The Whiskey Hype Train: Expectations vs. Quality
Working at a whisky festival the other day, I was very fortunate to be able to try Pappy Van Winkle 20 and 23 year old for the first time. I think it’s reasonable to say that these bottles are pretty “hyped,” with tales of huge sums of money being exchanged, second mortgages being taken out,…
Review: Xingu Beer – Gold and Black
Brazil is home to plenty of booze, but Xingu is definitely the stuff with the coolest name. This brewery isn’t old, but the recipe it uses to make its Black Beer is — reportedly dating back to 1557. Amazon stuff. Xingu isn’t brewed with corn and manioc today. Rather, it’s a fusion of Latin and…
Review: Four Roses Limited Edition Small Batch Bourbon 2017 Edition
Deja vu? If it seems like Four Roses already put out a Small Batch Bourbon for 2017, that’s because it did. The masterful Al Young 50th Anniversary bottling, which arrived over the summer, was a one-off commemorative release. This bottling is a larger outturn, with more traditional packaging. As always, Small Batch Limited Edition releases…
Review: Mercer 2016 Sauvignon Blanc and 2015 Red Blend
Mercer can be found in Prosser, Washington, where it produces a series of affordable — some might say very affordable — red and white wines. Largely uncomplex, these are wines built for the Everyman inside all of us. 2016 Mercer Sauvignon Blanc – Gently tropical, with mild acidity, this is a basic but perfectly enjoyable sauvignon blanc,…
Review: Collectivum XXVIII Limited Edition 2017
Alas, all good things must come to an end, and for this final look at the 10th whisky in the 2017 Diageo Special Releases we come to a true oddity. For the first time ever, Diageo has made a master blend of all 28 single malt distilleries that it owns (hence the XXVIII). I’d list…
Wear Your Drinkhacker Colors: Official Drinkhacker Merch
Ever been out and about, wishing you could tell the world how much you loved Drinkhacker, but didn’t know how? Well, the solution is here: Official Drinkhacker Merch! No mystery here. This is a bright red men’s-style tee, a nice and thick, high-grade Hanes tagless, kitted out with the Drinkhacker logo and the symbol of…
Review: Port Dundas 52 Years Old Limited Edition 2017
The lone single grain whisky in the 2017 Diageo Special Releases is this one from Port Dundas, and it’s a whopper: The Glasgow-distilled spirit hit the barrel in 1964 and spent 52 years in refill American oak hogsheads. This is only the second Port Dundas release in the history of the Special Releases — the…
Review: Odessa Brandy VSOP
The former Soviet block does such wonders with vodka that I had perhaps overly inflated hopes for Odessa brandy, which is made in the Ukraine and carries a VSOP designation. The producer offers some details: Odessa is produced from spirits distilled from white grape varietals including Rkatsiteli, Aligoté and Pinot varieties. The Rkatsiteli is an…
