Drinkhacker

Every barrel of whiskey has a story. The opening chapter is written at the distillery, where grain selection, fermentation, and distillation establish the spirit’s foundation. But a whiskey’s story doesn’t stop once it enters a barrel. In many respects, that is where the next chapter begins. The question is whether that next chapter can ultimately matter more than the first. For companies that source whiskey, that debate often sits at the heart of the discussion.

Two Souls Spirits is an independent bottler best known for its focus on American whiskey, though the company has also released single-cask rum and honey spirit selections. Over the years, Two Souls has partnered with numerous American distilleries to produce transparent single-cask releases. Yet time and again, the bottler has returned to whiskey distilled by J. Henry & Sons in Dane, Wisconsin.

Few names from American whiskey history deserve more attention than R.E. Wathen. While many legendary brands survived Prohibition, the people responsible for preserving them are often overlooked. Richard E. Wathen was one of those figures. Beginning in November 1927, Wathen served as president of the American Medicinal Spirits Company, assuming the position shortly after the company’s formation during National Prohibition.

In June 2026, Swisher, Iowa’s Cedar Ridge Distillery unveiled its oldest whiskey to date, a release from Master Distiller and Master Blender Murphy Quint titled Nine & Three Quarters Rye Whiskey. At first glance, the name almost invites thoughts of Platform 9¾ from the Harry Potter series, the fictional gateway at London’s King’s Cross Station reserved for witches and wizards. Cedar Ridge has never made that connection, and the title is far more literal than literary.

It’s a full dozen Blood Oaths we’ve taken now, and we have the scars to prove it. The Lux Row-produced series‘s 2016 release features another unique finishing regimen, this one including a portion of the spirit concluding its aging in Italian Montepulciano and sangiovese wine casks. The base spirit is a blend of three whiskeys, including two Kentucky bourbons, 9 years old and 12 years old, both with rye in the recipe.

Note up front that this bottling of friulano is a distinctly different wine than the standard Friulano from Livio Felluga, based in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia area in northern Italy.

Scottland’s windswept Isle of Harris produces more than just iconic tweed fabric. Since 2015, the Isle of Harris Distillery, the islands first and currently only legal distillery, has been making an arguably more iconic Scottish product, whisky. Like many upstart distilleries, gin helped to keep the lights on and the stills running while the whisky aged. Quite a good gin, in fact.

Image generated by Gemini Missoula sits at a lively intersection of mountain air, rushing rivers, and vibrant university-town energy. You’ll quickly discover a nightlife scene that feels surprisingly polished, especially when ordering Missoula craft cocktails. The city, historically known as the Hub of Five Valleys, boasts a population of nearly 80,000, making it large enough to sustain a genuine food and drink scene but small enough to navigate on foot in an afternoon.

It’s been five years since we first reviewed Mingle Mocktails, a fruit-forward booze alternative that we found, well, perfectly fine for a picnic or a teenager’s birthday party. Since then, Mingle has broadened its lineup to include Mingle Mood, a collection of canned mocktails that include lion’s mane, ashwagandha, and L-theanine, all sweetened with organic cane sugar. How does mingle perform with added functional ingredients — all designed to calm you down? Let’s dig in.

Maple syrup barrel-finished bourbon has become increasingly common over the past several years. In most instances, bourbon is transferred into used maple syrup barrels, and consumers may be told which maple producer supplied those barrels. Beyond that, there has been little movement in the category. Finding a maple-finished bourbon that offers something outside the usual playbook can be almost as difficult as finding Sasquatch itself. Stories of Sasquatch sightings have circulated for generations.