SPIRITS
The Spirit of America
Small-batch distilleries are producing quality spirits with locally grown ingredients.
BY MARK SPIVAK
The locavore movement, which places emphasis on consuming locally grown food and ingredients, has spilled over into the world of spirits.
Currently, there are slightly more than 200 craft distillers in the United States, and some of them have been around for decades. In 1981, Ansley Coale met displaced Cognac master Hubert Germain-Robin; the next year, Germain-Robin found an antique still and shipped it to Coale’s ranch; thus began the distillery Germain-Robin in Ukiah, California. They pioneered the concept of making brandy from high-quality wine, and were the first to distill their product from Pinot Noir (as opposed to the standard Colombard or Ugni Blanc). Their Fine Alambic Brandy ($45) was called “the best on the planet” by one reviewer, and their Select Barrel XO ($100) beat out the $1,500 Richard Hennessy in a blind tasting.
There are more and more distilleries producing organic vodka in the United States: TRU, Shadow and Square One (California), Prairie and Crop (Minnesota), Liquid Ice (Idaho), CapRock (Colorado) and Ocean (Hawaii), to name a few. Their fresh, pure taste has caught the attention of consumers, and many of these vodkas are entering mainstream distribution. While they may not qualify as micro-distilleries, the producers are miniscule compared with Smirnoff and Absolut.
Connoisseurs are becoming familiar with Philadelphia Distilling, which turns out a trio of handcrafted spirits from local ingredients. Its Penn 1681 Rye Vodka ($20) is made from grain grown in southeastern Pennsylvania. Distilled five times, Bluecoat American Dry Gin ($25) is made with organic juniper berries and crafted in a custom-built copper pot still. Vieux Carré Absinthe Supérieure ($60), produced by master distiller Robert John Cassell, appeals to one current trend.
Tuthilltown Spirits, in the Hudson Valley, proudly bills itself as New York’s first legal whiskey distillery since Prohibition. It turns out eight small-batch whiskies, the best known of which is Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey ($50). In addition, Tuthilltown produces Spirit of the Hudson and Heart of the Hudson
vodkas, made from Hudson Valley apples and apple cider, respectively.
In Utah, the High West Distillery is breaking new ground. Located at 7,000 feet in the Wasatch Range of the Rockies, High West bills itself as “the world’s only ski-in distillery and gastro saloon.” It produces three whiskies and two vodkas, and is best known for Rendezvous Rye ($50).
How small can the small batch get? Stranahan’s, in Denver, produces just 12 barrels of Colorado Whiskey ($60) each week, compared to thousands of barrels weekly for the large outfits; even so, Stranahan’s is now available in 30 states. It all started when liquor aficionado George Stranahan and volunteer firefighter Jess Graber discovered they had a love for fine spirits in common, and the project grew from there.
In Woodinville, Washington, an area best known for wine, Pacific Distillery makes Pacifique Absinthe ($64) and Voyager Dry Gin ($40), both distilled in an authentic nineteenth-century copper pot still using Old World artisan techniques. Made with organic botanicals, the Voyager Dry Gin is intensely aromatic, with scents of fresh herbs and orange zest. It is excellent in a martini, and also shows its best when combined with a natural mixer such as
Q Tonic or Fever-Tree.
Mark Spivak is the author of spivakonwine.com. He can be reached at NIedit@naplesillustrated.com.
