Review: James E. Pepper Old Pepper Rye “F.K.O.” K02
James E. Pepper’s “Finest Kentucky Oak” Rye came and went upon its initial release in early 2019. Now the company has reissued FKO Rye, a straight rye that is distinguished for its use of finishing barrels made from staves that have been air dried for 24 months. (For reference, 3 to 6 months is common.)…
Review: Atlas Brew Works District Common and Festbier
Here’s another pair from Washington, D.C.’s Atlas Brew Works. District Common is a craft lager inspired, according to the brewery, by the traditional beers of America’s westward expansion. Festbier is a unique take on a German-style Festbier but intended to be lighter and more sessionable than a traditional Oktoberfest. Let’s dig in! Atlas Brew Works…
Review: Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond 15 Years Old Fall 2019 Edition
Remember the 11 year old and 9 year old Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon releases from 2018? How quaint: Up next is a 15 year old release of the bourbon, comprised of barrels produced in September of 2005 and bottled in February of 2019. As with all Old Fitz bonded releases, it’s a wheated bourbon that…
Review: Arctic Summer Hard Seltzers – Raspberry Lime, Ruby Red Grapefruit, Pineapple Pomelo, and Black Cherry
Hard seltzer is definitely having a moment, and according to beverage trend experts this year will only see more of those moments. The latest of these products to come across the Drinkhacker desk is Arctic Summer. Developed in collaboration with Polar Seltzers and Mass. Bay Brewing Company, this fizzy booze is reportedly “the only hard…
Review: High West Yippee Ki-Yay (2019)
High West’s Yippee Ki-Yay seems to have started out as an experiment, but in the three years since it launched, it’s become a staple at higher-end drinking establishments and shops. The base spirit is still a blend of ryes, but it has changed a bit in recent years, as it now includes some of High…
Review: 2018 Pieropan Soave Classico DOC
We last reviewed Pieropan’s Soave in its 2016 edition. The 2018 vintage? Much the same, boldly tropical and full of fruit, and for me this year, a distinct note of peaches and cut flowers that evokes viognier, not specifically the garganega from which Soave is made. A bold melon note on the finish is more…
Review: Shakmat Armenian Brandy 23 Years Old
As origin stories go, I’ve heard stranger. Shakmat is the brainchild of Alexis Ohanian, who is best known as the founder of Reddit and which is being produced and sold in conjunction with Flaviar/Caskers, our main retail partner. In Armenia, brandy is known as “konyak,” and while it’s made in much the same way as…
Review: Amaro Cinpatrazzo
Beverage hobbyists tend to tinker in wine, beer, even gin. A mom-and-pop amaro creator? That’s a new one. Pat Magner and Cindy Tegtmeyer are the producers of Amaro Cinpatrazzo — a portmanteau of their names — a labor of love inspired by trips to Italy and some heavy experimentation in their kitchen over the course…
