Spirits
Reviews
Bosscal Mezcal Joven ($55)
Bosscal Mezcal Joven, produced in the Mexican state of Durango, is crafted by a 4th generation Mezcalero. The agave is cooked with volcanic rock in earth ovens, then ground by hand before being fermented in oak wood vats and finally double-distilled. Bosscal Joven is...
Backwards Distilling Strongman Gin ($45)
Backwards Distilling, based in Wyoming, claims that five times more juniper is used in their gin than in other gins. They also boast of using three types of peppercorns and 11 different botanicals. To a degree, the additional juniper and pepper are noticeable, but so...
Larrikin Single Barrel High Wheat Rye ($100)
High wheat rye (here 65% rye and 35% wheat) is a bit of an oddity, but it may not be for much longer after this example finds wider recognition. It’s all about clean, light texture that carries deep flavor. The nose is wildly attractive, with zippy spice and...
Mijenta Tequila Blanco ($50)
Mijenta launched their first Tequila in 2020 and this additive free blanco is two-times distilled in copper pots. Though it hits with the agave notes straight off, there is a surprisingly muddled entry with light sweetness competing for cooked agave notes. In short...
Adelaide’s Creamsicle Liqueur ($17)
Adelaide's Dreamsicle Liqueur is pretty eye-catching for its orangey-sunset colors, and its nose catching as well with aromas of fresh squeezed blood orange, orange blossom, and cream. The palate is filled with creamsicle notes in a way that is soft and tactile but...
Three Chord Bourbon: Allman Brothers ($200)
Three Chord was begun by musician Neil Giraldo (Pat Benatar band mate) and aims to trying to capture music in brown spirit form. To a large degree, Giraldo has had much success with earlier expressions. This collaboration with the Allman Brothers uses their “Eat a...
Molinari Sambuca Extra ($28)
Sambuca's roots can be traced to 1851 in Civitavecchia, a port town 50 miles northeast of Rome, when Luigi Manzi came up with the first commercially sold Sambuca. Yet the most well-known Sambuca brand is Molinari, which started in 1945. A sweet and...
Jian Nan Chan Baijiu ($50)
Baijiu (pronounced “bye-joe”) is one of the oldest white spirits on the plant. Yet few people, it seems, have ever had it – unless you live in China, and Baijiu is the de facto celebratory alcoholic beverage. Jian Nan Chun is one of the oldest distilleries...
Hine Cognac Rare VSOP ($55)
Begun in the mid-1700s, Hine Cognac combines “around twenty” different eaux-du-vie from various sources in and around Cognac, creating a final blend to age at their Maison. That said, they don’t release an exact aging statement - they state at least four years –...
Jagermeister ($
Jägermeister (meaning “master hunter”) is, like many digestives, made with a plethora of herbs, fruits, roots, seeds, and spices. The recipe is a secret — so much so that the global marketing director says he is not one of the privileged few to know it. It is believed...
Liberty & Plenty Bronze Bull Bourbon Honey & Fig ($50)
It’s obvious that the sweetness in this bourbon is slightly accelerated - and if you didn’t know this was finished in honey coated barrels, you would still know that something different has transpired other than the usual cask finish. All in all this is a nice...
Larado Roper Reserve Rye ($100)
As a cask strength rye whiskey this is surprisingly smooth and mellow from the start. Warm and inviting notes of caramel, orange zest, browned butter, butterscotch along with spicy rye flavors, cracked black pepper, resin, light sandalwood and a hint of Five Spice are...
Gryphon & Grain Bourbon Whiskey ($75)
What sets this apart is the unusual harmonious balance between sweet and depth. Even the color, a darker than usual golden brown, is more like very old Cognac. From the outset the sweet is evident, though not potent, and it is immediately followed by deep, rich notes...
Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Whiskey ($79)
No need to approach carefully here – this is a dark side beast built to satisfy the public craving for high proof whiskeys that aren’t just about flamethrowing heat. Mellow and rich aromas of caramel, fall spice and a dash of orange zest attract, and the palate says...
Uncle Nearest Master Blend Edition ($149)
This “Edition” – Blend No. 032 in the Master Blend line – is more spice focused than previous batches that I’ve tasted. That’s not good, bad or indifferent, it’s just different, and the blender here wisely decided that this had enough unique character to merit its own...
Larado Small Batch Rye 8 Year ($80)
This is so compelling on the nose that you may find yourself spending and extended amount of time parking it above your lip rather than diving right in for a sip. Solid rye character shines through the complementary barrel tones of toffee, maple and spice in layered...
Alto Canto Tequila Blanco High Proof ($90)
There aren’t too many high proof designated tequilas out there, and while this example doesn’t reach what the Gin world calls “Navy Strength” levels, it certainly packs more punch than the average blanco. That said, it’s beautifully balanced on the nose, with pure...
Vodka 57 Pure Glacier Vodka ($60)
If you’re a Vodka drinker that prizes the inherently Swiss concept of neutrality in your spirit of choice, then this is definitely a great choice for you. Distilled from French winter wheat five times and filtered seven times, this is about as neutral as they come....
Tashi Baijiu ($65)
Baijiu is the world’s best-selling spirit, but you likely have little to no experience with it if you live outside of China. Typically distilled from sorghum, it can be quite nondescript in character, but this particular offering kicks things up several notches....
El Mar Margarita Autentica RTD ($32)
Wow – this is as solid an RTD cocktail as I’ve had to date. It completely avoids the two main problems in the category – being too sweet and/or not having the right ABV balance to make the drink a proper cocktail. This carries clear agave and citrus notes, and pouring...
Garrison Brothers “Guadalupe” Port Cask Finished Bourbon ($130)
An earlier iteration of this bottling took a Platinum Award at the 2023 San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge, and this 2024 release took a step up to become the 2025 event’s Brown Spirit of the Year. It again testifies to the validity of the current...
Redwood Empire Pipe Dream 101 Bourbon ($55)
The nose on Pipe Dream 101 is classic Bourbon - vanilla, butterscotch, and light char. It packs a punch right out of the gate – as it should given its 101 proof status. But what first seems like it might be sweet and typical changes direction on the palate. There is...
Minden Mill Rye Whiskey ($45)
A deep golden hue telegraphs what’s in store here – a deeper, richer sort of expression of rye. As a straight rye, the spicy rye, cracked pepper notes are at the center of this, as they should be. Following up are notes of burnt caramel, dried apricot, orange zest, a...
Redemption Sur Lee Straight Rye Whiskey ($60)
Within the whiskey industry the wine category has influenced whiskey-making, most notably through use of various casks to secondarily age whiskey and enhance its flavor profile. Redemption’s Sur Lee is a first of its kind rye whiskey inspired by the French winemaking...