With such a wide variety of bold spirit bottles out there, sometimes a simple design can be striking. And, the simple white label of Leopold’s American Small Batch caught my eye the last time I was browsing for new bottles at my local store. The independently owned and operated Leopold Bros. was founded by brothers Todd and Scott Leapold in the 2000’s. They first established the brand in Michigan, but soon moved near Denver in their home state of Colorado to build their current distilling facilities on four acres of land. They use sustainable methods such as water recycling and composting to help produce a range of spirits, including: […]
I’ve been on a big gin kick for past few months, so I’ve been keeping an eye out for some new and interesting bottles, especially ones from smaller distilleries. And, when I came across Jewell Gin, I was immediately intrigued by the elegant label and high proof. The family-owned Jewell Distillery is located in Blue Lake, California, a small city in Humboldt county in northern California. The owners, Michael and Barbara Jewell, use their vintage still from the prohibition era to make small batch gins. Their flagship, Jewell Gin, begins with a spirit made from organic Italian wheat that’s vapor infused with 13 different botanicals. These […]
I can tell the popularity of gin is increasing rapidly, because I keep seeing bottles from unexpected places in the United States. In fact, I think this bottle of Silo Gin is the first spirit I’ve ever seen from a Vermont distillery. Owners of Silo Distillery Peter Jillson and Ann Marie Delaney, first established the distillery in 2013. Inspired by Vermont’s natural beauty, the pair had a mission to make spirits using local ingredients. They started with a corn based vodka, but have since expand their offerings to include gin, whiskey and cider. The recipe for Silo Gin is fairly simple. Local corn and apples are mixed with juniper […]
Maybe I was a bit too influenced by Ryan Reynolds’ handsome face, because I was pretty eager to try Aviation Gin. But, I was also looking to try some affordable American gin, so maybe that’s not a bad thing. Aviation Gin was first created by Portland, Oregon based House Spirts in in the mid 2000’s. Years of growth drew attention from larger spirit companies and celebrities, and the Davos Group and actor Ryan Reynolds bought the brand with House Spirts continuing to distill the gin in their facilities. Aviation was bought a second time by Diageo in 2020 with Ryan Reynolds retaining an ownership interest. Aviation is made with seven […]
Las Californias Nativo Gin is produced by Bodega y Destilería de las Californias. A relatively new brand that launched their first Gins just a few weeks ago, Las Californias is inspired by a particular region – the California landscape that straddles both sides of the U.S. -Mexican border. Using botanicals present in the region, Las Californias aims to reflect the interconnectedness of an ecosystem that transcends man-made borders. This particular bottle of Nativo Gin uses botanicals that are all native to the area. These botanicals include california juniper, yerba santa, damiana, kelp, californian hops, white sage, and california […]