Spirited Holiday Gift Guide
There are only a few days left until Christmas and Hanukkah, so if you're racking your brain trying to figure out what to buy, try something from this list!
Dec 20, 2016
-
10Sweet & HerbalThe base of this Rock & Rye is a blend of straight American rye whiskies, varying in their age. There's a variety of traditional and modern flavorings, including citrus peels, rock candy, Angostura bitters, horehound, and raw honey. It is bottled at 84 proof.
-
9Rich & SweetCooper Spirits follows up their initial Hochstadter's Slow & Low Rock & Rye, bottled at 84 proof, with this 100 proof edition. While the same flavorings are included, rock candy, raw honey, bitters, and air dried navel oranges, apart from the higher proof another change is in the form of an older whiskey. Here, it's an 8-year-old rye whiskey, sourced from an unspecified location.
-
8Oily & Earthy"Mosto Verde" ("green must" in Spanish) refers to the technique of distilling the wine before the fermentation is complete, with the aim of preserving the fresh, floral aromas of the grape. BarSol's flagship Pisco starts with 100% aromatic italia grapes fermented until the alcohol reached 3-5%, then distilled to the precise proof at which it is to be bottled (Peruvian Pisco may not be diluted with water).
-
7Fruity & RichThis Calvados from the Pays d'Auge is produced in Le Breuil-en-Auge, in Lower Normandy. As is required of this region, the Calvados is double-distilled in copper pot stills. It is aged in French oak at the Château for at least 8 years.
-
6Sweet & SpicyEl Mayor Blanco is produced from estate-grown 100% Blue Weber agave harvested in Jalisco. The agaves are cooked in an autoclave rather than an oven and the cooked agaves are shredded with a mill rather than a tahona. Twice distilled in copper-lined pot stills, it is bottled at 80 proof without aging in an attention-getting "swoosh"-shaped bottle.
-
5SpicyThe Camarena family of distillers has been producing tequila for 3 generations at La Alteña distillery in the hills of Jalisco. Tapatio is the joint project between Carlos Camarena and Marko Karakasevic of Charbay winery and distillery in Napa. It's made with 100% estate-grown blue agave and fermented with a yeast culture that dates back 75 years. It's aged 8 months in ex-bourbon barrels.
-
4SpicyThis spiced rum is produced at the Foursquare Distillery in Barbados. Foursquare has quite the (good) reputation of not using artificial flavors or added sugar post-distillation unlike many rum bottlers and this spiced rum is no exception. Only real herbs and spices were used.
-
3SweetDistilled in the Dominican Republic, this rum is then aged in a solera system. Ron Matusalem was founded in Cuba, but the family that owned the brand fled in the 1950's due to the Castro regime. It has been made in the Domincan Republic ever since. Note: The Solera 7 is not currently available in the US.
-
2SweetThis is an unaged rye from Redemption, the brand made by Bardstown Distillers. It's a 95% rye and 5% barley.
-
1Spicy & SweetWiser’s has been distilling whisky since the mid-1800s. However, this whisky is relatively new to Wiser’s lineup of affordable whiskies. Small Batch replaced Wiser’s Reserve several years ago and the bottle has recently been given a makeover to better represent its small batch character. This Canadian whisky is produced using traditional distilling methods at a slightly higher proof than the standard 40%. Note: This is not currently available in the U.S.