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 picks of the month:
AMARI
Sennza Finne Amaro
Seattle-based husband-wife duo, Joey & Gillian Diedrick, fell in love with amaro traveling around Italy. As bartenders in their city, they launched Sennza Finne Amaro in 2019, a line of amari for each season ($39.15 each), plus a fifth for “Always.” Always an all-around strong offering in the lineup of bitter liqueurs, flowing from hibiscus and ginger to sarsaparilla. Of the four season-inspired amari, the two I’d give the 4.5 to would be Spring and Summer, though all are good. Spring exhibits vegetal notes of lovage, lemon balm, pea shoots and even a cola, with a long bitter finish. Summer hits with citrus, fennel, florality and bitter gentian. Timeless, classic packaging — and organic ingredients — make the line even more appealing, currently available in eight states, as listed on the website. Taste Rating: 4 to 4.5
VERMOUTH
Boissiere Sweet Vermouth
www.palmbay.com/producers/Boissiere-Vermouth/portfolio/Boissiere-Vermouth-Sweet-Vermouth
Developed in the Chambéry region of France in 1857, Boissiere Vermouth (pronounced BWA-see-air) relocated to the vermouth capitol of Turin, Italy, in 1971, giving the line a French-Italian vibe, two of the great historic countries for vermouth. I only tried Boissiere Sweet Vermouth, a value under $20 that exudes baking spices alongside floral, blackberry, cocoa notes, balanced by savory black pepper. It’s ideal for cocktails, but works nicely on the rocks or mixed with white vermouth. Taste Rating: 4
TEQUILA
Volans Tequila
Late this summer visiting Tequila with the great (and my long beloved) Fortaleza, I had the privilege of meeting Chad and Cristina Allen who founded Volans Tequila with Chad’s mother, Lonnie Allen, in Tequila, Mexico. Chad comes from four generations running Three Rivers Ranch where they host fly fishing travelers in Idaho, as he helps manage the ranch with his mother and siblings. In 2007, he married Cristina from Guadalajara. Her father, Miguel, has long been an agronomist in Jalisco and Michoacán, growing produce, including agaves. As Chad learned more about tequila living between Jalisco and Idaho, his love for the purity of Blue Weber agave grew, while the Allens dreamed of growing their own agave and making tequila. Miguel helped them source the location to grow their agaves, then planted and tended the plants. After visiting 90 distilleries, he also worked with them to find the ideal distillery to produce their tequila.
Since 2016, they have distilled Volans at El Pandillo, another multi-generational family business focused on sustainability, giving back to their community and traditional processes. As the Allens work with their parents, you can taste the love in their Blanco and Reposado, all verified 100% additive free by Tequila Matchmaker (not so easy to find in tequila). Purity and quality shines in these sipping tequilas distilled from agaves cooked in a traditional stone oven for 22 hours, crushed by a handmade tahona, then twice-distilled in copper pot stills. The Blanco is blessedly agave-first on the palate, rolling into whispers of citrus, black pepper and a floral minerality. The Reposado still showcases the agave but enters into nutty, caramelized territory with a balanced touch of oak. Taste Rating: 4.5
GIN
• Feather & Folly Gin
https://drinkfeatherandfolly.com
Feather & Folly Copper Pot Distilled Premium Gin ($35) launched this January 2023 from the Monson family behind Goose Ridge Estate Vineyards and Winery in Washington’s Columbia Valley. Distilled from sustainably farmed, 100% estate grown Goose Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, the base spirit is then infused with six botanicals, some local from the Pacific Northwest, some global. Distiller Brian Morton also produces VIDO Vodka, adding their proprietary “batch 5” gin to the line with Washington juniper berries, angelica, coriander, licorice root, orange zest and Middle East black lime. Citrus hits nice and bright with the black lime and orange zest, while the gin remains juniper and licorice root-forward. It does finish a bit sharp, but integrates and softens in cocktails. First launched in Washington, California, Alaska and via the website, the will soon be expanding nationally. Taste Rating: 4
• Sheringham Distillery Seaside and Kazuki Gins
Sheringham Distillery on Vancouver Island has become my favorite distillery in the Vancouver region thanks to their lovely gins (my recent Distiller Magazine interview with their husband-and-wife founders, Jason and Alayne MacIsaac, here). Seaside Gin is their signature, inspired by the local coast. Botanicals include juniper, rose (wild roses grow along the coast), lavender, citrus, coriander, cardamom and sustainably harvested winged kelp. It’s a balanced, bright gin, with whispers of the sea as the kelp shows subtly. Kazuki Gin was inspired by Vancouver Island’s spring season when cherry blossoms are in bloom, and, as the name hints, has Japan synergy. Botanicals include cherry blossom petals, yuzu peels, green tea leaves and florals grown by Westholme Tea Company. As expected, it leans floral, balanced by the bright yuzu citrus. Taste Rating Seaside: 4.5; Taste Rating Kazuki: 4
BOURBON
• Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Bourbon
www.basilhaydenbourbon.com/red-wine-cask-finish
Released late 2022, this limited edition Basil Hayden Red Wine Cask Bourbon ($59.99) does not disclose age, mashbill or even how much of their high-rye bourbon has been partially aged in Californian red wine casks. But this easy drinking whiskey is a cherry bomb, making it an ideal Manhattan whiskey, with subtle vanilla, brown sugar and charred oak notes. Red wine tannins are minimal until it sits in the glass awhile. Then it becomes more tannic and subtly bitter. While those who like their whiskey more robust may still prefer Booker’s in the same Jim Beam line, this will appeal to those who like a more rounded, sweeter bourbon with tannic bite. It makes a solid cocktail bourbon. Taste Rating: 3.5
• Kentucky Owl® Takumi Edition Bourbon Whiskey
https://kentuckyowlbourbon.com
Released fall 2022, Kentucky Owl® Takumi Edition Bourbon Whiskey by Stoli® Group is the second limited edition release from Kentucky Owl® ($140) in 2022, a collaboration between master blenders John Rhea (Kentucky Owl®) and Yusuke Yahisa (Nagahama Distillery in Japan). White it is a Kentucky bourbon, its process is married to Japanese whisky. Yahisa evaluated hand-selected whiskey samples from Rhea in Japan, creating different blends of ages and mashbills in keeping with Japanese whisky style. A blend of 4-, 5-, 6- and 13-year-old Kentucky straight bourbons, the mashbill includes corn, rye, wheat and malted barley. While I don’t taste much that reminds me Japanese whisky here — especially given the corn-heavy flavor profile — it will appeal to some bourbon lovers as it is more a melange of rye spice, caramel, buttery spice and fruit notes. It’s a nice sip, however, the expectation of Japanese connections or an innovative marriage of the two styles may disappoint some. This mainly drinks like a bourbon. Taste Rating: 3.
NON-ALCOHOLIC (NA)
Everleaf
UK-based Everleaf non-alcoholic aperitif line launched in 2019, just hitting the U.S. October 2022. The colorful labels jump out, with NA spirits/liquids grouped by ingredient and flavor profile themes: Marine (crisp, refreshing), Mountain (vibrant, aromatic), Forest (complex, bittersweet). Created by bar owner and conservation biologist, Paul Matthew, Everleaf plays with botanicals in aperitif-form, ready-made to add tonic or seltzer water and have a mocktail. Each offers a nice complexity, with the Marine including kelp, bergamot and sea buckthorn; the Mountain featuring cherry blossom, strawberry and bittersweet rosehips; while my favorite, Forest, tastes like fall or winter with saffron and orange blossom. All in all, this is a quality ready-to-drink NA line I look forward to tasting more from. Taste Rating: 4
RTDs (Ready-to-Drink/Canned) / NON-ALCOHOLIC (NA)
Free AF Non-Alcoholic RTDs
Founded by Lisa King, Free AF is the number one alcohol-free brand in its home country of New Zealand and the first alcohol-free brand ever available on Air New Zealand. Just launched in the U.S., the innovative element of these RTD cocktails/mocktails is the use of Afterglow, a natural botanical extract that mimics alcohol sensations, providing a kick or buzzy bite to their drinks. They have released four NA cocktails (each 12 pack: USD $45): Cuba Libre, Paloma, Apero Spritz, Vodka Spritz. The Paloma works best, bright, dry and easy to drink with NA tequila, lime, pink grapefruit. The Cuba Libre hits with more cloying vanilla and an almost beachy coconut note that throws off its fun cola hit. King is also behind the Drunk AF podcast, continuing the important global discussion happening around the zero alcohol movement. Taste Rating: 2.5 to 4
MIXERS
Filthy Olive Brine
https://filthyfood.com/products/olive-brine
Filthy is a big cocktail product line of cocktail kits and garnishes like olives, cherries, onions, etc. available in individual, 8 fl. oz. pouches that work well for travel and the like. Of particular interest is their handy, refrigerable pouches of olive brine for dirty martinis or beyond. Filtered five times, with each pouch making about 15 martinis, this vermouth-touched brine from cured olives is not pungent or overwhelming, but still packs a briny, woody, nutty punch. Their site says “makes the world’s cleanest dirty martini” and it really does make a beautiful one. Taste Rating: 5
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.
