Review: 3 2020 Roses from Provence
The Provence region of France is perhaps the most popular source for rosé wines in the world. Today we sample three that draw from different vineyards and have different grape breakdowns. Let’s see how they compare. 2020 Berne Romance – 40% Grenache Noir, 30% Cinsault, 15% Syrah, 15% Merlot. Pale pink in color, this rosé…
Review: Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum South Africa Mhoba 2017
It’s perhaps the most exotic rum yet from indie bottlers Holmes Cay: a rum from South Africa’s Mhoba Distillery, marking the first time any rum from South Africa has ever been sold in the U.S. Some details on this 2017 vintage bottling, which was turned out from just 4 casks: The Mhoba Distillery uses hand-cut…
Review: 2021 OG de Negoce Holiday Party Picks
Last month we took some time to review some of the offerings from Cameron Hughes’ OG de Négoce (pronounced “day nuh-go-shay”) fall portfolio. The framework of this extension of the Hughes brand takes a chance on the wine futures market, curating selections from various vineyards at lower prices than those found on actual vineyard labels.…
A Visit to Frey Ranch Distillery
When Frey Ranch distillery, based in Fallon, Nevada, released their first four-grain straight bourbon in December 2019, we at Drinkhacker were instant fans. (We also reviewed their follow up rye and single barrel bourbon #22). The whiskeys stand on their own merit; and a recent visit to the idyllic working ranch and their first annual Whiskey…
Review: Strainge Beast Hard Kombuchas
Strainge Beast is the hard kombucha spinoff of California’s Sierra Nevada, and the product is available in (at least) 6 flavored versions, at two different abvs. The standard version of the product, available in 16 oz cans, is canned at 7% abv. The newly released “light” version is just 4% abv and comes in 12…
Review: Wines of Merry Edwards, Late 2021 Releases
The arrival of the latest crop of Merry Edwards wines is always cause for celebration at Drinkhacker HQ, and this season’s collection of wines — a chardonnay and four pinot noirs — is no exception. 2019 is turning out to be a tougher year for pinot noir than initially expected — but the door for…
Review: Luxardo Triplum Triple Sec Orange
Luxardo’s expression of triple sec — formally known as Triplum “triple sec orange” — follows the traditional recipe, using three types of dried citrus peels: “mainly curaçao (a bitter orange of the Dutch Antilles, from the island of that name), together with sweet oranges and mandarins.” The liqueur is double distilled, then additional ingredients are…
The Top 10 Tequilas and Mezcals of 2021
Celebrities turned their attention to whiskey in 2021, which left the tequila world free to explore new products without a bunch of Hollywood types sniffing around. Whew! Innovation is running wild down in Mexico these days, with some really interesting products hitting the scene of late. As we always do around this time of year,…
