of Fred Noe. Berish died last year and this batch of Booker’s Bourbon honors his memory. Here’s some detail on what’s in the bottle: “Barry’s Batch” is made up of barrels from four production dates that were aged…
Review: Dingle Samhain Single Malt Irish Whiskey
Dingle has been an up-and-coming Irish whiskey for years, and now it’s finally come into its own with the launch of Dingle Samhain, the inaugural release in its Wheel of the Year series. Truth be told this whiskey dates back to 2022, only we’re just now getting access to it at Drinkhacker. It starts off…
Review: Maker’s Mark The Keepers Release 2025 Limited Release
Maker’s Mark’s Wood Finishing Series continues with 2025’s The Keepers Release, a direct follow-up to last year’s The Heart Release, named in honor of the “keepers” of Maker’s Mark — the folks that work in the rickhouses monitoring the aging of the whiskeys. The stave finishing here is simple: 10 virgin toasted American staves go…
Review: Papalin Jamaica High Ester Rum 5 Years Old
La Maison & Velier revived the old Papalin blended rum brand in 2013, and now LM&V is out with a follow up to its most recent release, a 2022 bottling of 7 year old juice. This release is a collaboration among three distilleries, all high ester production from different distilleries in Jamaica. This release of…