28 Craft Spirits to Improve Any Party

INC MAGAZINE

By Coeli Carr Journalist in New York City@coelicarr

Entrepreneurial spirits

The artisanal booze biz is growing at a 40 percent annual clip, giving the cocktail generation new batches of gins, whiskeys, and liqueurs. Here’s a look at some of the newest adult beverages.

1. Black Button Distilling (2012)

Entrepreneur Jason Barrett, Rochester, N.Y.
Four Grain Bourbon Distillate from local corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley is aged in medium-size charred, white oak barrels, yielding a four-grain, sweet-spicy finish.

2. Bully Boy Distillers (2010)

Entrepreneurs Dave and Will Willis, Boston
Estate Gin In addition to typical gin botanicals, Estate adds hibiscus and lavender to their distillate made from hard-red winter-wheat flour and fermented apples.

3. Catoctin Creek Distilling Company (2009)

Entrepreneurs Scott and Becky Harris, Purcellville, Va.
Kings Mountain American Malt Whiskey Malted barley and hops are co-fermented, with the resulting pungent ale-flavored distillate barrel-aged for about two years.

4. Cooperstown Distillery (2013)

Entrepreneur Eugene Marr, Cooperstown, N.Y.
Cooper’s Clear White Whiskey Locally sourced non-GMO corn, rye, and oats, plus mineral-rich water yield moonshine-style whiskey.

5. Dry Fly Distilling (2007)

Entrepreneurs Kent Fleischmann, Don Poffenroth, Spokane, Wash.
O’Danagher’s American HibernianLocal raw barley, wheat, and oats are triple-distilled and aged five years.

6. Few Spirits (2010)

Entrepreneur Paul M. Hletko, Evanston, Ill.
Few Breakfast Gin Earl Grey tea leaves, juniper, and lemon peel added during redistillation yields an intensely herbal-scented gin.

7. Golden Moon Distillery (2008)

Entrepreneur Stephen A. Gould, Golden Colo.
Ex Gratia A peppery finish liqueur in the genipe style, it uses three varieties of the herb lesser wormwood as its key flavor.

8. Golden Moon Distillery (2008)

Entrepreneur Stephen A. Gould, Golden, Colo.
Golden Moon Kummel Based on a Central European liqueur popular with Scotland’s golfers, it mingles earthy caraway with mint and lemon.

9. Great Lakes Distillery (2004)

Entrepreneur Guy Rehorst, Milwaukee
Menomonee Valley Rye Sitting seven years in 53-gallon barrels, this four-grain distillate is the longest-aged American whiskey produced in Wisconsin.

10. Great Northern Distilling (2013)

Entrepreneur Brian Cummins, Plover, Wis.
Rye Whiskey Distillate from local rye, rye malt, and corn is aged a year in new, charred barrels from Wisconsin and Minnesota.

11. Harvest Spirits (2007)

Entrepreneur Derek Grout, Valatie, N.Y.
Apple Brandy Distillate from Fuji apples grown in the producer’s own orchards is aged five years in large, used, Kentucky bourbon barrels.

12. House Spirits Distillery (2004)

Entrepreneurs Christian Krogstad, Thomas Mooney, Portland, Ore.
Westward Oregon Straight Malt Whiskey Local barley and pricier ale yeast in the fermentation process deepens the flavor profile.

13. House Spirits Distillery (2004)

Entrepreneurs Christian Krogstad, Thomas Mooney, Portland, Ore.
Aviation Old Tom Gin The only gin in the world that uses sarsaparilla as part of its botanicals mix.

14. Kings County Distillery (2010)

Entrepreneurs Colin Spoelman, David Haskell, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Bourbon, Wine Cask Finish The distillery’s own aged bourbon is further aged in a New York State-made fortified-wine cask that provides a fruity finish of dates and raisins.

15. Kings County Distillery (2010)

Entrepreneur Colin Spoelman, David Haskell, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Peated Bourbon Smoky-finish distillate from New York State, made with raw corn, U.K.-malted barley and peated malt and aged in small, American white-oak barrels.

16. Koval (2008)

Entrepreneurs Robert Birnecker, Sonat Birnecker Hart, Chicago
Koval Barreled Gin Aged in whiskey barrels, Koval has a new-oaky flavor profile and a rich caramel color.

17. Koval (2008)

 Robert Birnecker, Sonat Birnecker Hart, Chicago
Koval Mikkeller Single Barrel WhiskeyA whiskey distilled from organic chocolate malt and organically grown oats, with a citrus finish.

18. Middle West Spirits (2008)

Etrepreneurs Brady Konya, Ryan Lang, Columbus, Ohio
OYO Dark Pumpernickel Rye Distillate from a mash of regional rye flour, aged three to four years in large, American white-oak barrels.

19. Middle West Spirits (2008)

Entrepreneurs Brady Konya, Ryan Lang, Columbus, Ohio
OYO Sherry Finished Whiskey Aged for five-years, this whiskey rests in American sherry casks for another year and gets a chocolate and currant finish.

20. Montanya Distillers (2008)

Entrepreneurs Karen and Brice Hoskin, Crested Butte, Colo.
Montanya Rum Exclusiva Rum distilled from non-GMO Louisiana sugar cane, aged over three years with a tannic finish from French-oak port barrels.

21. Muddy River Distillery (2011)

Entrepreneurs Robbie and Caroline Delaney, Belmont, N.C.
Spiced Carolina Rum Vanilla, cinnamon, and root spices added to molasses-rum distillate creates a soft, root beer finish.

22. Philadelphia Distilling (2006)

Entrepreneur Andrew Auwerda, Philadelphia
Bluecoat Barrel Finished Gin Neutral grain spirit is re-distilled with organic gin botanicals, then aged for six months in new, charred, American oak barrels.

23. St. Augustine Distillery (2011)

Entrepreneurs Philip McDaniel, Mike Diaz, St. Augustine, Fla.
Pot Distilled Rum Distillate from regional sugar cane syrup and molasses, aged in the distiller’s own bourbon barrels.

24. Santa Fe Spirits (2010)

Entrepreneur Colin Keegan, Santa Fe
Slow Burn Smoked Gin Liqueur A dry gin infused and flavored with smoke from burning hickory and apple wood, and sweetened for a hay-and-heather finish.

25. South Hollow Spirits (2013)

Entrepreneur Dave Roberts, Jr., Truro, Mass.
Dry Line Gin Cane-based spirit that gets a re-distillation with 11 botanicals, including citrus peel, spicy grains of paradise, and juniper and angelica root.

26. Traverse City Whiskey Co. (2010)

Entrepreneurs Chris Fredrickson, Moti Goldring, Jared Rapp, Traverse City, Mich.
North Coast Rye Rye distillate aged in new, large, American white-oak barrels, heavily toasted and then charred for a spicy, toasted almond finish.

27. Wiggly Bridge Distillery (2012)

Entrepreneurs Dave Woods, David Woods II, York, Maine
Gin Sour mash family recipe used in its whiskeys yields a light, subtle, juniper dry gin with a complex citrus finish. 

28. Yellow Rose Distilling (2012)

Entrepreneurs Ryan Baird, Troy Smith, Randy Whitaker, Houston
Maple Rye Whiskey Rye distillate aged in new oak barrels and finished in used maple-syrup barrels.