Review: 2019 Lucky Rock Pinot Noir County Cuvee
Lucky Rock’s County Cuvee wines are always made from a blend of grapes from Monterey, San Benito, and Sonoma counties — though with this 2019 vintage I don’t have any detail on vineyards and proportions from each region. Regardless, the 2019 bottling isn’t quite the delight that the 2018 County Cuvee pinot was, a bit…
Review: Hendrick’s Lunar Gin
The latest special edition gin from Hendrick’s is Lunar, launched in January to celebrate the lunar new year — the Year of the Ox — as well as the night, seeing as it is “infused with natural oils of the night.” Instilled with botanicals that flourish below the light of the moon, Hendrick’s Lunar Gin…
Review: Fire Department Coffee – Black Cherry and Vanilla Bean Bourbon
Fire Department Coffee was founded in 2016 by a group of firefighters and military veterans recognizing the vital role coffee plays in helping firefighters stay alert and energized through long and often challenging shifts. Their most recent limited batches include three of our favorite tasting notes, coffee or otherwise: vanilla, cherry, and bourbon. Your tasting…
Review: Five Mile Mountain Rye 105
The hip little mountain town of Floyd, Virginia (famous for the annual FloydFest music festival) has a storied moonshining history. It sits next to Franklin County, dubbed “the moonshine capital of the world,” but according to the owners of Five Mile Mountain Distillery, Floyd was actually the larger producer during Prohibition. The distillery even gets…
Book Review: American Cider: A Modern Guide To A Historic Beverage
In a country rife with craft beer, wine, and bourbon makers, cider’s place in American lore may not pique as great an interest to most readers. However, for centuries it has quietly stood amidst the noise of other boisterous spirit giants as a humble American beverage. As journalist Craig Cavallo and cider expert Dan Pucci…
Review: Dewar’s White Label, 12 Years Old, and 15 Years Old (2021)
In 14 years of Drinkhacking, we’ve enjoyed plenty of drams of Dewar’s, but somehow have never put pen to paper when it comes to reviewing the most essential whiskies in the lineup. If you don’t know Dewar’s by now, we can’t help you: According to owner Bacardi, Dewar’s lays claim to being the top-selling blended…
Review: Signatory Glentauchers Cask Strength 1997 22 Years Old
Owned by Chivas/Pernod Ricard, Glentauchers isn’t generally the first single malt on the tips of tongues when surveying the landscape of Speyside. Its primary function serves as a cornerstone of Pernod’s global juggernaut Ballantine’s. Occasionally a secondary barrel is released via an independent bottler such as Signatory, where we presently find ourselves. There is a…
Review: Adventurous Stills Peralta Bourbon
Adventurous Stills began distilling in Tempe, Arizona in 2015 with a can-do, pioneer attitude toward their spirits. Everything they bottle is grain-to-glass, distilled and aged on site using a custom-fabricated mash tun and two hand-fabricated copper stills. What makes those homemade stills “adventurous,” you ask? Well, each of their offerings, which include four whiskeys, a…
