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Review: Redwood Empire Pipe Dream, Emerald Giant, and Lost Monarch (Updated 2026)
Only two years ago Sonoma-based Graton Distillery released Redwood Empire, a blend of its own microdistilled spirit and sourced whiskey. Now the brand is back with not one, not two, but three new expressions which collectively replace the 2018 release. Here’s all the details to get you started. Purple Wine + Spirits today announced its… The post Review: Redwood Empire Pipe Dream, Emerald Giant, and Lost Monarch (Updated 2026) appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Cantrip Elixir Hemp Spirit
Cantrip makes a variety of THC-infused sodas, but Elixir is its only hemp “spirit,” a milky-cloudy blueish serum that contains 166mg of THC per 750ml bottle, or about 10mg per serving. What Elixir tastes like is hard to describe. Imagine a melted and watered-down mix of bubble gum and cotton candy, cut through with a… The post Review: Cantrip Elixir Hemp Spirit appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Sugarlands Eggo Blueberry Waffle Moonshine
Located along the main strip in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Sugarlands Distilling Company opened its flagship distillery in March 2014. Serious whiskey drinkers may know the company for the straight rye whiskey released under its Roaming Man label, but among the crowds that pass through its doors each year, Sugarlands is best known for an extensive lineup… The post Review: Sugarlands Eggo Blueberry Waffle Moonshine appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Maison Wessman 2023 White Raven and 2020 Raven Blood
The pair of Raven wines we are trying today were made at the Maison Wessman winery in Limoux in southern France and are the result of a collaboration between winemaker Róbert Wessman and JJ Julius Son, lead singer and songwriter for the popular rock band Kaleo. Collaborations between celebrities and wineries aren’t new anymore, but… The post Review: Maison Wessman 2023 White Raven and 2020 Raven Blood appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III
To mark 25 years since its resurrection, Bruichladdich is releasing a new whisky, Yellow Submarine III, a companion to its similarly honorific Bruichladdich Old Skool (which we have not seen, sadly) and a follow-up, of course, to Yellow Submarines I and II (which we also have not reviewed). Bruichladdich’s Yellow Submarine series begin in 2005… The post Review: Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Wines of Vecchie Terre di Montefili, 2026 Releases
Vecchie Terre di Montefili is a boutique producer in Chianti Classico, operating a small 12.5-hectare estate at an altitude of about 1500 feet. Sangiovese is of course the focus here, and winemaker (“more an agronomist than winemaker”) Serena Gusmeri guided us through a tasting of three of its expressions recently over Zoom. A big believer in… The post Review: Wines of Vecchie Terre di Montefili, 2026 Releases appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Dogfish Head Canned Cocktails, Complete Lineup
Dogfish Head is well and rightly known for its exceptional beer lineup, and lately it’s jumped into canned cocktails — all made with real spirits and real fruit, no malt liquor here. We received seven RTDs, available in a pair of 8-packs containing four flavors each (Vodka Crush appears in both). All are bottled at… The post Review: Dogfish Head Canned Cocktails, Complete Lineup appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Bhakta 1868 America250 Edition
Raj Bhakta wears a lot on his sleeve, including his love for America. It’s no surprise then that his eponymous spirit label is jumping on the 4th of July bandwagon to commemorate America’s 250th birthday with a special bottle. And boy is he pulling out all the stops. Bhakta 1868 America250 Edition is a mix… The post Review: Bhakta 1868 America250 Edition appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: 2024 Attems Pinot Grigio Ramato Friuli DOC
With summer in full swing, every bar needs a healthy stock of rose wine to keep folks cool, hydrated, and happy. Rather than the usual Provence or California roses, consider this offering from Attems, a rose made from pinot grigio in Italy’s Friuli region. Ramato is a wine style exclusive to Friuli pinot grigio, wherein… The post Review: 2024 Attems Pinot Grigio Ramato Friuli DOC appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: 2022 Spring Valley Vineyard Nina Lee Syrah Walla Walla Valley
Would you believe our last review of a wine from Spring Valley Vineyard was a 2007 bottling? 15 years later we’re back with a look at a new expression, a syrah called Nina Lee. (Pronounced Nine-ah Lee, by the way.) This may be 100% syrah, but it sure doesn’t show it, offering a surprisingly fruity attack… The post Review: 2022 Spring Valley Vineyard Nina Lee Syrah Walla Walla Valley appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Non-Alcoholic Beers of Best Day Brewing, Complete Lineup
Best Day Brewing hails from, of all places, Sausalito, California, a tiny residential and tourist community north of the Golden Gate Bridge that’s best known for expensive sushi and even pricier cocktails. Since its founding in 2020, the company has become one of the most widely distributed non-alcoholic beer brands, with availability of its six… The post Review: Non-Alcoholic Beers of Best Day Brewing, Complete Lineup appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Casamigos RTD Margaritas – Classic Lime and Spicy
Casamigos is the latest tequila brand to jump into the ready-to-drink space, this time with two bottles timed to take advantage of World Cup madness. The two expressions — Classic Lime and Spicy — are made with Casamigos blanco tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice, and natural flavors, and both come in either 750ml or 375ml… The post Review: Casamigos RTD Margaritas – Classic Lime and Spicy appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Typhur Fast Nugget Ice Maker
Who doesn’t love nugget ice? Those soft, chewy micro-cubes can turn any beverage into a delicious quasi-slushy. And slushy is arguably the perfect cold beverage consistency. Originally invented for hospital patients (seriously, look it up), nugget ice went mainstream when fast food restaurants like Sonic started promoting it. I distinctly remember my dad going to… The post Review: Typhur Fast Nugget Ice Maker appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Prats + Symington 2024 Post Scriptum and 2023 Chryseia
Prats + Symington has been making dry table wines in the Duoro Valley for decades — unique because this region is known mostly for producing Port grapes. While we’ve seen its Post Scriptum release on many occasions (the Quinta de Roriz branding is no longer present), this is our first look at Chryseia, the winery’s… The post Review: Prats + Symington 2024 Post Scriptum and 2023 Chryseia appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Dorda Coffee Liqueur
We’ve previously encountered Chopin-owned Dorda with its chocolate liqueur and now we’re back with the Polish company’s second expression, a coffee liqueur made from “100% Robusta coffee bean extract, sugar, and a blend of Chopin Rye Vodka and rum from the Philippines.” Dorda Coffee Liqueur Review The nose of the liqueur is rich with coffee… The post Review: Dorda Coffee Liqueur appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Mijenta Tequila Anejo Symphony Series No. 3
Mijenta Tequila continues its Symphony Series with a third release, an anejo matured in the brand’s Symphony barrels, which are built using staves made from oak trees sourced from four different states — Minnesota, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Virginia — which are then toasted instead of charred. (This is virgin oak, not a reconstruction of used… The post Review: Mijenta Tequila Anejo Symphony Series No. 3 appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Old Forester President’s Choice Bourbon and Rye 2026
Last year Old Forester began releasing its President’s Choice whiskeys to retail for the first time, at least on a limited basis. The two whiskeys — a bourbon and a rye — are now making their return to the market for 2026. The formula hasn’t changed. These are all single barrel releases, including a collection… The post Review: Old Forester President’s Choice Bourbon and Rye 2026 appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: 2022 McCollum Heritage 91 Pinot Noir
McCollum was designed in partnership with Oregon’s Adelsheim Vineyard when it launched in 2018. Four years later the project is still going strong, though this craft pinot noir now also incorporates fruit from the McCollum family’s own 318-acre estate in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. As this wine evolves, let’s see how things are progressing. Give this… The post Review: 2022 McCollum Heritage 91 Pinot Noir appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Empress 1908 Gin, Complete Lineup (Updated 2026)
First things first: That vibrant blue liquid is gin — not violet liqueur, not sloe gin, not something from the planet Zebulon. It’s a straight gin colored to be blue, thanks to the addition of butterfly pea blossoms to the distillate. Why make a blue gin? The British Columbia-based distillery explains: Victoria Distillers introduced Empress… The post Review: Empress 1908 Gin, Complete Lineup (Updated 2026) appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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The Best Grenadine – 7 Brands Reviewed (Updated 2026)
Of all the cocktail ingredients in the world, humble grenadine is probably the one we all remember encountering first, sipping on the stuff as children either in the classic Shirley Temple… or the more decadent Roy Rogers. Grenadine was originally a roughly 50/50 mix of pomegranate juice and sugar syrup — and you can easily… The post The Best Grenadine – 7 Brands Reviewed (Updated 2026) appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Wines of Larkmead, 2026 Releases
We’re longtime fans of California’s Larkmead and are pleased to revisit the blue chip operation’s three latest releases, arriving in time for 2026’s summer festivities. All are bold reds so if you don’t get to them this year, a few years of cellar slumber will likely do them all some good. 2023 Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon… The post Review: Wines of Larkmead, 2026 Releases appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Khee 38 Soju
Soju (Korea’s rendition of Japanese shochu) is typically bottled at 25% abv or less, but Khee 38 hits a much higher proof point — 38% abv, to be exact, commanding much more of your attention than the typical mass market offering. Also available in a 22 proof variety, Khee 38 is distilled from rice in… The post Review: Khee 38 Soju appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Fosforo Blanco Tequila
Fosforo is joining a growing list of mezcal producers hoping to grab a piece of the much larger tequila market. It’s admittedly a bold move jumping into the overcrowded world of tequila, but brands like Fosforo seem confident that their experience with the more artisanal production methods required of mezcal will set their tequila project… The post Review: Fosforo Blanco Tequila appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .
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Review: Non-Alcoholic Spirits of Fluere, Complete Lineup
Fluere is a non-alcoholic spirits brand owned since 2023 by Lucas Bols, known for its extensive liqueur lineup. With a selection of five N/A “spirits” under its command, Fluere covers a vast swatch of the alcohol world with its spiritless takes on gin, rum, mezcal, and more. We tasted the entire lineup. Thoughts — quite… The post Review: Non-Alcoholic Spirits of Fluere, Complete Lineup appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider's Guide to Good Drinking .