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.
Cocktail Squad is a series of ready-to-drink canned cocktails created by a Boulder, Colorado-based couple, Lauren and John Maggio. Now numbering six different products, these are all made with real spirits — no malt liquor here. Cans are 355ml and designed for single-serving use. Thoughts on the full lineup follow. Each product is canned at…
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Today it’s time for cider, with a visit to Michigan’s Virtue Cider. Specifically, we’re looking at one of the company’s oldest offerings (the Rose) — and its newest (Mezzo Spritz). Thoughts follow. Virtue Cider Rose – “A blend of hand-pressed heirloom Michigan apples aged in French oak barrels,” with added botanicals to give it color…
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Butternut is a brand from Napa- and Nashville-based BNA Wine Group, which — and I’m sure they would admit this — focuses on low-cost bulk wines packaged under a cute name. Butternut is also one of the pioneers in the burgeoning canned wine space, with four varieties available in familiar 12 oz. cans. The company…
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When I first reviewed Backpack Wine — a line of wines packaged in single-serve cans — my comments were, for the most part, not so positive. I recently heard from the company, and its response to that review was quite a surprise. I’ll paste a portion of it here: The review was fairly negative and to…
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Four Virtues is (another) Rutherford Wine Company sub-brand, with a focus on bourbon-barrel aged wines. We review one of these below, along with a standard, bourbon-free pinot noir. 2016 Four Virtues Cabernet Sauvignon Lodi Bourbon Barrel Aged – Lodi cab, finished in heavy-char bourbon barrels for 1 to 3 months. The whiskey sits heavy on…
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Winchester is a budget bourbon brand, produced by TerrePURE Spirits (aka Terressentia) and seemingly exclusive to Total Wine. TerrePURE uses accelerated aging techniques to release younger whiskeys than usual. Let’s see how that pans out with these two whiskeys. Both are 90 proof. Winchester Extra Smooth Bourbon Whiskey – The “silver label” version of Winchester…
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Single Cask Nation is a newish (est. 2011) line of independently-bottled single malt whiskies, and thanks to our friends at importers ImpEx, they’re now going to be more widely available in the U.S. Today we look at the trio of inaugural releases — all bottled at cask strength — that are just now hitting our…
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Alto Adige, also known as South Tyrol, or Suditrol, is a region in the far north of Italy, and a real hodgepodge of wine is made here, drawing from Italian styles to the south and, especially, German and Austrian styles to the north. Alto Adige is arguably at its best when you’re drinking a crisp,…
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Two new releases from Napa’s Rutherford Ranch, one of which I can get behind, one of which I can’t… 2016 Rutherford Ranch Merlot Napa Valley – A sugar bomb, overloaded with notes of chocolate sauce and instant coffee. Any hint of the floral delicacy of merlot is absent here, in a wine that feels closer…
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The magical formula of wine aged whiskey barrels remains an elusive one, and next up to try is Cooper & Thief Cellarmasters, an outfit that’s become a staple at whiskey events, pouring its products for the whiskey-loving masses. Cooper & Thief has three wines in its arsenal (a sauvignon blanc isn’t reviewed here), and it’s got…
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