Our Favorite Non-Whiskey Bottles of 2022
Although whiskey gets a lot of our attention, we do appreciate mixing it up from time to time! There’s a world of spirits out there to explore and we’ve tasted quite a lot of it. These are our favorite non-whiskey releases from 2022!
Dec 03, 2022
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12This 100% Highlands blue agave añejo tequila is crafted by Maestra Tequilera Ana Maria Romero Mena. Uniquely, the tequila is aged for 18 months in a series of four types of casks. First it's aged in American white oak, then in French oak, followed by acacia wood, and for the last two months, it's aged in cherry wood. Like the other Mijenta Tequilas, the paper label and box are all made from agave waste products. Available online beginning May 2, 2022 for the first two months followed by a wider release in select states. (SRP $199)
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11Casa Dragones Reposado Mizunara is the fourth release for the tequila brand. Like previous releases, this is a 100% blue Weber agave tequila using agaves harvested from the Tequila Valley in Jalisco. For maturation, the brand worked with an independent cooperage in Japan who custom crafted the rare Japanese Mizunara oak casks used here. The tequila was rested exclusively in these casks and then bottled at 80 proof. Available as of September 2022. (SRP $169.99)
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10Located in Grenada, the Renegade Rum Distillery puts a focus on the microclimates of the island as well as the sugarcane varieties that are harvested there. Here, they used the Purple Tallboy variety from Upper Crater Lake South terroir area on Lake Antoine Farm. Fresh sugarcane juice was distilled using a pot still and the rum was bottled without aging and with no chill-filtering, coloring or sugar added. Available in the US as of August 2022. (SRP $65)
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9This is the second limited edition of Sipsmith's gin made in partnership with The Championships, Wimbledon. Strawberries harvested in 2021 from Hugh Lowe Farms in Kent, the same ones served at the tennis matches, are vapor-infused with English mint, using Sipsmith's London Dry Gin as a base. It is bottled at 40% ABV and available while supplies last as of May 31, 2022. (SRP $29.99)
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8This is part of the brand's 2022 re-launch. It consists of a 100% blue Weber agave tequila that is matured for 4 to 6 months in casks that previously held Puligny-Montrachet wine. It is bottled at 40% and available as of March, 2022. (SRP $44.99)
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7Mount Gay Madeira Cask Rum is the fifth release in the limited edition Master Blender Collection. It's a column still rum, and is wholly aged in the French oak Madeira casks for a period of six years. The release was overseen by Master Blender Trudiann Branker and is bottled at 110 proof. Available beginning October 2022. (SRP $220)
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6Neptunia is a limited edition gin crafted by Hendrick's Master Distiller Lesley Gracie. For this bottling, Gracie was inspired by the rugged Ayrshire coast of southwest Scotland which is just two miles away from Hendrick's Gin Palace. Neptunia is "infused with a blend of coastal botanicals and a crisp citrus finish," according to the brand. Available as of March 2022. (SRP $39.99)
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5Las Californias is a gin brand developed by the Casa Lumbre team and Master Distiller Iván Saldaña. The gins are made with botanicals from both the California and Baja, Mexico coasts. This expression features kelp, California hops, white sage, California Artemisia, yerba santa, California juniper, and damiana. It is bottled at 42% ABV and available as of July, 2022. (SRP $32.99)
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4Released in April 2022, Fords Gin Co. Sloe Gin is a liqueur made with Fords London Dry Gin and sloe fruit from England and France. The sloe fruit is allowed to steep in a higher proof Fords Gin for 12 weeks. Then it's sweetened with sugar and brought down to 58 proof for bottling. This is the second release in the brand's Journeys in Gin limited release series following Officers' Reserve. (SRP $34.99)
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3Juniper Décadence is a limited edition gin released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Citadelle Gin which was first released in 1996. For this gin, the same 19 botanicals are used in its production as the Original bottling including violet, almond, lemon and orange peels, licorice, grains of paradise, cubeb, cumin, and star anise among others. However, a large proportion of juniper used here was sourced from the Cognac region. Additionally, the gin was aged for a time in small toasted juniper barrels which were built with straight sides as the wood is not suitable for long, curved staves. Available in select markets in the US as of August 2022. (SRP $34.99)
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2SG Shochu — a shochu brand from the SG Group founded by bar industry luminary Shingo Gokan — has launched in the US after initial launches in Japan (2020) and China (2021). This is one of three shochu expressions for the brand, each one made in collaboration with three different shochu distilleries in Kyushu, Japan. For the Mugi (barley) shochu, five types of barley were used in its production at the Sanwa Shurui Co. For Japanese shochu, no additions are allowed to be added to the final product except water so that means there is no sugar, coloring or artificial flavors added. (SRP $75)
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1This is the second Legacy Edition bottling, a series of limited edition rums released by Papa's Pilar. This 2022 edition also marks the 70th anniversary of the release of Ernest Hemingway's novel The Old Man and the Sea — a book which Hemingway finished on his boat named Pilar. Crafted by Master Distiller Ron Call, the rum is a blend of 9 different rums from 5 sources (Barbados, Dominican Republic, Panama, Venezuela, and Florida). The blend is finished in French oak apple brandy casks. Each bottle is wrapped with genuine leather and has a pocket on the back with a notebook and pen included. Available as of November 2022, the brand will donate $20 for each bottle sold to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. (SRP $102.99)