4 SPIRITS YOU DON’T KNOW… But Should

Article by Virginia Miller

CHRISTIAN DROUIN Pommeau de Normandie

Photo: Virginia Miller

If you love spirits and apples, then Calvados is your is your ideal imbibement. The elegant French version of apple brandy grown in the Calvados region of France, the apple brandy is often rounded out by pears, and in the case of Calvados Christian Drouin, one of the world’s best-selling small Calvados producers (around 150,000 bottles per year), they grow over 30 varieties of apples used to make their Calvados.

Recently spending a quiet morning over coffee and Calvados with the gracious Christian Drouin himself, I learned his father made Calvados as a hobby but never sold a bottle. Christian launched the company in the 1970′s, wisely growing the business in untapped Calvados markets like US, Asia and Russia, now working with his son, even publishing the first recipe books of Calvados cocktails.

Sipping aged beauties like a crisp 1992 vintage, a lively 1982, and a 1972 Calvados prove that fine Calvados is as pleasurable an experience as Cognac, Scotch, whiskey, and the like. On the affordable side, there’s much to excite. Pays d’Auge is light, floral, and popular with bartenders in elevated cocktails, while Blanche de Normandy is a fragrant, clear aperitif that doubled in sales in 2012.

However, I want to alert you to Pommeau de Normandie ($23): this bright spirit is a blend of Calvados and pre-fermented must, or essentially apple juices, made from 20 varieties of apple. It’s crisp, refreshing, a lush exploration of apples that tastes like fall and spring combined. The Christian Drouin line is distributed in the US by SF’s Anchor Distilling.

PALOMINO FINO

In Northern California, we’re ridiculously blessed with pioneers in every realm of drink. Whether beer, wine, or spirits, these few pioneered methods long before we saw them around the country. The earliest craft spirits were happening here decades past at St. George, Germain-Robin, Anchor Distilling. There’s another longtimer you might not recognize: Quady.

Quady Winery was launched by Andrew and Laurel Quady in 1975 in Madera, California (inland between Fresno and Modesto). They specialize in muscat dessert wines and ports, but are known in the cocktail world for Vya Vermouth (Whisper Dry, Extra Dry, Sweet), released in 1999 well before vermouth experienced its widespread resurgence.

The bottling you may not be familiar with is their lovely Palomino Fino ($29.99). Andrew says they modeled it after a traditional Spanish Amontillado sherry, which begins as fino sherry, the driest style. Using biodynamically grown Palomino grapes (the variety sherry is typically made from in Spain) and producing via the painstaking aging and blending Solera method, this elegant fino – we can’t call it sherry – tastes as if it were made in Spain: dry, nutty (think hazelnuts) and ideal after dinner.

ST. GEORGE FAULTLINE GIN

St. George already produces some of the best gins around. Then they go and taunt us with a limited release, this one being their second gin released through K&L’s hand-selected, independent bottlings: Faultline Gin ($34.99). They’re calling it “the 4th gin”, following after St. George’s line-up of three.

Think St. George’s vivacious use of botanicals with savory celery seed and roasted orange peels for a smoky, umami essence. It shines in a gin and tonic or a Bloody Mary… and there’s only 900 bottles produced. I can’t help but wish it was permanently the 4th gin.

DIDIER MEUZARD Ratafia de Bourgogne

Didier Meuzard has been producing gorgeous Burgundian eaux de vie and brandies (like marc brandy, France’s version of grappa) for decades – you’d do well trying any of them. But you just might fall in love with Ratafia de Bourgogne ($52), which you can order by the pour at The Alembic.

Ratafia is almost like a wine cordial, not unlike Christian Drouin’s Pommeau. Fresh grape must (not yet fermented) is added to brandy for a dynamic, lush pour. It’s a brandy simultaneously tart, light and sweet, stunning as an aperitif before dinner or as a midday sip.

10 Best Spirits Releases of 2012

Article by Virginia Miller, Press photos/from brand websites

Each year holds a range of interesting spirits released from around the globe. As the craft spirit industry continues to explode, there are many exciting newcomers this year. Here are some of the best of what’s crossed my desk in 2012.

FORD’s GIN ($27) -  The 86 Company is a new venture from spirits and cocktail world stars Simon Ford (former International Brand Ambassador for Plymouth Gin), Jason Kosmas and Dushan Zaric (owners of New York’s Employees Only bar, authors of Speakeasy). Just last month, they released Caña Brava Rum (a Panama rum, aged 3 years), Aylesbury Duck Vodka, and Ford’s Gin. It’s the gin I’ve been mixing with at home in every kind of cocktail from a basic gin and tonic to complex Ramos Gin Fizz. The gin’s bright citrus-juniper properties shine in each – and the price is right. Master Distiller Charles Maxwell, of Thames Distillers, worked with Ford to develop Fords Gin, made with nine botanicals, including juniper, coriander, cassia, jasmine, bitter orange, grapefruit peel. A nice, local connection (and environmental plus): distilled gin is shipped in bulk to and bottled by our own Charbay in Napa, cut with fresh Mendocino County water.

HIGH WEST CAMPIRE WHISKEY ($54) – Though I’ve been partial to Balcones Brimstone when it comes to a wild and wooly American smoked whiskey (in Balcones’ case, a corn whiskey smoked with Texas scrub oak), High West’s new Campfire continues in that rugged vein,  smoky with Old West charm. Bourbon, rye and smoky single malt are blended together in a spicy, woody, sweet, floral whole that makes me crave BBQ.

IMBUE PETAL & THORN Vermouth ($27) - From Portland and the creators of bittersweet vermouth Imbue (Derek Einberger, Neil Kopplin, and Jennifer Kilfoil), Imbue’s Petal & Thorn is a gorgeously bitter gentian liqueur using homegrown beets for color, alongside cinnamon and menthol – a truly unique elixir that’s lovely with soda on the rocks, in twists on classic cocktails like the Negroni, and on its own.

TEMPUS FUGIT KINA L’AVION D’OR ($35) – Fresh off the heels of their unparalleled Crème de Menthe and Crème de Cacao last year, Tempus Fugit does it again with Kina L’Avion D’or. Reminiscent of Lillet and Cocchi Americano but with a more intense flavor punch and elegant bitter quotient, it’s made from a hundred year old recipe from a Swiss distillery… a shining beauty in the quinquina family of aperitifs, distinct with quinine bite.

1512 SPIRITS Poitín ($39) – Poitín is a rare Irish spirit made in this case from potatoes and barley (the word poteen refers to small pot stills in which the liquor is historically made). Clear, bold and light, it evokes cucumber and Summer, with the spirit of an eau de vie and robustness of a white whiskey. There’s nothing quite like it.

WAHAKA MADRE CUISHE MEZCAL ($80) – New to the US this year, Wahaka Mezcals are solid across the line, from an affordable Espadin Joven ($30) to an award winning Tobala ($80). I especially appreciate the earthier Madre Cuishe ($80), made from the wild agave plant of the same name, evoking fresh earth, cigar ash, citrus even fresh, green vegetables. If you get a taste of their Real Matlatl Tobala Mezcal ($125), it’s blissfully like sucking on a stone, intensely earthy, fascinating – for the mezcal aficionado.

CHATEAU de LAUBADE BLANCE ARMAGNAC ($55) – From a Gascon, family-run Armagnac house established in 1870, this clear, refined Armagnac has more in common with an elegant grappa or pisco than beautifully rough and ready Armagnacs. Airy yet substantial with pear and floral notes, the lack of color is due to it being an unaged Armagnac. The purity of the base, made from 100% Folle Blanche grapes, shines. Consider it the cleaner, lighter side of brandy.

LEOPOLD BROTHERS FERNET ($35) – First tasting Leopold Brothers’ Fernet straight from the vat as it was fermenting when I visited their family-run Denver distillery in Sept. 2011, its release this year yielded a lighter, layered fernet-style amaro, where ginger, mint, cacao and floral notes peek out alongside the menthol bitterness Fernet is known for – the brothers (Todd and Scott) added sarsparilla root and molasses for a distinctly American touch.

GLENFIDDICH MASTER MALT Edition ($90) – This limited-edition whisky was released in September from the classic distillery, one of only four in Scotland still owned and run by the same family since the 1800′s. At 18,000 bottles, it’s small production for Glenfiddich, celebrating their 125th anniversary. Malt Master Brian Kinsman crafted this double-matured whisky, which spent roughly 6 to 8 years in used Bourbon barrels, then 4 to 6 years in sherry casks. Sherry characteristics hit first but don’t overpower, with accompanying brine and spice.

FOUR ROSES 2012 Limited Edition SINGLE BARREL BOURBON ($90)  – A bracing bourbon at 100-114 proof, depending on the barrel, with only 3600 bottles released, Master Distiller Jim Rutledge has personally selected these uncut, unfiltered 12 year bourbon barrels for special release this year, among the more noteworthy whiskey tastes of 2012.

Tasting craft beers alongside (expensive) Scotch at Highland Park & The Beer Chicks fantastically fun seminar at WhiskyFest SF 2012 (photo: Daniel Stumpf)

TASTING SPIRITS

Photos (unless otherwise noted) and article by Virginia Miller

NAVY STRENGTH GIN REACHES US SHORES

photo source: Plymouth Gin website

Unforgettable: my journey to the south of England in the town of Plymouth and its legendary distillery with Master Distiller Sean Harrison. Possibly the most beautiful distillery I’ve yet visited, I relished drinking Plymouth Navy Strength ($34.99) while in the UK, a bracing version of their classic gin at 57% ABV/114 proof, the preferred gin of the British Royal Navy. Though still smooth like Plymouth gin, Navy Strength packs a greater botanical punch, enlivening cocktails.

The good news is it finally arrived to the US merely weeks ago in September so drink up. It radiates in a classic Pink Gin (2 parts Plymouth Navy Strength, 3-4 dashes of Angostura bitters, lemon twist to garnish), which I enjoyed in the hills above Plymouth made by Harrison using fresh drops of reservoir water from the reservoir we enjoyed tea alongside. 

RECAPPING WHISKYFEST 2012

The sassy, lovely Beer Chicks (photo: Daniel Stumpf)

This year’s WhiskyFest was another memorable one. The hilarious Martin Daraz of Highland Park and the uber cool Beer Chicks, Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune (their book, The Naked Brewer, just released), killed it with their laughter-packed seminar. There wasn’t enough room for all who wanted to attend their tasting pairing Highland Park whiskies, all the way up to the glorious 30 year (still a favorite every time I taste it) with well-chosen craft beers selected by the Beer Chicks – a number of pairings went shockingly well together. This seminar should definitely return next year, giving all those who missed it a chance to partake of the joys.

Get him a stand-up comedian gig already! Highland Park's hilarious Brand Ambassador Martin Daraz (photo: Daniel Stumpf)

Digging further into the independent distillery line of BenRiach whiskies with international Brand Ambassador Stewart Buchanan was a highlight, whether the affordable steal of 10 year Curiositas, a robust, elegant 1995 Pedro Ximenez Cask #7165 (at cask strength, 52.3%) or the otherworldly, perfectly balanced 25 yr. The BenRiach line is a nuanced alternative to an Islay Scotch. Though peaty, these whiskies corner balance, letting the peat shine alongside other layers.

Photo source: Ben Krantz

On the American side, the standout was St. George’s 30th Anniversary XXX Single Malt Blend, a layered blend of whiskies from three generations of St. George distillers, Jörg Rupf, Lance Winters, Dave Smith. This new release (only 715 bottles) is a rare blend of whiskies: Winters’ first single malt distillation, his 1999 single malt aged in Rupf’s pear brandy barrels, a small portion of Lot 12 whiskey, and a whiskey distilled in 2007, aged in a port cask made of French oak. Pear notes shine in this bright whiskey as does ginger, butter, banana, hazelnut and orange peel.

Another Scotch standout was Classic Malts’ Glen Spey 21 year, a limited edition whisky maintaining a lively profile in spite of age from bourbon casks with notes of coconut, caramel, toffee.

THE FIRST SF CRAFT SPIRITS CARNIVAL

My favorite new taste at Spirits Carnival: Rhum J.M. Millesime 1997

Held this weekend in the massive Fort Mason, the first SF Craft Spirits Carnival was yet another opportunity for the consumer and industry to sample a wide range of international spirits. Though burlesque felt off in the middle of the vast space, acrobatics were more in line as we explored a US craft spirits-heavy selection with a good mix of Scotch, tequila, rum and the like from around the globe surrounded by gorgeous Bay and Golden Gate Bridge views.

While a number of my usual favorites were there (Highland Park, St. George, Old World Spirits, Charbay, Rhum Clement), there were quite a few new releases to taste. Charbay started importing beloved Tapatio tequila earlier this year, one of the best values out there for quality tequila, and at the Carnival, poured Tapatio’s just-imported Reposado and Anejo tequilas. Finally in the States, both are green, bright beauties thankfully allowing the agave to dominate over barrel wood.

Local distiller Don Pilar just released a refined Extra Anejo (aged a minimum of three years). Though I am typically not a big Extra Anejo – or sometimes even Anejo – fan when it masks agave properties with too much oak, Don Pilar manages complexity with agave liveliness.

Spirits tasting in a massive Fort Mason pavilion

Greenbar Collective’s (aka Modern Spirits) spiced rum ($30) from downtown Los Angeles could have been too sweet – as their fruit liqueurs were for me – but the spiced rum is subtle, nearly dry, aromatic with allspice, clove, cinnamon, vanilla, and orange zest, redolent of fall.

Michter’s from Kentucky (I’ve long appreciated their 10 year bourbon and their rye) poured their two brand new releases out this month, a decent Sour Mash (86.6%) aged over 4 years, mixable more than sippable, and a robust, cask strength (114.2%) 20 year single barrel bourbon, aged over 20 years with a definite rye spice, although they can’t disclose any information whatsoever on the grain make-up or distilling location.

Tapatio's just imported Reposado & Anejo tequilas

The tasting highlight of the weekend belonged to Rhum Clément. Already a fan of their elegant rhum agricoles from Martinique, they just released a fresh, smoky 6 year old ($56), and a cinnamon, wood, vanilla-inflected 10 year old ($73), both aged in virgin and re-charred oak.

In addition, Rhum Cément Cuvee Homere is aged in French Limousin barriques and re-charred bourbon barrels, smooth with tastes of biscuits, almond butter, hazelnut, chocolate, black pepper, while the stately, pricey Clément XO Rhum, is a Cognac-reminiscent treat blending rhums from highly regarded vintages, like 1952, 1970, 1976, complex with fruitcake, toffee, tobacco, leather. My favorite ended up being a cask strength (though still reasonable under 100 proof) 10 year old Rhum J.M. Millesime 1997, unfolding with toasted nut, lemon, sage, passion fruit, white pepper, cinnamon.

Oddities and kitsch galore at Voyages Into the Unusual

HENDRICK’S GIN:
VOYAGES INTO The UNUSUAL

Photos & Text by Andi Berlin
http://dinnerwithandi.blogspot.com

On June 20-21, San Francisco “opened its mind, unfastened its senses” and joined Hendrick’s Gin in two evenings of unusual revelry (Hendrick’s Voyages Into The Unusual). The Scottish gin company went to great lengths to create a Victorian underworld-themed party, decking out the 100-plus year old Swedish American Hall with anthropomorphic shrubbery, taxidermied animals, sideshow characters and an indoor botanical garden. When we arrived at 9 p.m., the crowd obviously had already taken full advantage of the array of “tipples” offered in each themed room. The main hall was overflowing with swagger and spillage, and everyone – even the actors – was having fun.

Bartenders prepare aquavit and fennel cocktails - a dozen at a time

This character manned the hot air balloon all night, posing for photos and juggling bowling pins

Funky tunes by the house swing band

The centerpiece: a birdman shrub

Upstairs, the "green house" was a sanctuary of Hendrick's herbs, flowers, spices

The yarrow plant is one of 11 botanical ingredients used during distilling

Downstairs was a cabinet of curiosities, including this picture

A mechanized cocktail machine downstairs pours the perfect negroni

One of several "tipples": The Nom de Plume with Lillet Rose, mangosteen, strawberry

A bear waving goodbye - or doing the Thriller dance?

A memorable private Nolet Gin dinner at AQ with owner Carl Nolet, Jr.

WHISKIES of the WORLD Tastes

A better than ever year aboard the SF Belle at Whiskies of the World means some fine, global pours of whisk(e)y from Scotland to Australia.

On the fun and interesting tip, Lark Distillery distills single malt whisky in Tasmania, an Australian island – and it’s surprisingly solid. Distilled in copper pot stills, it’s smooth with a modicum of peat, aged five years, yet with a bit of complexity. I appreciated returning to 10 yr old Masterson’s Straight Rye Whiskey. Aged in charred white oak barrels, this Canadian rye evokes whispers of pepper, vanilla, spice, and a soft sweetness.

Count me smitten with Glenmorangie’s new Artein ($79.50), an elegant whisky of stone fruit, mint, even chocolate and lemon zest, matured in Super Tuscan wine casks. It’s sexy, evening wear without being sweet or dessert-y. Speaking of Glenmorangie, Chef Tyler Stone brought a memorable touch to the evening making boozy, liquid nitrogen bowl after bowl of Glenmorangie’s Nectar D’Or whisky served in a mini-glass with egg white lime foam on top. Brilliant.

Funny enough, my favorite taste of the night, the one I couldn’t get out of my mind (and wanted to linger on my taste buds) was not even a whisk(e)y. It’s a a rare brandy (only 220 bottles out there) of Germain-Robin Small Blend No. 1, blended from a 1990 Austin Ranch Pinot (south of Ukiah), ’94 custom Clos du Val Pinot, ’83 Hildreth Ranch Colombard, and small amount of ’87 Colombard brandy. If you can get your hands on it, it’s a stunner.

GIN TALES

Every time I turn around there’s a new gin. Though not on par with some of the best American gins already out there (Junipero, Death’s Door, St. George’s gins, 209, etc…), these new gins offer yet another gin route for those wanting sweeter gins or to try something new from small producers who care. Here’s two new American gins, and a rare Dutch gin that sells for more than almost any gin in the world.

Greenhook Ginsmiths ($31.99) – As one myself, I value stories of career-changers – Steven DeAngelo left a finance career to launch his own gin, just out in February. Dubbed “ginsmith”, his master distiller is Ed Tiedge who uses very low temperatures, nearly 40 degrees below typical gin distillation temps (approx. 132ºF ) for intense and solidified flavors. It’s non-traditional, with heavy floral, chamomile, coriander, elderflower, orange blossom and ginger notes – a little too sweet for me, but bold and  bright. They’re releasing the first of its kind, a Beach Plum Gin Liqueur soon, a variation of an English sloe gin with plums sourced locally from a beachfront Hamptons’ farm.

Small’s American Dry Gin plays a little more like a London Dry with American roots, made from an 1850′s recipe. Created by the Local Wine & Spirits crew in Oregon who produced Ransom Old Tom Gin and Whipper Snapper Oregon Whiskey, this “American Dry” uses US-grown grains, a mid-19th century recipe and pot-distilled methods. It’s juniper-heavy, a little sweet but also sharply herbaceous, with elegant, Colonial-spirited label and convenient screwcap.

NOLET’S Silver Gin is unique, sweet, floral gin with botanicals including Turkish rose, peach, raspberry… I recently attended a private dinner with Carl H.J. Nolet, Jr., who owns the distillery with his father, Carolus and brother, Bob. We dined at one of San Francisco’s best new restaurants in SF, AQ, complete with cocktails from AQ’s stellar bartending crew, like the Contemporarian, mixing NOLET, chamomile peach tea, citric acid and simple syrup.

NOLET'S Reserve Gin

In a nod to The Aviary in Chicago, they set up a boiler emitting chamomile into the air, rounding out our experience with intense aromas.

A floral Heirloom Rose cocktail (NOLET, simple syrup, lime, rose water) elevated the interplay of botanicals with food alongside Mark Liberman’s gorgeous white tuna cured in beets, hibiscus, and juniper. Best of all, we finished with Carolus Nolet, Sr.’s (a 10th generation distiller who launched Ketel One in the 1980′s) NOLET’S Reserve Dry Gin. Typically selling for over $600 a bottle (K&L has it for $550), this extremely allocated, small production gin is a complex, spicy, verbena-laden imbibement that lingered with me long after dinner was through.

Aromatics from a boiler enhanced drink experience

Carl Nolet, Jr., talks NOLET, sharing a rare bottle of Reserve

BARREL AGED BEAUTIES

Here are two new barrel aged beauties worth seeking out, plus more to look forward to in 2012.

1512 SPIRITS BARREL AGED 100% RYE

We’ve talked small production 1512 Spirits rye before, made by Salvatore (Sal) Cimino in a small, custom still up in Santa Rosa. During the day you’ll find him giving shaves and cutting hair in his classic Nob Hill barbershop.

His brand new release is a barrel-aged 100% Rye, just on the market at merely a handful of bottles ($59.99-per half-bottle) with the largest allocation available through K&L Wines.

1512 Spirits Barrel Aged Rye

Ryes are (blessedly) flooding the market these days but only a handful are made from 100% rye and even less with the one-man attention that goes into 1512. Sal cautiously guards his process, not allowing anyone else present when distilling.

Whiskey fans may quibble about a $60 half bottle when they can get cheaper ryes (or stand-outs like Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye for more). But this rye is the opposite of high production whiskey. One tastes the hands-on care in each sip. Though 100 proof, it is bright, fresh, popping with apple, vanilla, pepper, a gentle rather than bracing spice, and a lingering complexity.

I had the privilege of tasting early batches of 2012′s future releases, including a 105 proof Poitín (or poteen in the States), a rare Irish spirit made in this case from potatoes (the word poteen refers to small pot stills in which the liquor is historically made). Despite the use of potatoes, I would not liken this to potato vodka. Clear, bold and light, it evokes cucumber and Summer, with the spirit of an eau de vie and robustness of a white whiskey. There’s nothing in the US quite like it and it is set to be released in April 2012.

Later in 2012, Cimino is releasing a bracing white wheat whiskey at over 70% wheat (I sampled it at 120 proof but it will be bottled closer to or below 100 proof). For that proof, it’s awfully smooth, evoking surprising flavors from straight-up wheat bread to clean chocolate notes. Another unusual sip, it confirms that this Nob Hill barber is creating some of California’s (and yes, the country’s) more interesting, very small batch, historical spirits. Aged Rye $59.99

BOLS BARREL AGED GENEVER

The classic Dutch spirit, Bols Genever, has been produced by Lucas Bols since 1575. Not many distilleries can boast such a heritage. Master distiller Piet Van Leijenhorst has been crafting Bols for over 25 years. Genever is a spirit often referred to as the original gin that London dry and other gins morphed from. It’s worlds apart from what we commonly call gin, more akin to whiskey in boldness but with its own unique, herbaceous profile.

In trying the new Bols Barrel Aged Genever, which Esquire magazine just named best new liquor of 2011, complexity raises a few more notches. Made with traditional genever botanicals (like cloves, anise, hops, ginger, juniper, etc…), the genever is aged 18 months in French Limousin oak. Bottled in a grey, earthenware bottle, it has substance visually as it does in taste. It drinks bold with a silky texture. Subtly sweet with vanilla honey, cinnamon spice, wood and pepper linger on the finish.

As with a good whiskey, I like to sip Bols Barrel Aged Genever neat, pre or post dinner, but it also gives intriguing dimensionss to classic cocktail greats like a Mint Julep or Manhattan (substitute whiskey for genever). $49.99

A Spirited Winter: Bottles for Gift-Giving

Whether hunting for the latest and unusual spirits as a gift or pour during holiday festivities, these brand new products, a number of them local, are standouts in my incessant sampling.

TEMPUS FUGIT CREME de MENTHE & CREME de CACAO
Praise be for the arrival (finally) of these game-changing liqueurs! I had the privilege of tasting early prototypes of local Tempus Fugit’s Crème de Menthe and Crème de Cacao well over a year ago. One taste and I could never go back to the cheap-tasting versions of both we’ve been stuck with for decades. As popular elements in classic cocktails (you’ll find them all over the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book), Tempus Fugit (TF) revives the crèmes to their original glory using natural herbs and botanicals. Just as they’ve done with Gran Classico and Creme de Violette, they recover recipes from long before chemical additives and mass production.

As I’ve said before, my guilty pleasure cocktail is a Grasshopper (confession: it was my first favorite cocktail at age 21), and no Grasshopper is more revelatory than one made with TF’s menthe and cacao with a splash of cream. Their crèmes also re-invent classic cocktails like the Stinger (brandy, Crème de Menthe) or a Brandy Alexander (cognac, Crème de Cacao, cream). Creme de Menthe is crisp, minty, like breathing in fresh mountain air. Creme de Cacao is earthy, dark chocolate with a light, subtly sweet hand. Waiting on label approval, TF has two more treasures in store for us, hopefully by early next year: a Fernet (less menthol, more layered herbaceous notes than Fernet Branca), and a Kina, a bitter, bright aperitif most closely related to Lillet. Again, tasting early versions of both historical recipes, I’m not surprised: they’re beauties. $29.99

ESSENTIAL SPIRITS BIERSCHNAPS
Sergeant Dave Classick, master distiller and Vietnam War vet is known for his gold and silver rums. Besides being a Bay Area local (his distillery is in Mountain View), he runs Essential Spirits, producing a grappa, bierschnaps, and a pear brandy. All three (or the rums, for that matter) make worthy gifts, but “most unusual” points go to the bierschnaps. Distilled in an Alambic still, this clear, Bavarian spirit is brewed from, you guessed it: beer, a California Pale Ale (light on the hops) which they brew themselves. Smooth like a quality vodka, it elicits elements from spirits as varying as grappa to tequila, retaining a dry finish from American malt. A rare German treat, enjoy on the rocks, as a martini, or in Sergeant Classick’s own Classick Lime Ricky. $34.99

BITTERMENS SPIRITS AMERE SAUVAGE
Each November, the Indy Spirits Expo offers excellent small production pours, and even I find a few new surprises every year. This time, a winner was New York’s Bittermens Spirits (yes, of the popular indie bitters line) brand new line of five bitter liqueurs ($29.99). Each is a worthy purchase, whether it be Amère Nouvelle, an Alsatian-style bitter orange liqueur used in classic cocktails like the Amer Biere (pale lager, bitter orange and gentian liqueur), or the limited edition Hiver Amer, a bitter orange-laced cinnamon liqueur, ideal in egg nog or toddies. My favorite at first taste was the Amère Sauvage, an alpine gentian liqueur, using famously bitter gentian root herbs, it is earthy and lush in a White Negroni. $29.99

OLD WORLD SPIRITS GOLDRUN RYE
Old World Spirits, a small gem of a distillery just south of SF in San Carlos, produces a whole line of winners, from their California-spirited Blade Gin and its aged counterpart, Rusty Blade, to their lushly spiced Kuchan Nocino black walnut liqueur. Their new release of Goldrun Rye is the right gift for the whiskey fans among you. K&L Wine Merchants has some of the early bottles available of this long-anticipated rye. With an Old West label, the Gold Rush-inspired rye whiskey evokes warm cereal and whispers of molasses and caramel, smooth enough to convert bourbon drinkers to the spiced pleasures of rye, the “other” American whiskey. More than most, the spice doesn’t overwhelm, rather it tastes as a fresh as just-baked loaf of rye bread. $36.99, 375 ml bottle

CAORUNN GIN
In my recent travels through Scotland, I sampled a brand new Scottish gin (we’re seeing more, e.g. Bruichladdich’s Botanist and Darnley’s Gin made in England but with Scottish connections): Caorunn (pronounced ‘ka-roon’). Besides typical London dry style botanicals like juniper, Caorunn goes a different direction with Scottish ingredients like heather, dandelion, rowan berry, bog myrtle, and Coul blush apple (a total of six traditional and five Celtic botanicals make up the gin). Despite its traditional roots, Caorunn plays against type with rosy apple notes, a crisp body, and dry finish. For gin lovers, it’s a slightly different take. In experimenting at home, I find it works best with rustic apple juice, bringing out its vivacious fall spirit evocative of the gorgeous Scottish Highlands in which it is made (distilled at Balmenach Distillery). $35

Bonus ideas: any of St. George’s three stunning new gins, or Art in the Age’s (Philadeliphia-based company that created Root and Snap liqueurs) brand new Rhuby, a spirit based on 1700′s American rhubarb tea recipes, and made from rhubarb, beets, carrots, lemon, cardamom, pink peppercorn, coriander, vanilla, and pure cane sugar.

Don Julio private dinner at Quince

TEQUILA

DON JULIO 70 ANJEO CLARO

Don Julio 70 Anejo Claro

Don Julio 70 Añejo Claro is the 70th anniversary release created by Don Julio González himself. Yes, he is a person, who retired in 2002 but still creates anniversary recipes each decade (the last was his soft, elegant 1942 tequila released for their 60th anniversary).

At 80 proof, Añejo Claro sounds gimmicky at first: why would someone want to release a clear añejo, stripping out the color oak aging imparts? Don Julio was looking for an unexplored expression of tequila, taking on the challenge of creating his own custom filtration system to filter out color and gain clarity after the Claro is distilled, then aged at 18 months.

El Camino Real Sour at Quince: Reposado tequila, Amaro Cio Caro, lemon, fig, chile

Hoping to illuminate the agave properties that often get lost in an añejo due to too much oak, the agave really shines through here (although it also does in some of the better añejos I’ve tasted).

The bottom line in sipping Añejo Claro is that it’s an elegant product: citrus, green apple, caramel and vanilla notes intermingle with bright agave. It goes down all too smoothly and is a welcome addition to the Don Julio line.

I came away convinced after an intimate media meal at one of our city’s great restaurants, Quince, where we tasted much of the line side-by-side, also sampling the tequilas in 5 different cocktails Quince created. My favorite was Julio Cesar Chavez, a classically-inspired beauty of añejo, Gran Classico, Dolin dry vermouth and Amaro Nonino. Our last cocktail, Don Guapo, was paired with Quince‘s juicy Liberty duck entree (glazed in honey and tequila, naturally), consisting of añejo, Meletti amaro, Pedro Jimenez sherry, and Bittermans Xocolatl Mole bitters.

GRAPPA

(Photo source: Winebow)

In a recent tasting of 12 grappas with spirits industry friends, we concluded the obvious: there are some experimental, even lovely grappas being made in the States, but the finest examples of this pomace-based (grape skins, stems, seeds, pulp) brandy are often from Italy. The best of the day, bar none, was one I’ve had on my shelf for months:  La Grappa di Pino Zardetto, made about 40 miles outside Venice. It exhibits all those floral, fruity, subtle earthy notes of the best Italian grappas… with smooth, exquisite body.

Peach St. Grappas

Stillwater Spirits, a tiny Petaluma distillery I’ve visited a few times (they make a surprisingly flavorful single malt vodka), makes an intriguing Cabernet Sauvignon Grappa. Maple mixes with salty olives, gentle fruit and vanilla spice, and it keeps evolving as it sits.

Peach Street Distillers in Palisade, Colorado, makes a rather heavy-handed Muscat Grappa, but also a bright, fruity Viognier Grappa, with notes of apple, cream, even chocolate.

GIN

DARNLEY’S VIEW

Darnley's View Gin

Darnley’s View is a new gin made in London but produced by the Scottish Wemyss family who date back hundreds of years as vintners and spirits merchants. The gin mimics the London dry style in honor of Mary Queen of Scots’ union with Lord Darnley (a Scottish/English marriage) in 1565. Four times pot distilled, it is made with six botanicals: juniper, coriander, elderflower, angelica root, orris root, lemon peel and elderflower, the latter adding a softly floral dimension. It works as a mixing gin in cocktails.

RUM

St. LUCIA RUMS

Chariman's Reserve (photo source: product website)

I’ve been sipping rums from St. Lucia, an island roughly 20 miles south of Martinique in the Caribbean, claiming both French and English influences. St. Lucia’s Chairman’s Reserve is a blend of rums averaging 5 years in age, sweet and honeyed but not lacking in tobacco and spice to balance it out. The Spiced version sees nutmeg, clove, and citrus, to me subtly recalling wassail, which my family always makes at Christmas time. In some ways, I almost prefer the cheapest Chairman’s Reserve Silver (to the Gold or mainstay Reserve) as here sugarcane, coconut and spice come through with simple clarity.

I find their Castries Crème, a peanut cream that liqueur made from roasted peanuts with St. Lucia rum, rather a guilty pleasure. Creamy, yes. But not too heavy, offset with hints of vanilla and spice. It’s dessert cocktail time with this liqueur.