Awesome Spirits

What’s the latest tequila trend? Still strength and additive-free. Tequila enthusiasts Sammy Hagar and Guy Fieri lead the way with Santo 110 Proof Blanco, their off-the-still proof tequila with none of the junk that too many brands sneak into tequila. No big newsflash there, as all Santo Tequilas are additive-free.

Leave it to the English to create the world’s most interesting gins. Silent Pool is the full-bodied signature gin from a premium distiller in the English countryside. It’s a rich, juniper-forward spirit with floral layers of lavender and chamomile and 24 botanicals in all. Citrus notes are grounded by earthy cassia bark and cubeb.

There’s silver tequila, and then there’s smooth Patrón El Cielo, the brand’s top-shelf ultra-premium silver tequila. The world’s first four-times distilled prestige tequila is made in the Jalisco Highlands in Hacienda Patrón’s smallest copper pot still from 100% natural ingredients and 100% Weber Blue Agave. Salud to Master Distiller David Rodriguez.

If you’ve never tried a Maryland-style rye whiskey, there’s no better place to start than with Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey with baking spices and fruit notes. It’s a meticulously crafted spirit with a harmonious blend of high and low rye mash bills, making it a sound choice for sipping neat or mixing cocktails.

The popularity of Empress 1908’s Indigo Gin and Elderflower Rose Gin has yielded a third addition to the line. Made with eight botanicals, Empress 1908 Cucumber Lemon Gin is a crisp and refreshing blend for cucumber gin lovers. It’s bursting with flavors of citrus, jasmine, and delicate spice.

First released more than 175 years ago, the original Glenmorangie 10-year-old was known for its mellow, delicate flavor. After all this time, The Original still holds our attention with notes of honey, orange, and creamy vanilla. Made in the Scottish Highlands in giraffe-high stills, it rests for a decade in bourbon casks.

Crafted in sunny Barbados by master blender Trudiann Branker, Eclipse Navy Strength is a limited-edition rum from Mount Gay, the world’s oldest-running rum distillery. Matured longer than the distillery’s core Eclipse expression — and with a higher portion of older, pot-still rum — the result is a potent, high strength 57.1% ABV.

Earthy and herbaceous Revivalist Garden Gin gets its flavor from plant-based gin botanicals besides the usual juniper: ashwagandha, lemon verbena, hemp seed, rose hips, rose petals, and plum, to be precise. It’s the brainchild of NYC mixologist Brendan Bartley, but the unsung genius is whoever came up with the bottle’s outdoor faucet bib handle.

Bananas and bourbon might not be the first flavor combination that pops into your mind, but it works surprisingly well. Made with 80-proof Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey, Howler Head’s “Monkey Spirit” is infused with a natural banana flavor, and delicious mixed with Coke, espresso and coffee liquor, Bailey’s, or even served in an Old Fashioned.

To indulge in whiskey tastings without the need for a designated driver, Blind Barrels delivers these fun blind-tasting boxes to your door. Each box includes four 50 ml samples of hidden American whiskey gems and new craft distillery releases labeled A, B, C, and D so you can taste blindly to discover new favorites.

This smooth but potent whiskey from Memphis, Tennessee distillery Blue Note has won back-to-back Double Gold awards in San Francisco’s World Spirits Competition. The easy-to-sip spirit is finished in toasted French oak barrels for a bold caramel flavor with vanilla undertones and a deep amber color.

To commemorate 2024’s total solar eclipse, Hopkinsville, Kentucky-based Casey Jones Distillery introduces four-grain Total Eclipse Kentucky Straight Bourbon and releases a new batch of its Total Eclipse Moonshine, first created in 2017 when it was named the “Official Spirit of the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse” on the Kentucky Senate floor.

High N’ Wicked’s Foursquare Whiskey is one tasty spirit. The distillery achieves its depth of flavor by aging single-grain Irish whiskey in bourbon barrels and finishing it in casks from Foursquare’s award-winning Mark X 2007 Barbados rum. It starts sweet, like tropical fruit, giving way to bold and invigorating spices as it hits the back of your throat.

Barrell Craft Spirits’ new Foundation Bourbon is more nuanced than its 5-year label might lead you to believe. This sippable spirit is a balanced 100-proof blend of whiskeys from Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Maryland. It kicks off with a sweet and honeyed fragrance, complemented by a spicy mix of cinnamon and dark chocolate as it hits your tongue.

There’s an art to infusing spirits with spices and fresh ingredients. This 1800 Tequila does it the right way, starting with the distiller’s signature double-distilled 1800 Blanco Tequila made from 100% Weber blue agave, then infusing it on site using ripe cucumbers an jalapeños to impart natural flavors without pulp residue.

Still hanging tough this Dry January? Seedlip Notas de Agave has your back with its zero-alcohol alternative blend of prickly pear, lime, and agave flavors to replace hankerings for tequila cocktails. It warms the palate with notes of vanilla, damiana flower, and peppercorn and is meant to mix with tonic or other NA ingredients.