Hella Drunk

A newcomer at Whiskies of the World San Francisco this year was Virginia Distillery Co. Based in central Virginia, they've been producing for a decade, but it was the first time we

Moving northward from our local distillery booths at Whiskies of the World San Francisco, perennial favorite Westward Whiskey came down to the event from Oregon again in 2021. Widely known as one of

A Well-Balanced, Intriguing Food Wine Hailing from the so-called "garlic capital of the world", Gilroy, California, Sarah's Vineyard focuses on an entirely different profile. While most people would think of

The Reason Cooper Is King You already know Cooper Vineyards is my favorite winery, so let's not beat around that bush. That's why, when I needed a wine to blow our

A Delightfully Easy Drinker An imprint of Amador County's Scott Harvey Wines, Jana Winery produces an interesting variety of wines using both local and Napa Valley vineyards. The Tickle Me Pink label

One of our perennial favorites among the local California distilleries, Wright & Brown had another great booth at Whiskies of the World San Francisco this year. This Oakland-based shop always has a

Another local attendee at Whiskies of the World San Francisco 2021, Barber Lee is a relatively young distillery with a surprisingly broad array of products. They had six different bottles available this year,

Representing the Land Down Under, distillery Starward Whisky brought Australian spirits to this year's Whiskies of the World San Francisco. Distilled and aged in Melbourne, these whiskies reflect a unique character of

If you haven't attended the event before, you might be surprised to hear there were rum booths at Whiskies of the World San Francisco this year. While it's of course a

10th Street came to Whiskies of the World San Francisco as one of the few local distilleries, located nearby in San Jose. They had four whiskies available for us to try, though we'

M&H Distillery, short for Milk & Honey, is Israel's first whisky distillery. Located in Tel Aviv, they teamed up with US distributor ImPex Beverages for a booth at 2021's

Branding themselves as "Islay's Farm Distillery", Kilchoman hosted the third booth at Whiskies of the World San Francisco this year. With just eleven years of availability in the US, this distillery has

Sitting right next to The Whisky Shop, Tennessee-based Corsair Distillery held the second booth at this year's Whiskies of the World San Francisco. They had four spirits available to taste, though

The first booth at Whiskies of the World this year was hosted by local retailer The Whisky Shop. They had four whiskies available to taste, two of which were exclusive bottlings. We started

One of the highlights of Whiskies of the World each year is its excellent Dram Club. Hosted by Event Director Douglas Smith, tickets for the Dram Club grant early access to the main

Good, But Unremarkable Readers know from prior posts that we're fans of Cooper Vineyards here at Hella Drunk. Known primarily for their Barberas and Zinfandels, this family vineyard also has a number

Crisp, Clean Chardonnay You already know how much I love Roche Chardonnay. They make three reserves from their Carneros vineyards, and last time we tried the American Oak. The Stainless Steel provides a

Classic Amador Zinfandel Fair warning: Cooper Vineyards is my absolute favorite all-around winery. They've been our longest-running wine club, and I consider their family and workers close friends of ours.

A Bitter, But Light Experience Kirigan Cellars is a Jack-Of-All-Trades when it comes to wine. They produce a bottle of almost every common varietal in California, and they do so

Gorgeous, Balanced Red While Vintner Jeff Runquist and his eponymous winery are located in Amador County within the California Shenandoah Valley AVA, this deep, dark red comes from Three Way Vineyard in Paso

Refreshing Summer Spotlight This lightly golden nectar comes from scenic Helwig Winery, situated in Amador County among the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The two varietals that make up this Rhône-

Enhanced Information A major focus we have here at Hella Drunk is giving you access to concise information without too much fluff or fanfare. We're not interested in drawing out our review

Hypothesis Unclear Barrell Craft Spirits' "Dovetail" series is an experimental line of blended releases featuring the same approach at slightly different proofs and formulations. This batch, bottled in February 2019, is a combination

Gorgeous Islay Malt This single malt refill hogshead from Caol Ila comes through K&L Wines' exclusive Old Particular series in partnership with Douglas Laing. At cask strength, we're getting a

An Impressive Newcomer Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch is one of three whiskies offered by this brand established in Summer 2017. This particular bottle is one of a series of blends curated by

A Great Barley Malt, If You Can Find It I remember being first impressed with Hudson Whiskey when they came onto the scene with their Baby Bourbon years ago. When they followed it

Not Canada's Best Windsor Canadian is a blended whisky owned by Prestige Beverage Group, having recently purchased the brand from Beam Suntory in December 2020. The 1.75 liter bottle I have

The First Whiskey I Ever Loved Before we dive into this review, I have a confession to make. Maker's Mark holds dear memories for me as the first whiskey I ever grew

A Modern Classic Woodford Reserve is one of the most well-known bourbons in the world, having established itself as a premium brand since being launched by Brown-Forman in 1996. The particular

Our Measure of Greatness To kick off the new Hella Drunk website, we've launched our very own rating system. The Hella Drunk Rating (HDR) indicates our subjective rating of each spirit we'