Review: Bear Republic Thru the Haze and Drift Racer
Bear Republic finally gets on the hazy bandwagon with these two brews, both variations on the hazy theme. Bear Republic Thru the Haze IPA – This more straightforward offering features Vic Secret, Citra, and Hallertau Blanc hops. Less tropical than the typical expression of this style, Thru the Haze leans on its west coast heritage…
Review: Caol Ila 35 Years Old Limited Edition 2018
With no Port Ellen or Brora in the mix in this year’s Diageo Special Releases, the most-prized award goes to this, a 35 year old whisky from Islay’s Caol Ila. This one was distilled in 1982 and was aged in a hodgepodge of refill American oak hogsheads and refill American and European oak butts. Old Islay…
Book Review: Drinking with Saint Nick
Drinking with Saint Nick: Christmas Cocktails for Sinners and Saints is a natural idea for a seasonal cocktail guide: Collect holiday-appropriate recipes and bundle them into one, Christmas-friendly tome. Note that does not mean that Michael P. Foley stuffs this book with peppermint-flavored cocktails, mulled wine, and eggnog variants — though all three make appearances…
Review: Cruzan Hurricane Proof Rum
St. Croix-based Cruzan was shut down for three weeks after Hurricane Maria smashed through the island in 2017, and while the distillery got back on its feet fairly quickly, the rest of the Virgin Islands region wasn’t so lucky. Now the distillery is launching Cruzan Hurricane Proof Rum, an overproof offering which will help raise funds…
Review: Roaming Man Tennessee Straight Rye Whiskey Edition Four
Sugarlands Distilling is best known for its wackily flavored moonshines and “sippin’ creams,” but it’s slowly been moving upmarket, into the realm of real whiskey. It’s called Roaming Man Tennessee Straight Rye Whiskey, and six editions have been released to date. These are tiny, tiny releases. Edition Five was made up of just 600 bottles, and…
Review: Knob Creek Twice Barreled Rye
Earlier this year Knob Creek rolled out a cask strength version of its rye whiskey, and now it’s back with another take: Its 2012 straight rye finished in a second barrel. Per the press materials: “A first for the brand, Knob Creek Twice Barreled Rye presents the brand’s signature straight rye whiskey, secondarily finished in…
Review: Allagash Ganache
Although it is already one of Maine’s most successful and well known breweries, Allagash is clearly not content to rest on its laurels as it keeps creating exciting, new, experimental beers. Allagash’s most recent creation, Ganache, is a “Dark Ale Fermented with Brettanomyces and Aged on Raspberries.” Brettanomyces or Brett is a wild yeast that…
Review: T.W. Samuels Straight Bourbon Bottled in Bond
While Kentucky’s Heaven Hill Distillery produces its fair share of coveted top shelf bourbons, it puts out even more quality bottom shelf bottlings, many of which carry the desirable bottled-in-bond label. Not surprisingly, three of Drinkacker’s Top 10 Bourbons Under $20 are Heaven Hill juice, including the Heaven Hill “White Label,” a six-year-old bottled-in-bond that took…