Rated D/F
Reviews of spirits, wine, and beer (and various errata like mixers and garnishes) comprise more than 80% of the content at Drinkhacker. This category is a catch-all for everything rated D+, D, D-, or F, our lowest rating. These products should be categorically avoided by everyone (and preferably discontinued altogether). On a five-star scale, these products would score 1.5 stars (for D+ ratings) or 1 star (for D, D-, and F ratings). On the traditional 100-point scale popular with many wine and spirits graders, these products would merit scores 68 or below.
The drinking industry’s war on ice is in full force. Fearful that ice will water down their precious booze, entrepreneurs are suggesting alternative chilling systems to bring the temperature of their hooch down. But do they work? Ice is effective at chilling a drink because it melts, releasing near-frozen water into your dram. Can alternative…
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Thanksgiving on a budget? Six wines from Bolla arrived for our consideration for a spot on your Thanksgiving table, including one infamous classic. Thoughts (and a special video) follow. NV Maschio Prosecco Brut – Surprisingly bland for Prosecco, very light fruit on the nose, and lesser fruit character on the body — predominantly sour apple,…
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Wemyss (“weems”) Malts, based in Edinburgh, has become well known for its blended malt whiskys in a small number of years (it was founded in 2005). But Wemyss also releases a periodic series of single malt whiskys, all bottled from single casks, following a number of prior, limited-edition releases along these lines and in keeping…
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AC/DC isn’t the only band on the block that can put its name on a label. Up next, an entire line of rockin’ vino, inspired by some of the biggest acts of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Winemaker Mark Beaman brings us five new wines, largely from Mendocino, with labels from The Police, The Rolling…
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Courvoisier is at the forefront of the taking Cognac into new markets, with brandy-and-wine blends like Courvoisier Rose. Now the company is back at it with Courvoisier Gold, a blend of Cognac and Moscato wine. This actually sounds like a great idea — the brisk orange of the Moscato enhancing the citrus notes in the…
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For those about to drink, we salute you. AC/DC may be best known for its crowd-pleasing heavy metal riffs, but the aging rockers now have another claim to fame: Their own wine brand. Big in their Australian homeland, these wines are now coming to the U.S. Bottles are branded with an on-stage photo of the…
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Campo Azul is a 100% blue agave from the Jalisco Highlands, most notable for the hologram that wraps around the neck of the bottle. We sampled both the blanco and extra anejo expressions of the spirit (sorry, reposado!) — two tequilas as wildly different in quality as they get. Both varieties are 80 proof. Campo…
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According to White Mule Farms, the company behind the oddball Spodee, this, er, drinkable was a Depression-era concoction of wine mixed with herbs, spices, and moonshine. Sort of a ghetto version of Port, perhaps, from the sound of it. Spodee today seems to be perhaps a simpler product: Wine fortified with white whiskey, with chocolate…
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This new brand is attempting to muscle its way into the mass-market wine space (Yellow Tail, Cupcake, Barefoot, you know the ones), choosing to head to the ever-popular “desserts” branding strategy for its identity. Jellybean wines come from just about everywhere. We reviewed two of the company’s offerings, with predictable results. 2011 Jellybean Berry Smooth…
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I’m the first one to agree with the concept of using alcohol — beer, wine, spirits — in your cooking, but a standalone cookbook devoted to boozing up otherwise average recipes is just a mistake from the start. This slim volume goes for kitsch, with dishes like “Sassy Salmon in Champagne Sauce,” “Vini Vidi Vici…
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