Review: 2020 Opaque Paso Robles Tannat
Tannat is a varietal associated largely with the nation of Uruguay, which is also a nation associated with soccer legend Edinson Cavani and author/politician Eduardo Acevedo Díaz. Non-Uruguayan, Paso-Robles-based winery Opaque keeps Tannat in its rotation of annual releases, and we’re reviewing the latest offering. I’ve rarely encountered a stateside Tannat, but I am told…
Review: Jack Daniel’s 12 Years Old Batch 2 and 10 Years Old Batch 3 (2024)
Another year on, JD’s age-stated whiskey series continues — and while it will forever aggravate me that the 10 year old and 12 year old expressions will likely forever be one batch number apart, I’m willing to set that aside in anticipation of enjoying a top-shelf product. As a refresher, these two whiskeys are standard…
Review: 6 Firestone Walker IPAs, 2024 Releases
Firestone Walker never met a beer style it didn’t like, and while it is constantly churning out sours, barrel-aged expressions, iconic lagers, and more, it’s the IPAs that Firestone really seems to gravitate to. Lately, the brand has dropped three different mixed-IPA cases, all featuring something new and something old. Today we look at 6…
Review: Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum – Trinidad 2012 11 Years Old and Barbados 2009 Premier Cru
Holmes Cay recently dropped two new of its single cask rum releases, both from familiar islands in the Caribbean — and both with some interesting backstory to them. Let’s dive in. Holmes Cay Single Cask Rum Trinidad 2012 11 Years Old – This is the beginning of a new series of rums from the former…
Review: Bryn Mawr NV Brut Rose and 2021 Dolcetto
We are returning to the wines of Bryn Mawr in the Willamette Valley, Oregon to sample two recent releases we haven’t tried before: a brut rosé and a Dolcetto. For different reasons, both are rather unusual wines. Let’s explore. NV Bryn Mawr Brut Rosé – 73% Pinot Noir, 15% Pinot Gris, 9% Chardonnay, 3% Meunier,…
Review: Bhakta Rye 2013
Raj Bhakta founded WhistlePig and helped (re)popularize rye among American consumers. With Bhakta, his eponymous second act in spirits, Raj has leaned into highly aged brandy, rum, blends, and bourbon. It turns out, it was only a matter of time before a full-on rye release was back on the table. Announced in January 2024, Bhakta…
Review: Bombay Sapphire Gin
We’re not sure how it happened, but here at Drinkhacker, we’ve somehow managed to review Bombay Sapphire East Gin and Bombay Sapphire Murcian Lemon Gin and even the Bombay Sapphire Gin and Tonic RTD canned cocktail, but we’ve never formally reviewed the original, classic Bombay Sapphire Gin. Today, we remedy this error and officially pour the…
Review: Deanston Tequila Cask Finish 15 Years Old
Scotch casks tend to make it to Mexico for use in tequila. The other way around… not so much. Deanston Distillery mixes that up with this 15 year old — blending “the essence of the Scottish and Mexican Highlands.” The whisky starts out spending 13 years in traditional Oak hogsheads before being finished for 2…
