Review: Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale, Union Jack IPA, and Pivo Pils
It’s hard to believe Firestone Walker is old enough to celebrate its very own quarter-life crisis, but the sturdy little brewery from Paso Robles has managed to age quite well and grow into quite the juggernaut of an award-winning company. To celebrate its quadricentennial, FW has packaged three of its most popular offerings into a…
On Giraffes and Glenmorangie
At its core, marketing is a peculiar craft. Every day at Drinkhacker HQ, our inboxes fill with product press releases and exciting announcements about executive promotions at booze companies. While some pitches are straightforward with few antics or gimmicks, others defy description. Then there are the ones that catch our attention and reel us in,…
Review: NV Nyetimber Classic Cuvee
Pop quiz: What’s one of the hot up and coming wine regions today? England! You can thank climate change for that. Nyetimber is actually the first producer of English sparkling wine — with wineries in West Sussex, Hampshire, and Kent — to exclusively grow the three grape varieties used for Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and…
Book Review: Whisky Glory Taster’s Guide Volume #1: Tall Tales & True Stories, A Dewar’s Review Compendium
Mark Garbin’s first kindle release, Whisky and Romance Manhattan – A Rare Neighborhood Guide to New York Bars & Restaurants: Thirty-Two Fantastic Whisky Palaces to Gaze, Cuddle and Drink Includes the Sexiest Bar In Manhattan, flew under my radar because I am not actively seeking cuddling spots or bars in Manhattan. On the upside: I…
Review: Milam & Greene The Castle Hill Series Batch 1
Texas upstart Milam & Greene continues to tear it up in the craft distillery world, its recent Port-finished rye being highly worth checking out, the operation releasing both sourced whiskeys and its own distillate (produced under the eye of master distiller Marlene Holmes) — sometimes with both types of whiskey blended together with aplomb by…
Book Review: The Japanese Art of the Cocktail
Here’s a totally unsubstantiated hot take but one which seems to ring with clarity: when it comes to spirits, Japan remains light years ahead of the rest of the world. The overall quality, presentation, knowledge, craftsmanship, and level of expertise are second to none. One needs to look no further than a continuous onslaught of…
Review: Lunar Hard Seltzers – Plum, Yuzu, and Lychee
For the most part, hard seltzer flavors have stayed rather predictable, not venturing terribly far from the staples of citrus (orange, lemon, grapefruit) and berries (raspberry, blackberry, even elderberry has become standard). For companies looking to jump on the ready-to-drink bandwagon sooner than later, it would make sense to capture an ever-growing market with tried…
Review: Foursquare Probitas and Mark XIII 2008 Single Blended Rum
Rum has undergone something of a resurgence in the last decade, and while it still pales in comparison to the whiskey boom, there are lots of unique and interesting brands finding more and more markets and winning more and more fans. One of the distilleries responsible for the growing excitement around rum is Foursquare in…
