Christopher Null
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Tech/business journalist. Contributor @wired. Editor in Chief @drinkhacker. Owner @null_media. Author of Half Mast and The Cul-de-sac.
Articles by Christopher Null
Review: Aspen Vodka
Three guesses where Aspen Vodka hails from! Vodka is synonymous with apres ski activities, and true to form, Aspen Distillers makes only one product, a vodka made from non-GMO Colorado wheat and proofed with water from the local Roaring Fork River. Aspen’s facility is one of the few carbon-negative distilleries in the world and is the only North American distillery to receive LEED Platinum v4 certification. With that, let’s pour a shot and celebrate the arrival of cooler weather.
Review: Yellowstone Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon 2026
Release #11 from Yellowstone’s Limited Edition collection returns to Kentucky straight bourbon (unlike last year’s blend that included Indiana stock), with Port the finishing focus. This edition is a blend of two bourbons, one 7 years old and one 14 years old, finished separately in Ruby and Tawny Port casks before being married and bottled at 101 proof.
Review: Wines of Post & Beam, 2026 Releases
This second label of Far Niente launched in 2020 and has quickly proven itself as a more than capable option to reach for when the top shelf option isn’t quite in the budget. We recently received the operation’s core trio of releases for 2026. Thoughts on each bottling follow. 2024 Post & Beam Chardonnay Carneros – A classically oaked California chardonnay, albeit one with ample restraint.
Review: Johnnie Walker Blue Label Festive Blend
It’s been two years since we last reviewed a Blue Label special edition, having greatly enjoyed the Ice Chalet offering from 2024. This year, Johnnie Walker has dropped something entirely new, officially known on the label as “Festive Blend” but unofficially as “Indian Festive Blend.” The festival in question is ostensibly Diwali, the late fall festival of lights celebrated in Hindu culture.
Review: Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Special Release 2026 – Coy Hill Rye
Jack Daniel’s just can’t leave the warehouse at Coy Hill alone. The tiny distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee has returned to this hallowed rickhouse for a third time, only this time with a twist, turning out a rye whiskey instead of a bourbon (or a classic Tennessee whiskey, if you please).
Review: The WSJ Iconic Wines of France Trio 2026
Years ago the Wall Street Journal had a prominent if slightly bizarre wine review section. While that has faded away, the news operation still markets wine for purchase through a club of sorts. Recently we received one of its offerings, a trilogy of white wines from various locales in France (Burgundy, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and Alsace) called The WSJ Wine Iconic Whites of France Trio. The full set is available for a limited time.
Review: Whiskeys of Lasso Motel (Updated 2026)
So there may not be an actual Lasso Motel, but it does serve as a fun moniker for a new operation that’s sourcing, finishing, and bottling whiskey — and lots of it. By my count the company has 13 different whiskeys on the market now — mostly bourbon but also a rye and a few other oddities. Lasso Motel is surprisingly transparent about all of its sourcing, revealing the origins of each of its 13 bottles — and they’re not all from the same producer.
Review: Aguita Magica Ensemble Mezcal
This quirky mezcal from Oaxaca’s Don Rogelio comes packaged in a conical bottle, wrapped in gold wire, with upside-down language on parts of the label — so, you see, it’s special. It also has “magica” in the name. All of that aside, this ensemble release is made from a blend of 7-year old Espadín and 15-year(!) old Tobalá agaves, made with a traditional tahona and cooked in underground ovens. We received a small sample to review — and even the mini was wrapped in gold wire.
Review: Remus Lou Gehrig Reserve Bourbon
Can the folks at Remus leave dead baseball players alone even for a minute? After Babe Ruth got his due — with two release so far — now Lou Gehrig is the recipient of the ultimate reward for solid hitting and fielding on the diamond: His own namesake bourbon.
Best Single Malt Scotch Under $100 (Updated 2026)
Single malt Scotch occupies a rare place in the drinking world, and rightly so. Considered by many to be the king of all whiskeys, these spirits made from 100% malted barley in chilly Scotland, where they commonly require a decade or more to mature, offer a drinking experience that offers time to enjoy, to analyze, to reflect. Stylistically, single malt Scotch ranges immensely, defined by five (or six, depending on how you count) regions within this small country.
Jabra Enhance Select M3 Review (2026): A Big Price for Small Wins
Tech News Tube is a real time news feed of the latest technology news headlines.Follow all of the top tech sites in one place, on the web or your mobile device.
Review: Jabra Enhance Select M3
Buy Now Multiple Buying Options Available Rating: 8/10 WIRED Outstanding quality. Great noise control at lower volumes. Autofocus improvements are noticeable, if short of life-changing. TIRED The massive case desperately needs a redesign. Still very expensive. Poor streaming quality. This fall, hearing-aid manufacturers have been busily rolling out new and improved devices en masse, including Jabra, a leading maker of direct-to-consumer, over-the-counter devices.
Review: Grey Goose Berry Rouge Vodka
Its Essences aside, it’s been nearly 15 years since we last encountered a flavored Grey Goose expression. That changes today with a look at Grey Goose Berry Rouge, which is flavored with a mix of berry flavors — strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry — all from “the sun-kissed fields of the Mediterranean. That’s about all we know (and more than most vodka producers are likely to tell you), so let’s dive in.
Review: Wines of Joseph Phelps’ Freestone, 2026 Releases
Earlier this year, Joseph Phelps released its single vineyard expressions, all crafted at and named for its Freestone estate, to the public. Previously these wines were only available to wine club members via allocation, but the shifting realities of the wine market seems to have opened up some wiggle room in the form of broader, better access. Here Phelps explains what Freestone is all about: Freestone’s wines are defined by two distinct estate vineyards: Pastorale and Quarter Moon.
Review: High West Bourbon
High West makes a bevy of luxe whiskeys, such as Bourye, The Prisoner’s Share, and A Midwinter Night’s Dram, but it’s also been expanding its presence on lower shelves, the most basic of the bunch being this otherwise unadorned bourbon, the simplest and least expensive bottle in its arsenal. Some of the contents are disclosed, some arent.
Review: Garrison Brothers Ranch Reserve Bourbon – Oloroso and PX
Ready for a twist from Texas icons Garrison Bros.? The Texas icons have launched a pair of new releases called Ranch Reserve — bourbons finished in oloroso sherry and PX sherry casks, respectively. As is traditional for many Garrison Brothers releases, both of these whiskeys spend four years in new American white oak barrels before finishing in a sherry cask (either oloroso or PX, natch) — both of which offer a lengthy four years of finishing time, making these 8 year old expressions.
Review: Mezcal El Silencio Espadin
This was the first line extension of Mezcal El Silencio after its original Ensamble launch, this one made in San Baltazar, Oaxaca exclusively from espadin agave. The black bottle is inspired by Oaxaca’s barro negro pottery and is certainly striking on the shelf. Let’s give it a whirl.
Review: Ferrand Pineau des Charentes Blanc
Maison Ferrand may be known for making Cognac (and, of course, gin and rum as well), but its latest release isn’t a spirit at all. Ferrand’s new Pineau des Charentes is a fortified wine — and one of the most undersung delicacies of the Cognac region.
Review: Penelope Masters of Golf Hole 01, Riviera, and Blackberry Old Fashioned
Penelope has been extremely busy of late, putting out new whiskeys and RTD cocktails at a rapid clip. Today we’re looking at three of them, including a fruity bottled old fashioned and a pair of finished whiskeys. Penelope Architects of Golf Hole 01 Review The whiskey world loves no sport more than golf, so leave it to Penelope to start a new series of whiskeys that will probably end up spanning 18 editions, or “Holes,” in the parlance of the brand.
Stranahan’s Sauternes Cask
Distiller Stranahan's Distillery Bottler Stranahan's Distillery ABV 47% Age 9 Years Price $100 to $199.99 Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Sauternes Cask is an American single malt produced at Stranahan’s Distillery in Denver, Colorado, from 100% malted barley. The five-barrel blend consists of whiskey aged for four to seven years in new American oak before being finished in French oak Sauternes casks from Bordeaux, bringing the total maturation period to nine years.
Review: Independence Brewing Native Texan and Oklahoma Suks
Independence Brewing was founded by two University of Texas alumni, so it makes sense that the founders would support the home team on this, the eve of 122nd edition of the Red River Rivalry against the University of Oklahoma, held annually at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
The Top 10 Wines for Winter 2027
For the first time in recent memory, the high temperature for the day was under 90 degrees here. That counts as fall in Austin, Texas, and is enough for us to break out our second top 10 wines list for the year. These 10 selections were picked with cooler weather in mind (and the meals that come with it) – though no one will bat an eye if you pop the cork on one of these before the temperature dips too far (or after it comes back up). Want to buy them?
38 Best Last-Minute Prime Day Deals You Can Still Shop Today (2026)
Amazon’s fall Prime Day sale—also known as Big Deal Days 2026—has officially ended. The sale started October 6, and ran through midnight of October 7. You may have missed the biggest deals, but there are an assortment of discounts to shop through that are still available. We’ve spent the past two days combing through all the deals and found the best ones, based on our years of testing and reviewing.
Review: Tequila El Mexicano Anejo
Tequila El Mexicano, part of Foley Family Wines & Spirits, has finally launched its first anejo. We’ve never covered any of the offerings from the brand, but we’re starting here, with this release that was rested for 14 to 16 months in American and French oak. Agaves are aged a minimum of 6 years and are grown in the Jalisco Highlands. The Master Tequilero behind the brand is Don Félix Bañuelos, who previously cofounded Tequila Cazadores.
Review: Redemption Straight Bourbon (2026)
The many acts of the Redemption whiskey brand continue to evolve. This year, Redemption not only introduced new bottles and packaging (spurred by a trademark infringement lawsuit from Bulleit over the look of its old bottles; Bulleit won but no money changed hands), it reformulated its bourbon, upping the abv from 42% to 46%.
Review: Holiday Vodka
Holiday Vodka was “born from a feeling,” but more to the point it’s made in Italy, using 100% soft Italian wheat from Piedmont and water from Fonti Bauda, 1080 meters above sea level in the Maritime Alps. Distillation takes place at La Canellese, also located in Piedmont. The bottle, to me at least, alternately evokes a flower vase and an upturned zeppelin. Holiday Vodka Review Wheat-based vodkas can often land on the sweet side, and Holiday is no exception.
Review: SunnyD Vodka Seltzer Purple
Bet you didn’t know there’s a boozy version of the decadent delight — er, delite — you loved as a kid, SunnyD! Bet you didn’t know there’s another version of it, too — one that trades orange for purple. SunnyD Vodka Seltzer Purple is, exactly as the name suggests, a seltzified version of purple drink, purportedly made with vodka, fruit juice, and — interestingly — no sugar. A 12 oz. can has only 95 calories — presuming you can finish the whole thing. I couldn’t.
Review: Angel’s Envy Bourbon Finished in Stout & Amburana Barrels
Angel’s Envy’s latest Distillery Series bottling — its third — carries a doozy of a name — and a finishing regimen. This straight bourbon leans on two finishing barrels, which seemingly couldn’t be further apart from one another: stout beer and exotic amburana wood. The stout finishing dominates: 99% of the whiskey in this batch was finished in Goose Island and Trellis Brewing stout barrels, including both first-fill (40%) and second-fill (60%) barrels, for up to two years.
Review: Withings BodyScan 2
Rating: 9/10 WIRED Dozens of health metrics measured, with weekly deep-dives (or more on demand). Very user-friendly hardware makes it easy to get a good scan. Professional ECG reading is arguably worth the price of entry. TIRED Extremely expensive, and it all but requires a subscription. Withings intelligence can be confusing (and contradictory). I’m going to be honest from the start: No, you probably don’t need a $600 scale in your bathroom if you are just doing occasional weigh-ins.
Review: Firestone Walker Oktoberfest 2026
Break out the lederhosen and get the pretzels in the oven! October is here and it’s time to celebrate all things German. This year’s brew is a collaboration between Firestone Walker and Mahrs Bräu, a brewery in Bamberg (originator of smoky rauchbier) that is 356 years old.
Review: 2021 Quinta da Fonte Souto Syrah
Syrah is not a grape I associate at all with Portugal, but we live in unsettled times, and as with the rest of the world, wine is shifting, too. From the Alentejo comes this curious bottling of Syrah, the Symington family’s first foray outside its historic home of the Duoro. Quinta da Fonte Souto strategically leverages the significant cooling effect of its mountain location. The entire 511 acre estate is nestled in the Serra de São Mamede mountain range at an elevation of 1640 feet.
Review: New Riff Sour Mash Single Malt Whiskey 2026
New Riff produces an impressive complement of bourbon and rye, but its lone single malt is one of its most unusual and interesting whiskeys, inspired by the barleys used in beer brewing. A vatting of malts that has changed for each of the four years it’s been produced, this evolutionary offering remains as wild and crazy an experience as ever.
I’ve Spent Years Fighting Mosquitoes. Here’s What Works
Mosquitoes suck. Literally, figuratively, and every other way. These bloodsuckers have been a worldwide menace since the beginning of recorded history. A popularly reposted infographic lists them as—by far—the world’s deadliest animal, thanks to the parade of nasty diseases they can transmit. West Nile, Zika, chikungunya, malaria, dengue—these are no longer illnesses confined to the global south. In recent years, all have been discovered in bugs in the United States.
Best Mosquito Repellents for Your Yard: What Works and What Doesn’t (2026)
Tech News Tube is a real time news feed of the latest technology news headlines.Follow all of the top tech sites in one place, on the web or your mobile device.
Best Mosquito Repellents for Your Yard: What Works and What Doesn’t (2026)
1 hour ago Get ready to rewind time and uncover entire lost worlds right beneath your feet. It’s tough to talk tech without talking about maps. The almighty Maps app has become a core part of day-to-day life for so many of us these days—but for all the helpful features those apps have, there’s one layer …
Drinkhacker 2026 Wine Cheat Sheet / Vintage Chart
We goofed and forgot to update the Drinkhacker Wine Cheat Sheet last year, but we’re atoning by getting 2026’s edition out a little early. As always, our cheat sheet and vintage chart is designed to give you some quick shortcuts: When faced with two wines from the same region but different vintages, which one should you grab?
Review: Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series High Angel’s Share
Release #17 in Jack Daniel’s wildly varied Distillery Series arrives as a reprise. “High Angel’s Share” first appeared in 2018, when these releases were known as the Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Tasters’ Selection. Like the 2018 expression, the idea here is to bottle Tennessee Whiskey from barrels that experienced very high levels of evaporation. The new expression begins with traditional Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey laid down in 2016.
Review: Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Peated Cask
Stranahan’s Peated Cask is a distillery exclusive available only at its Denver location. It’s a straightforward single malt which completed its initial aging in virgin American Oak before finishing in various casks that previously held whiskey from Islay as well as local peated casks. Specifically, the blend includes: 65% whiskey aged 6 to 12 years, finished in Islay casks 35% whiskey aged 8 to 11 years, finished in domestic peated whiskey casks We got a sizeable sample to check out, so we did.
Review: Heaven Hill Grain to Glass – Straight Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, and Rye (Updated 2026)
Earlier this year, Heaven Hill dropped three unique expressions that take a step away from the distillery’s existing product line — with new mashbills and an approach that focuses foremost on the underlying grains. The launch of the Heaven Hill Grain to Glass series includes three Kentucky whiskeys (at least to start), including a straight (rye-heavy) bourbon, wheated bourbon, and rye — all over 6 years old.
Review: Starlight Bourbon 10 Years Old 2026 and Mizunara Reserve Bourbon
Starlight Distillery has been firing off luxe releases for a few years now, and we’ve been trying to keep up with this Indiana upstart’s releases. It’s not an easy task, as they roll out at a healthy clip. Jacob offered a deep dive into the operation’s 25th anniversary releases earlier this year. We’re back already with a look at two more new drops that you’re likely to find should you go out seeking Starlight.
Review: Tequilas of Lagrimas del Valle (Updated 2026)
Lágrimas del Valle (“tears of the valley”) launched a few years back with the goal of showcasing “single ranches” of blue agave to showcase how terroir influences tequila. It recently launched its fourth and fifth ranch, with 2024’s La Loma and La Sabina joining Palo Verde (2022), El Chiqueño (2022), and El Sabino (2023). La Loma is the first of the tequilas in the lineup to come from the state of Michoacán. All of Lagrimas’s bottlings are vintage dated with the year of the agave harvest, also.
Review: GlenAllachie Palo Cortado Sherry Cask Finish 11 Years Old
The fourth release in GlenAllachie‘s Sherry Series recently arrived, and it’s an unusual one: This single malt is finished in Palo Cortado casks, which are virtually unheard of in whisky production. Palo Cortado begins as pale Fino sherry that is refortified to about 35 proof, which kills the flor yeast and promotes the oxidation of the wine.
Review: Smolbol Peanut + Cassava Snacks
Peanuts are one of the most iconic bar snack items of all time. They’re also one of the most boring bar snack items of all time. Brazil figured out how to spice them up, wrapping the shelled nut in cassava starch, compressing it into a crunchy shell. Say hello to Smolbol, the cleverly named snack that you can add to your happy hour regimen if you’re looking for something a little different.
Review: Wines of San Felice, 2026 Releases
San Felice is one of our favorite Italian wine producers, the brand creating a wide range of wines from throughout Tuscany — though primarily Chianti Classico. Today we look at five 2026 releases from the producer, all excellent and well worth your while. 2024 San Felice In Avane Chardonnay Toscana IGT – A new wine to me, this is a rather brooding expression of chardonnay.
Review: Kentucke County Bourbon 6 Years Old and American Whiskey 12 Years Old
Not a typo. “Kentucke County,” with an “e,” is the name of the product. It’s a new sub-label from 15 Stars, which has been spinning off other “Kentucky heritage” brands like First West of late, with two expressions available at launch. (“Both in commemorative, collectible bottles,” presumably because of the “250th anniversary” sticker below the front label.) What’s this Kentucke all about?
Review: Garrison Brothers Balmorhea Bourbon (Updated 2026)
Texas-born bourbons are not exactly known for their delicacy, and Garrison Brothers — which stakes a claim as being “the first corn to cork bourbon distillery in America opened beyond Kentucky, and the first legal whiskey distillery in Texas” — has long stood proudly on those very laurels. While its standard Texas Straight Bourbon and a few other expressions are well known and widely available, Garrison Brothers also has a limited edition bottling called Balmorhea.
Review: Crescent 9 THC Seltzers
Crescent 9 is one of the longest-lived and best-selling THC beverage brands on the market, with a heavy focus on its canned seltzers. Crescent 9 is unique in the massive range of dosage it packs into its beverages, with the amount of THC included in a can ranging from 5mg to a whopping 50mg. Products are available as solo packs or in mixed cases, all containing the same amount of THC.
Review: Elysian Jacktail Hazy IPA
There’s no shortage of IPAs at Seattle’s Elysian, so it may be easy to dismiss Jacktail Hazy IPA as just another member of a very large crowd. But Elysian doesn’t product a lot of hazy IPAs, with Contact Haze its most notable offering. At 6.1% IPA this has a similar heft, though a much different vibe.
A Visit to the Wineries of Rioja, 2026
After our time in Bordeaux, team Drinkhacker headed south to Spain and its coastal Basque Country, posting up in the delightful town of San Sebastian. Pintxos culture couldn’t be more fun — standing in crowded bars, sipping on local txakoli wine, and chowing down on one bar snack after another. Used napkins?
Review: Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection Super Seasoned Oak Bourbon
Woodford Reserve‘s 22nd installment of its beloved Master’s Collection is upon us, and while these experimental releases can be out-there, this 2026 expression is something quite unusual. Super Seasoned Oak has nothing to do with spice or pepper but rather refers to the practice of “seasoning” newly milled barrel staves by letting them dry in the open air before they are used to create casks.
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