Looking for a new flavor? Need a little help making your next choice at your local bar or bottle shop? Dining and drinks writer and judge Virginia Miller combs through new craft spirits releases to taste, review, and recommend. Here are her top 12 picks of the month, rated on a scale of one to five.
My bottle review column (last month’s edition here) is about what is unique, standout, new and/or trending in spirits with my review ratings on a 1-5 rating scale. My 10 bottle reviews of the month:
RUM
Lost Spirits Japonisme Rum
www.lostspirits.net
My last cover story interview at Distiller Magazine was with Las Vegas’ Lost Spirits Distillery. November 2023 they released their new Japonisme Rum distilled from 100% Okinawan Kokuto sugar, then aged in toasted, charred American oak. This “Black Sugar” (meaning of kokuto) is a rare, rich sugar exuding caramelized, earthy-sweet, musty, woody, umami rancio notes. Batch 1 is merely around 1000 bottles, with the next batch available to the public this December 2023, but still a limited edition. “Japonisme” is a heavy-pot-still, English-style rum fermented and distilled from 100% Kokuto sugar, and is the one known kokuto rum produced outside Japan, and this is a welcome, robust intro to the style.
Taste Rating: 4
VERMOUTH
Vermina Vermouth Blanco
www.palminawines.com
Produced by winemaker Steve Clifton and restaurant vet David Rosoff at Palmina Winery in Lompoc, California (just outside Santa Barbara), Vermina Vermouth Blanco is an almost fino sherry-like dry, lean vermouth ideal with seafood, olives and oranges. This aromatized wine is infused with botanicals like basil, Meyer lemon, spices, tree bark and tea, in a wine base of Pinot Grigio, Riesling and dried Malvasia, fortified with organic California neutral spirits. If you like any touch of sweetness to your vermouth, this isn’t your jam. But if, like me, you crave savory, lean vermouths that pair well with many foods, this is a winner.
Taste Rating: 4
MAHUA
Mahua Spirit
https://alkohl.com/products/mahua-spirit
Distilled in the UK by Alkohl LTD, Mahua Spirit is India’s oldest indigenous and tribal alcohol, distilled from dried flowers of India’s Mahua tree. This clean version is certainly floral but in a way most of us Westerners won’t be familiar with, almost with a malty, Single Malt Whisky quality. Ripe pears, white tea, black pepper, clove and stone fruit all peek out, with an unaged fruit brandy feel, but still unlike anything most of us have tasted before. I immediately love it and understand, like grappa in Italy, fruit brandies/schnaps in Eastern Europe and the Germanic countries, aguardiente around Latin America or mezcal historically, this spirit is often rustic and commonly made at home. This version is a more elegant intro and hopefully leads the way to more mahua being imported.
Taste Rating: 4.5
TAIWANESE WHISKY
Kavalan Single Malt Whisky Vinho Barrique Cask Strength
www.kavalanwhisky.com/en
This October 2023 saw the first re-release of Kavalan Single Malt Whisky’s Single Cask Strength Series since 2018. I visited the Kavalan distillery in Taiwan’s Yilan County in 2016, and have written about and appreciated their whiskies since they launched in 2005. These four releases are Kavalan ex-Bourbon Cask Strength Whisky, Oloroso Sherry Cask Strength Whisky, Vinho Barrique Cask Strength Whisky and Port Cask Strength Whisky. From this new series, I only tried the latest Kavalan Vinho Barrique Cask Strength Whisky ($249.99 SRP), aged in re-charred and toasted former American oak wine barrels. Vanilla tropical fruitiness dominates given the fast aging that occurs in Taiwan’s super humid climate. But peppery citrus and dark chocolate bring some intriguing high-low contrast to the Vinho Barrique’s ripeness.
Taste Rating: 4.5
TEQUILA
Socorro Tequila Blanco
https://socorrotequila.com
Dallas-based Socorro Tequila was co-founded by spirit industry vets, Josh Irving + Pablo Antinori, and is distilled in Arandas in the Highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, with a meaningful clean water “give back” initiative behind their brand. I’ve only tried the Blanco Tequila ($32.99 SRP), which hits with some nice ripe banana cooked agave notes, but is a more soft, approachable tequila. Thankfully some of those fresh, green agave notes hit first making it work in cocktails.
Taste Rating: 3.5
SCOTCH
Octomore 14.1, 14.2 and 14.3 Single Malt Scotch Whisky
https://bruichladdich.reservebar.com/collections/octomore
I’ve been a fan of and written about Bruichladdich’s Octomore Scotch whisky series since it launched 14 years ago. This September they released the latest 14.1, 14.2 and 14.3 single malts (ranging $220-$300) distilled from 100% Scottish barley, aged five years and bottled close to cask strength. Per usual, their bold yet refined heavy peat drives the flavor profiles and this is another winning round. Octomore 14.1 is the sweeter release given its ex-bourbon cask aging. It exudes vanilla, caramel, citrus and green notes playing with all that smoky peat. Given the sweetness, it’s the one you could call medicinal. Octomore 14.2 goes more savory, toasty, earthy, sweet and silky, aged in Oloroso and Amarone casks. Octomore 14.3 is distilled from 100% Concerto Islay barley grown at their Octomore farm, aged in a combination of American and European oak. Toffee vanillans hit with cinnamon spice, earth and all that cigarette ash.
Taste Rating: 4 to 5
NA (Non-Alcoholic)
Three Spirit
https://us.threespiritdrinks.com/collections
Designed by bartenders, Three Spirit has been turning out some of the best non-alcoholic “spirits” since launching in London in 2018. This fall, they released brand new, sleek packaging for their trio of their non-alcoholic spirits: watermelon-guava-ginger-laden Livener, the cacao and apple hit of Social, and the spiced, woody depth of Nightcap. Environmental packaging means 52% recycled glass and their admirable waste and CO2 reduction processes. Each NA spirit is balanced and crushable, lovely on the rocks or chilled on their own.
Taste Rating: 4 to 4.5
MIXERS
Hipstirs Craft Cocktail Syrups
To be fair, I was only able to try HipStirs craft cocktail syrups new seasonal holiday syrup line: Pumpkin Spice, Old Fashioned and Cranberry Pie ($13.99 each or Holiday Gift Pack trio: $39.99). There are flavors in the regular line that jump out more, whether Lavender Haze or Blackberry Mint. The Austin, Texas, company was recently acquired by the great Liquid Alchemist. For me, the holiday flavors don’t come close to Liquid Alchemist’s best. Old Fashioned is the best of the three, though least interesting, with its balance of Angostura-esque bitters spice and not-too-cloying sweetness. Pumpkin Spice was fun in its carrot-orange color, but had a strong hit of coconut, though nowhere to be found in the ingredients. Still, it worked well in coconut-y, spiced tiki drinks. Cranberry Pie was my 2 star rating, the fresh, tart cranberry for me was ruined by a heavy hit of maple syrup sweetness that overwhelmed all other notes when I tried it in cocktails, though maple is not listed as an ingredient.
Taste Rating: 2 to 3
IRISH WHISKEY
Waterford Whisky’s Organic Gaia: Edition 2.1
https://shop.waterfordwhisky.com/products/organic-gaia-2-1
Waterford Whisky’s Organic Gaia: Edition 2.1 ($79.99 SRP) is another winner from the sustainable, organic, terroir-driven Irish Whiskey producer I wrote about when launching back in 2021. At 50% ABV, the organic barley-based Edition 2.1 reflects terroir and organic grains like the preceding Edition. Flavorwise, the palate exudes that classic Irish Whiskey peach profile, contrasted by dry spice, white pepper, citrus and salty nuttiness, rounded out by bready, milk chocolate whispers.
Taste Rating: 4.5
AMERICAN WHISKEY
Kentucky Owl Maighstir Edition Bourbon Limited Release
https://kentuckyowlbourbon.com/shop/maighstir-edition
Kentucky Owl has done it again with their latest Kentucky Owl Maighstir Edition Bourbon Limited Release at a pricey $150 per bottle. Created by Scotch master blender Maureen Robinson and Kentucky Owl master blender John Rhea, Maighstir (pronounced May-stir, Gaelic for “Master”) blends 4, 5, 8 and 9 year old Kentucky Straight Bourbons with wheat and rye. It tastes youthful — closer to the younger years in the blend vs. 9 years — first hitting as nutty and warm, with the expected caramel, vanilla and baking spice balanced by green and citrus notes. I prefer Maighstir to last year’s Takumi Edition.
Taste Rating: 4
Ready for another round? Visit Virginia’s website http://www.theperfectspotsf.com/wp02/for last month’s edition, plus personal recommendations on the best spots in cities around the world.
