With spirit prices aways on the rise, I’ve been keeping an eye out for more affordable bottles. And, Cutty Sark Blended Scotch has been top of my list after my grandfather mentioned it as a popular whisky from back in his college days, when he would bartend to make some extra money. Cutty Sark, named after the fastest ship in the early 1900’s, was first created in 1923 by legendary spirit and wine merchants Francis Berry and Hugh Rudd (from Berry Bros. & Rudd) and Scottish Artist James McBey. Their ultimate goal was to create a lighter style of blended whiskey to ultimately sell internationally. It took a while to establish the brand in […]
Ginarte Dry Gin is produced by Ginarte SRL, an Italy-based spirits company. As a brand, Ginarte is inspired by the various botanicals that were used to produce pigments in the era of renaissance artists. The recipe includes 13 botanicals including juniper berries, calamint, safflower, mignonette, rubia, indigo, wild celery, lavender, hibiscus, elderflower, pine buds, mountain pine, and pine needles.
To start, the juniper berries are infused in wheat alcohol before being distilled in a discontinuous vacuum alembic still. The botanicals are then distilled using using the same process but a slightly different ABV of wheat alcohol. During […]
I’m usually an easy mark for novel spirit bottles, but Engine Organic Gin is probably my favorite design to date. The bold red, blue, and white immediately stood out, and I knew I had to try it. Paolo Dalla Mora, fashion and spirit entrepreneur, was inspired by both racing aesthetics from the 1970’s and 80’s, and Rosolios, a traditional Italian sweet liqueur. Rosolios is a popular digestive in Piedmont, the region where Engine is produced, and is commonly made using lemon and sage. With Italian traditions being a big inspiration for Engine, most of the ingredients are sourced from across Italy. The gin is made using lemons from Sicily, licorice roots from Calabria, sage and damask rose […]
Desert Door Texas Sotol is produced at Desert Door Distillery in Driftwood, Texas. Desert Door aims to celebrate the history and legacy of Sotol – a unique spirit made by the natives of what is now west Texas. As a brand, they also engage in conservation efforts through their nonprofit, Wild Spirit Wild Places – including projects such as pollinator conservation, controlled burns, and more. Similar to agave, the sotol plant is a grass-like shrub native to the Chihuahua Desert. Desert Door harvests their sotol wild, selecting plants that are between 10-15 years old. The heart is then cooked in steam, pressed individually, and fermented […]
I think this is the first time I’ve seen a label that makes me think of public transportation. But this simple and striking design successfully drew me in and made me excited to try Do the Rye Thing from Hudson Whisky NY.
Whiskey hadn’t been distilled in New York since prohibition until Ralph Erenzo decided to establish a distillery in 2003. A gristmill sitting on 36 acres of land in the Hudson River Valley became what is now Tuthilltown Spirits Distillery. To lean into their New York pride, Hudson sources their grains from local farms. Hudson are now fully owned by the Scottish company, William Grant & Sons. BOTTLE SPECS ❖ Spirit: […]