Distilled since the 16th century, the high-altitude eau de vie, considered Bolivia’s national spirit, is gaining traction in the American market. Just last year, the U.S. government recognized singani as a distinctive product of Bolivia, perhaps opening the door for the spirit to become as sought-after stateside as Mexican tequila, Peruvian pisco or Brazilian cachaça. Now the crystal-clear spirit of the Andes is on the cusp of broader recognition as it shows up on cocktail menus from coast to coast. Below, we get to know the aromatic, floral spirit.

What Is Singani?

Singani is a type of brandy, which is a style of liquor produced by distilling wine. By Bolivian law, singani must be made in one of the officially recognized zones of production and can only be produced with Muscat of Alexandria grapes grown at elevations of 5,250 feet or higher.

Its history can be traced to the days of the Bolivian silver rush in the mid-1500s. When Spanish conquistadors began extracting silver in vast quantities from Cerro Rico, a mountain in southwestern Bolivia, the mining city of Potosí was born. The Spanish had established vineyards 100 miles south in the Sedona-like landscape of the Valley of Cinti, but the grueling labor of silver mining called for something stronger than wine. Distillation began at a nearby vineyard called San Pedro Mártir, which has been producing singani ever since. (You can find it today under the label Singani San Pedro.) 

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Since then, singani has remained a beloved local spirit. Only relatively recently has it become thought of as an export, and in 1988, the Bolivian government declared it to be a native product of the country and codified rules about how it should be produced.

Despite its pedigree, singani hasn’t quite taken off internationally. But that’s changing as high-profile cocktail aficionados become acquainted with the spirit. After learning about singani back in 2007 while filming Che, a biopic on Che Guevara, the director Steven Soderbergh became a dedicated fan and started selling his own. In 2014, he launched his brand Singani 63, and has been an evangelist for the spirit, lobbying the U.S. government to recognize it (he was instrumental in the recent designation) and commercializing the spirit.

How Is Singani Made?  

Singani is produced in a manner similar to pisco. Traditionally, fermented juice from the Muscat of Alexandria grapes is distilled in a traditional still called a falca. While artisanal makers still use antique equipment, most contemporary distillers have modern copper equipment. Different bodegas, or distilleries, craft singani in their own styles. 

Ronald Quinteros, a Bolivian sommelier who runs the Instagram page @Vinosdealtura.bol, explains that “there are singanis of one distillation, of two distillations and of three distillations.” With each distillation, prices increase, but Quinteros insists that a double distillation might maintain more aromas than a triple. 

One thing all distillers agree upon, however, is that the local Muscat de Alexandra grapes are essential to singani. While other South American countries produce grape spirits—like Peru does with pisco or Argentina does with its Fernet amaro—Bolivia is the only country that exclusively relies on a single varietal for distillation. Thanks to this grape, singani has a strong and bright acidity complemented by a subtle and floral sweetness. 

“The important thing is that the Muscat of Alexandria grape exists in Chile, exists in Argentina, exists in the very Spain whence came these very shoots—but this grape has been acclimatized to [5,250 feet] above sea level for nearly five centuries,” says Lorgio Rivera, a retired Bolivian senator and part-owner of the storied San Pedro distillery. The operation has produced singani for nearly 500 years, making it one of the oldest viticultural and distillation sites in the Americas.

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Legally speaking, singani can only be produced in specific regions of Bolivia, which include the valleys of Tarija, La Paz, Chuqisaca and Cinti. In these locations, temperatures fluctuate drastically between night and day, which helps produce a freshness in the wines and a bracing acidity. Meanwhile pests generally can’t survive in such a harsh environment, meaning that less fumigation is needed. While the Valley of Cinti fell out of favor with singani distillers in the mid 1900s, as most moved to the Valley of Tarija, the region still has a cluster of over 50 boutique producers. 

The brand Casa Real, which produces Soderbergh’s label and 80% of domestic bottles, has produced singani in the Valley of Tarija since the mid 1900s. “The only reason we can make wine in Bolivia is due to altitude,” says Nicolas Granier, Casa Real’s commercial director. “It has great implications—higher exposure to U.V. makes the grapes develop a thicker skin. A large part of the aromatic components are in the skin of the grape. So, with a thicker skin, there are more terpenes. That’s why the Muscat of Alexandria in Bolivia has this explosion of aroma.” 

The brand uses a distillation method similar to Cognac that has remained virtually unchanged since the company’s founder, Luis Granier Ballivian, opened his business in 1976. It’s still a family-run operation. “One hundred years ago, my great grandfather studied in France and always held the production of Cognac as a role model,” recalls Granier. “He tried to innovate the distillation and adapt the method of cognac in Bolivia, with Cognac pot stills and double distillation.” 

How to Drink Singani

Though Granier divulged that Soderbergh takes his singani on the rocks, Bolivians rarely drink their beloved spirit straight today. It’s usually mixed into cocktails, especially the chuflay, a mix of singani, ginger ale and citrus reminiscent of the Peruvian chilcano.

“When Bolivian people think of singani, they directly think of the chuflay—not the crystalline spirits in the bottle,” says Quinteros. It’s a fairly simple and straightforward libation, which is intentional. “We want to educate the American consumer, who might not have the skills of an experienced bartender, to make cocktails in a simple manner—more like how we drink it in Bolivia,” says Granier.

But on the American mixology scene, simplicity isn’t always a given. In fact, singani is increasingly becoming known as a versatile clear base spirit for a wide range of creative cocktails.

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Boston’s Wig Shop speakeasy has the Channing Tay-Yum, combining singani with lime, pistachio orgeat, blackberry and black pepper. Chicago’s critically acclaimed Meadowlark mixes Singani 63 with Dolin Génépy, Carpano Botanic bitters and both melon and anise liqueurs to produce the Ferris Wheel. In Denver, the Death & Co outpost uses the spirit in their Death of Disco alongside Lalo Tequila, Génépy, plum, lemon and seltzer. Singani features especially prominently at Washington, D.C. pop-up Casa Kantuta, the nation’s first-ever Bolivian cocktail bar. Nearly all of the drinks here feature the spirit, from the Singani Api Sour (Singani 63, lemon juice, demerara syrup, egg whites and a puffed maiz garnish) to the Tall & Dirty (Singani 63, vodka, Dolin Blanc, Sherry, olive brine and elderflower tonic water).

Granier speaks optimistically about what sinani’s rise portends. “We hope for other Bolivian brands to export as well,” he says. “The market is so big and our category is so small. We applaud each new exportation project.”

For Bolivians, the legal recognition of singani in the States has been a watershed moment. “This recent news of how the U.S. has rightfully accepted singani as a product of origin has welled up the national pride for our spirit,” Quinteros says.

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Here’s a shortlist of the brands (and bottles) we’re fired up about right now. Note: This is a highly subjective, of-the-moment list—not a “best-of” ranking—and likely to change over time. After all, the category’s shifting nature is what makes it so dynamic. 

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Vanity Unbreakable Signature Cocktail Glass – Set of 2

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Abasolo 

While this isn’t the only whiskey-producing brand to come out of Mexico (see also: Sierra Norte and Gran Maisal), Abasolo was the first on my radar. Its whiskey is made from heritage corn that is nixtamalized (like masa), which yields honeyed, roast-y flavors that have me energized to further explore the still-nascent Mexican corn whiskey category. 

Abasolo Corn Whiskey

$47 Total Wine

High West  

When autumn arrives, I look forward to the annual release of this Park City, Utah-based distillery’s blend of straight rye whiskies. 2024 marks the 12^th year (Act 12, get it?) of this Port-finished offering, which will be released in October. Each bottling is a little different, but in general, they’re richly spiced with plenty of caramel and red fruit. A vertical tasting of all the limited releases would be a treat, but we’ve never been able to save any of the bottles. While you’re waiting for Act 12, we suggest consoling yourself with any of the blend’s previous iterations, including Act 9, which earned a notable 96-point rating. 

A Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9

$300 Rare Reserve

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George Dickel 

To be fair, we’re a little biased: This Tennessee whiskey brand was recognized as a 2023 Wine Star earlier this year. But ever since distiller Nicole Austin came on board, Dickel has been turning out excellent whiskeys, and its Bottled in Bond offering—which we gave a 95-point rating back in 2019—punches above its weight class, providing memorable notes of toffee, dried fruit and oak that work well to sip or mix. (Note: an 18-year-old Dickel bourbon is coming soon.) 

George Dickel Bottled in Bond

$58 Wine.com

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Hatozaki  

Japanese whisky—light, elegant and endlessly complex—is one of my favorites. The category is also one of the most traditional, so when a Japanese distiller bends the rules, that gets my attention. In general, Japan is known for single malts and blended whiskies. However, Hatozaki’s Omakase offering is a limited-edition rye, made in America and aged in Japan, where it’s finished in rare mizunara oak. Tasting notes include sarsaparilla, allspice and black pepper, with a gentle, even slightly floral exhale. However, this surely will raise eyebrows among Japanese whisky purists: New labeling standards specify that Japanese whisky needs to be made in Japan, although these rules are voluntary. 

Hatozaki Omakase

$100 Total Wine

New York Distilling Co. 

In February, Brooklyn-based New York Distilling Co. moved to a larger facility, and launched Jaywalk Rye, a new line (replacing the old Ragtime Rye) with new liquid distilled from Horton rye, a nearly lost heirloom grain popular in the 1800s. It’s an exciting development for a number of reasons: It adds to the burgeoning Empire rye category; it’s an opportunity to literally taste history; and it’s a bold, robust whiskey that makes a killer Manhattan. Read more about the rise of rye whiskey. 

Jaywalk Heirloom Rye Whiskey

$133 Caskers

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Lost Lantern 

An upstart independent bottler, Lost Lantern specializes in special barrels selected from distilleries around the U.S. Sometimes it releases single-cask offerings, other times it blends liquid from multiple distilleries. These limited releases are often completely snapped up before our reviews are even released—which is a bummer, because they consistently land on our Top 100 lists. A recent stunner: Lost Lantern Soaring Spice (97 points), which showcases a real firecracker of a whiskey from Nevada distillery Frey Ranch. Lucky for you, there are still some bottles available. 

Soaring Spice Frey Ranch Distillery Nevada Straight Bourbon Whiskey

$100 Lost Lantern

Bruichladdich 

For a long time, I thought of peated Scotch the way some people think of opera: I appreciated it, but never thought I’d love it. Super-peated Octomore, from Islay’s iconic Bruichladdich distillery, was the bottling that changed my mind, unfurling all kinds of mentholated smoky black magic around a core of oak. Bruichladdich releases a new series of single malts each year; the 14 series featured Octomore 14.1 (95 points), aged in ex-American oak (others in the series were aged in European and even Colombian oak). I’ll be watching for the Octomore 15 series later this year. 

Octomore 14

$220 Sip Whiskey

Rampur 

I’m very much intrigued by the wave of single-malt whiskeys coming out of India. Rampur’s Special Release 2022 (94 points) was one I couldn’t stop thinking about last year, with its haunting sandalwood, incense and candied ginger tones. A visit to India—including its distilleries—is officially on my travel bucket list. 

Rampur Select Single Malt

$125 Total Wine

Uncle Nearest  

This Black-owned, woman-owned brand generated excitement since it launched in 2017. (It was also our 2020 Spirit Brand of the Year.) The brand’s 1856 bottling, a blend of eight- to 11-year-old whiskeys, sizzles with ginger and cinnamon right into the toasty vanilla-tinged finish. 

Uncle Nearest 1856

$48 Total Wine

Waterford Whisky 

There’s a lot about this distillery to like. For one, it focuses on single-farm whiskeys, all made using 100% Irish barley, leaning into the terroir of individual farms and harvest. Further, Waterford spotlights farmers with organic and biodynamic practices; the latter includes lunar planting cycles. The brand’s emphasis on sustainability—and the resulting fruity, almond-y Waterford Biodynamic Luna whiskey, which earned a 90-point rating—makes us want to lift a glass. 

Waterford Biodynamic Luna

$95 The Whiskey Exchange

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As you’ll see, these borough namesakes, past and present, have a specific vibe: strong, no nonsense. Some are a little bitter, while others are sassy, offering a knowing wink. These drinks walk fast, talk fast and know how to navigate the subway. Stand clear of the closing doors.

Queens

The classic Queen’s Cocktail (yes, with an apostrophe; originally the “Queen’s Borough” was named for Catherine of Braganza, wife of King Charles II and queen of England, Scotland and Ireland) is a sunny mix of gin and dry and sweet vermouths, brightened with crushed pineapple.

The dark and brooding cocktail below, with a caffeinated kick, is unrelated to the Queen’s Cocktail. Rather, bar pro Doug Brickel devised it for a trio of bars he previously ran in Long Island. True Noo Yawkers know that Queens and Long Island are the same land mass, often traversed by the Long Island Railroad (LIRR), along which the station in Jamaica, Queens is a major hub.

“When you take the LIRR into the city, you often have to ‘Change at Jamaica,’ or switch trains at Jamaica Station,” Brickel explains. Fall asleep and miss that stop, “and you’ll need to get up in the middle of Queens and wait for another train to get you all the way back home.”

Change at Jamaica

Courtesy Doug Brickel, beverage director, Cambridge Street Hospitality Group, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Ingredients

• ¾ ounce Smith & Cross rum
• ¾ ounce Espresso Bourbon*
• ½ ounce Montenegro amaro
• ½ ounce Velvet Falernum
• Grapefruit peel, for garnish

Instructions

In a mixing glass, stir all ingredients with ice. Strain over a large cube of ice. Garnish with grapefruit peel.

*How to Make Espresso Bourbon

Combine 100 grams (²/3 cup) crushed (not ground) coffee beans and 1 liter bourbon (Brickel recommends Evan Williams). Cover and let sit for 2-3 weeks in a cool, dry place. Strain through a coffee filter. Keeps for several months.

Classic Queen’s Cocktail

Shake with ice 1 ounce London dry gin and ½ ounce each dry and sweet vermouths and crushed pineapple. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Try it at: Diamond Dogs, 34-04 31st Avenue Queens

Brooklyn

All of the borough-named classics are descended from the Manhattan; the earliest known Brooklyn dates to 1908, found in a book by J.A. Grohusko. It “improves” the drink with dashes of bitter Amer Picon and cherry-based maraschino liqueur. (Another version, credited to Jacques Straub, circa 1914, uses dry vermouth.)

But what’s fascinating about the Brooklyn is how modern-day variations have completely lapped the classic. At the now-closed legendary NYC bar Milk & Honey, bartender Vincenzo Errico created a drink called the Red Hook, featuring bittersweet Punt e Mes vermouth. That set off a trend throughout the aughts and beyond, spawning multiple variations named for Brooklyn neighborhoods.

One of the best is The Greenpoint, created in 2005, also at Milk & Honey; a small amount of yellow Chartreuse adds pleasing herbaceous and honey tones.

The Greenpoint

Courtesy Michael McIlroy, proprietor, Attaboy NYC

Ingredients

• 2 ounces rye whiskey
• ½ ounce sweet vermouth
• ½ ounce yellow Chartreuse
• 1 dash Angostura bitters
• 1 dash orange bitters
• Lemon twist, for garnish

Instructions

Stir in a mixing glass with ice. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Classic Brooklyn

Stir with ice, 1 ½ ounce each rye whiskey and dry vermouth and ¼ ounce Amer Picon and maraschino liqueur. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and twist lemon peel over the top.

Try it at: Leyenda, 221 Smith Street Brooklyn

The Bronx

Before Prohibition, this shaken drink was so popular, it was “the Cosmopolitan of its day,” says Frank Caiafa, writing in The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book. While the drink’s exact origins are unknown, the Waldorf-Astoria is among those that lay claim to the drink.

Another bartender, Hugo Ensslin, published two versions of the Bronx in his 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks: one with orange juice, the other with muddled pineapple. Al Sotack’s modern-day riff, below, combines the best of both Bronxes. He had created it for now-closed Philadelphia bar Franklin Mortgage & Investment Co., drawing on a historical theory that a Bronx bartender discovered the drink in Philly.

A fellow bartender (and Bronx native) tried the drink and derided it as “too elegant” to be named for the area famed as the gritty birthplace of hip-hop and graffiti, Sotack recalls. Maybe all it needs is the right setting.

South Bronx

Courtesy Al Sotack, partner, Jupiter Disco, Brooklyn

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Old Tom gin
• ½ ounce blanc vermouth
• ½ ounce sweet vermouth
• 1 teaspoon pineapple juice
• ½ teaspoon orange juice
• 9 drops Bitter End Memphis Barbeque Bitters
• Lemon twist, to garnish

Instructions

In a mixing glass, combine all ingredients with ice. Stir until chilled, then strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

Classic Bronx Cocktail

Cut an orange wheel in eight pieces and muddle in cocktail shaker. Add 2 ounces London dry gin, ½ ounce each sweet and dry vermouth, and 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Manhattan

The original was created in the 1870s or 1880s, notable as the first to include vermouth as part of its formula. And yes, it was likely invented in NYC; one popular origin story sets its creation at the Manhattan Club.

The iconic drink has spawned countless riffs, including the modern classic Black Manhattan (with amaro), Walnut Manhattan (with nocino), Perfect Manhattans (equal parts dry/sweet vermouth) and neighborhood-named variations like the Little Italy from Audrey Saunders (with a splash of Italian amaro Cynar).

But swap out the whiskey for rum, and you get the Palmetto, an underrated variation that’s great for warmer weather. Shannon Mustipher’s take combines the best of the Black Manhattan and the Palmetto.

Black Palmetto

Courtesy Shannon Mustipher, cocktail consultant and spirits educator

Ingredients

• 2 ounces rum (Mustipher recommends 1 ½ ounces aged Panama rum and ½ ounce Jamaica rum)
• 1 ounce red vermouth
• ½ oz artichoke amaro (Cynar 70 or Faccio Brutto recomended)
• 2 drops saline (optional)
• 2 drops orange bitters
• Orange peel and maraschino cherry, for garnish

Instructions

In a mixing glass, combine all ingredients with ice. Stir until chilled, then strain into a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass. Twist an orange peel over the top of the drink to express the essential oils, then discard the peel (Mustipher flames the peel to caramelize the oils; that step is optional).

Classic Manhattan

Stir with ice, 2 ounces rye, 1 ounce sweet vermouth and 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with brandied cherry.

Try it at: Manhatta, 28 Liberty Street, 60th floor, New York

Staten Island

While there’s no classic cocktail named for NYC’s southernmost borough, that hasn’t stopped modern-day pros from paying homage. For example, Williamsburg “listening bar” Mr. Melo offers a Staten Island Iced Tea, an elevated, low-alcohol version of the super-boozy Long Island Iced Tea, made with eight Italian liqueurs plus housemade cola and lemon, and served on tap.

“It’s lovingly named the Staten Island Iced Tea after the borough with a prominent Italian American population,” bar co-owner Nikolas Vagenas explains.

While it’s not the same as the complex version served at the bar, this streamlined version offers a similar effect. No ride on the Staten Island ferry required.

Staten Island Iced Tea

Courtesy Nikolas Vagenas, food & beverage director and co-owner of Mr. Melo, Brooklyn

Ingredients

• ½ ounce red bitter (Vagenas recommends Select Aperitivo)
• ½ ounce Fernet Branca
• ½ ounce Cynar
• ½ ounce Luxardo Maraschino
• ½ ounce lemon juice
• Lemon peel
• Cola, to top (approx 2 ounces)
• Lemon twist, for garnish

Instructions

In a cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients (except cola) and ice. Shake well, and strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice cubes. Top with cola. Garnish with lemon twist.

This article originally appeared in the May 2024 of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today!

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Nearly all honkaku (authentic) shochu is made in Kyushu, home to more than 280 distilleries. Indeed, the highway that winds from one often-remote distillery to another is nicknamed “the shochu highway.”

This expressive spirit, which can be made from more than 50 base ingredients such as rice, barley, buckwheat, sweet potato—and more unusual ingredients like bell peppers, seaweed or pumpkin— outsells sake in its home country. Most Americans, however, are only just starting to discover it.

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What Is Shochu?

A traditional Japanese distillate with roots that can be traced back to the 1500s, shochu (pronounced show-chew) can be made from more than 50 different agricultural products and is fermented using koji (a type of mold also used to make miso and soy sauce), then distilled. Many are bottled at relatively lower alcohol levels, around 25–30% abv, compared to 40% or higher for vodka and other spirits.

The result is a particularly expressive liquid that reflects the underlying ingredient and often has a faint touch of umami, thanks to the koji fermentation. Shochu made from black sugar (kokuto) from the Amami Islands can have a distinct brown sugar note, and even a funky grassiness that suggests agricole rhum; sweet potato shochu is often super-earthy; barley shochu can have a nutty, toasty character, almost like whiskey or beer; and rice shochu often is the most delicate of all, showing floral, citrus, or light tropical fruit tones.

To avoid confusion, here’s what shochu is not: It’s not “Japanese vodka,” nor is it sake (a brewed beverage made from rice) or soju (a Korean distillate).

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How to Drink Shochu

In Japan, shochu is enjoyed neat or diluted with water in some way. That might mean served on the rocks, mixed with hot water to release extra aroma (oyuwari) or topped up with carbonated water into a chilled highball (mizuwari or chu-hai, a casual portmanteau of “shochu-highball”) along with other flavorings like fruit juice or green tea. During my visit, chu-hais seemed to be everywhere—from izakaya menus to canned versions at convenience stores and train station concession stands.

“The Japanese drink very seasonally,” explains Kyle Davis, bar manager at Brooklyn Kura, a taproom and sake brewery in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, which also makes kasutori (sake lees, a byproduct of making sake) shochu. “When it’s cold, they’ll have an oyuwari, versus when it’s very cold, they can have a shochu and soda, a highball.”

Further, shochu is valued for its food-friendliness. “It’s similar to wine,” Davis notes. “A bolder, barley-based shochu might pair well with roasted meats, while a lighter shochu, like a sweet potato with more floral notes, would go really well with fish or chicken.” Meanwhile, the savory, toasted notes of a buckwheat shochu make a fine match for chocolate and fruit desserts, especially when topped up with hot water.

However, in the U.S., shochu is viewed as a cocktail ingredient, as bartenders build creative drinks around the spirit.

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Shochu Sours & Broth-Tails

“Shochu leans into my personal drinking type, which tends to be more on the low proof, low acid side of things, like highballs,” explains Julia Momosé, partner and creative director at Chicago’s Kumiko. It’s also a versatile ingredient, mixing easily with other spirits, citrus and liqueurs, because the flavor profiles within the category are so distinct and diverse, she adds. For example, her Midori Shochu Sour elevates the ’70s classic with a delicate green tea shochu.

While the lower alcohol levels are appealing, it can be challenging to add it to traditional cocktail structures, Momosé notes; it’s not as simple as swapping out vodka or whiskey for the same amount of shochu. Instead, it’s about “finding things that draw out the flavors you find when drinking it straight,” she explains.

Elsewhere, Davis says he often leans into the umami flavors found in some shochus by mixing them into savory or smoky cocktails, such as a robust barley shochu infused with black sesame, nutmeg and orange oil. He also mixes Brooklyn Kura’s housemade shochu with vegan “bone broth” and porcini mushroom salt. “It’s a full-blown broth-tail,” he explains, “served as a little mini cup of soup.

Which Shochu Is for You?

At Boston-based Koji Club, the emphasis is on sake and shochu, both made with koji. While owner Alyssa DiPasquale leans toward rice-based shochus for “clean” flavor and similarity to sake, she encourages those getting to know shochu to sample across a wider range.

“The greatest advice given to me was: Remember there can be many ingredients that can make shochu,” she recalls. “If you try a shochu and maybe don’t like the way that it tastes, remember what the base was and don’t give up yet. Try another one. If you’re a sake fan, try a rice-based shochu. If you want something darker, heartier, try sweet potato or barley.”

To help guests select a shochu, Kura’s Davis uses familiar cocktails as a reference point. For example, for those who prefer drinks with a relatively neutral vodka base, he’ll recommend a crisp rice shochu, while gin lovers might like the floral notes of a sweet potato shochu. “If someone enjoys a more robust, smokier spirit like mezcal or Scotch, I’d steer them toward barley shochu,” while “if someone’s into tequila or a sweeter agave, vanilla flavor profile, the crème brûlée-like taste of black sugar shochu might go well with that.” And rum lovers might take to the fruity, tropical notes of awamori, a Thai rice shochu made only in Okinawa.

Meanwhile, Momosé’s advice for finding a shochu you’ll love is straightforward: “Start simple. Get to know it on its own, and mix with various forms of water,” whether hot water, club soda or tonic water. And if you don’t find the perfect match right away, “keep looking,” she urges.

“There are so many different types,” says Momosé, “and there’s probably something out there that you’ll love.”

Sample These Shochus

Colorful Honkaku Shochu

Distilled from sweet potatoes and rice, this is a savory, lush and food-friendly shochu. Bold flavors include mushroom, roasted chestnut, carrot peelings and walnut. 95 Points.

$55 Wine.com

MUJEN Original

This lively, bracing rice-based shochu offers a mild, citrusy aroma and clean, crisp palate that reflects a grapefruit peel zing. 95 Points.

$ Varies Wine-Searcher

Iichiko Saiten Shochu

A barley-based shochu, this is one of Julia Momosé’s recommendations. It’s “funky and wild,” she says. “It’s wildly nutty and flavorful at the same time.” Best Buy. 94 Points.

$28 Total Wine & More

Mizu Shochu Lemongrass

Distilled from rice and a small portion (5%) of lemongrass, this zingy, mildly sweet shochu is Alyssa DiPasquale’s pick for creative cocktails, like a clarified lychee martini that’s a top seller at Koji Club. “The lemongrass adds a hint of acidity without citrus,” she says. Best Buy. 93 Points.

$32 Total Wine & More

Nankai Gold

Whiskey-lovers might also enjoy this oak-finished shochu, distilled from black sugar cane and rice. Look for gentle raisin, chocolate and honey notes.

$74 Total Wine & More

That Shochu is Made from What Now?

In addition to the usual suspects (rice, barley, etc.), some distillers make shochu with bolder—and sometimes surprising—ingredients. For example, Ochiai Distillery specializes in sweet potato shochu, but also makes Rihei Ginger Shochu, which has a pleasing sweetness and bite like chewy ginger candies. Master brewer and distiller Ryohei Ochiai, a self-described “mad scientist,” has also made shochu using vegetal bell pepper, incense-like mugwort, mushroom, even garlic. Among the few failed experiments: a variety of mountain potato (“it smelled like a swamp”) and togarashi, a spicy red pepper. He had to wear goggles to make it, he recalls; “It makes you cry.”

This article originally appeared in the April 2024 of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today!

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“The older generation still loves awamori in Okinawa, but the younger generation not as much,” says Akira Nakazato, the master distiller of the notable awamori house Mizuho Shuzo, or Mizuho Distillery, founded in 1848 and now run by the seventh generation of the Tamanaha family. 

To tap into that younger age group before it’s too late, Mizuho and other producers have been tamping down on awamori’s strong flavor to create mixable renditions better suited for cocktails and branching out to other spirits, including gin and rum, that highlight local ingredients and traditions through a new lens.

An Exploration of Okinawan Terroir

Sugarcane has been cultivated across the mineral-rich Okinawan islands, a chain with both volcanic and coral geology, for four centuries. One beloved agricultural product and local specialty is kokuto, or Okinawan black sugar, served in bite-size cubes as a sweet snack and prized for its rich flavor. Combining that lineage with the island’s distillation heritage was perhaps an inevitable evolution.

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Under Nakazato’s stewardship, Mizuho unveiled the ambitious OneRum brand, sourcing kokuto from eight different islands in the archipelago. The result is a tantalizing series of eight rums representing the particular kokuto variety grown on a given island, as well as the terroir of its surroundings. In August, Mizuho released a blended rum including all eight constituent islands in one cohesive, tropical fruity whole.

“This project is connecting Okinawan sugar cane to the future,” Nakazato says, adding that Okinawa’s humid, subtropical environs should ring a bell for devotees to Caribbean rum. “It’s almost the same latitude as their famous rum production. I believe Okinawa can be a new sacred place for rum.”

Also under the OneRum banner is an agricole rhum made with sugarcane grown by Mizuho at its own farm, a project for which they’ve brought in a range of partners such as prominent Japanese bar owners and bartenders. “Compared to rum produced in other countries, you can feel the difference in terroir between Okinawan agricole rhum and the black sugar rum made on remote islands,” says Issey Teruya, the second generation owner of Sammy’s Bar Kiwi, a whiskey and spirits bar on Okinawa.

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For Teruya, one of the local partners who was invited to get involved in the project, Okinawan rum showcasing its unique terroir serves as an introduction to the island and its other more traditional spirits. “For those who don’t know about Okinawa, I would like to have them drink Okinawan rum first and visit Okinawa with their thoughts,” he says.

Kokuto is gaining traction in the bar world thanks to an awamori and kokuto liqueur released in 2023 called Kokuto de Lequio. It’s the brainchild of Shingo Gokan, the founder of Tokyo’s renowned SG Club cocktail bar and other hot spots, including Sober Company in Shanghai and El Lequio in Naha, Okinawa. It’s Gokan’s product, but it’s made in conjunction with a familiar face at Mizuho. “Spirits is a very small world,” says Nakazato.

Gin Is Also In on Okinawa

Perhaps no spirit has spread its production wings as far as gin, and Okinawa can now count itself among its many global homes. A leading example comes from Masahiro Shuzo, an Okinawan distillery founded in 1883. Masahiro Okinawa Gin includes local botanicals such as goya bitter melon, guava leaves, long pepper and shekwasha, a sour citrus native to the island. It is produced with awamori distillation techniques that utilize two different single distillers to create a uniquely flavorful gin.

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Mizuho began its own efforts in 2018 with Ori-gin 1848, its first craft spirits project beyond the awamori realm. According to Nakazato, Ori-gin’s rich, tropical profile evokes Okinawa with botanicals such as pepper, tea, shell ginger and shekwasha. “We use only local ingredients,” Nakazato says, adding that Ori-gin’s recipe also includes a particular strain of sakura yeast, while flavored editions highlight produce such as Okinawan strawberries.

Awamori Made for Cocktails

Another iron in the fire for an awamori resurgence is a brand produced specifically for cocktails. Ryukyu 1429 is an upstart, created in part with funding by the Japanese government to support the awamori industry. Ryukyu 1429 sources awamori from three distilleries—Chuko, Zuisen and Kumejima’s Kumesen—with the goal of buoying the category’s global presence.

“I believe that by creating great cocktails, bartenders can show the public the potential of awamori, similar to something like mezcal, which is now one of the most loved cocktail spirits,” says Gento Torigata, a bartender at the acclaimed London cocktail bar Kwãnt.

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Torigata notes that Ryukyu 1429’s three products each have a distinctive flavor profile that works well in different styles of drinks: Kaze showcases mushroom and spice, Mizu offers ripe tropical fruits and Tsuchi hints of dark chocolate. He recommends novices to the category start with its Tsuchi expression, which the producer compares in some ways to a white whiskey, in drinks like the espresso martini. His riff is the Ryukyu cocktail, incorporating Ryukyu 1429 Tsuchi with Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Sherries, espresso, maple syrup and a pinch of salt, serving as an accessible introduction for Western drinkers looking to become acclimated to the spirit.

In addition to Kwãnt, cocktail bar luminaries ranging from the famed American Bar at The Savoy to the trendy, avant-garde Sips in Barcelona have turned to Ryukyu 1429 for specialty drinks. If awamori can grab a foothold in those types of establishments, perhaps it’s only a matter of time before spirits and cocktail aficionados around the world take notice. That’s the hope, anyway.

“We believe there will be an opportunity for bartenders around the world to show interest in awamori after experiencing the pleasures of drinking gin, rum and other spirits produced in Okinawa,” Teruya says.

The post Okinawa’s Old School Awamori Houses Are Reaching a New Generation With Gin, Rum and Cocktails appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

I’m from California in the truest sense of the word. That means going to theme parks and seeing surreal recreations of your ancestral lands. It’s indescribably weird. So is being shown as a fourth grader the model buildings of the Spanish Missions that enslaved your family. The discomfort in these spaces and the overlooking of so many problematic realities unspoken long made me see red. But at Tiki by the Sea, it all bubbled up. Could I refocus my anger? Do something that would be a balm for my soul and open the eyes of those around me? So, with the help of Austin Hartman, Sam Gauthier and Mariah Kunkel, the first Doom Tiki was launched in 2019 at Paradise Lounge, New York City.

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The concept was simple: Lead by example. Replace stolen icons and idols with satanic imagery. Replace exotica music with doom metal. We raised money for communities grappling with colonization and created a new model. It struck a chord and slowly, as the events of 2020 reshaped countless conversations, more voices joined. An all-too-long-incoming outrage at appropriation swept the world—and pulled the old tiki “gods” with it. By the time infamous Londoner and former tiki fan Gergő Muráth married me and took me to England, my work had been chronicled in The New York Times and enraged wags at Fox News. With the help of noted distiller Maggie Campbell, we were being heard, and more importantly, so were the communities affected by tiki. The plan was always to change the name from Doom Tiki to something else, but at first the blunt name connected with all the old associations to peel them away. Eventually, we settled on Doommersive— for capturing both immersive and subversive and being doom metal heavy.

Despite a long COVID diagnosis that limited my ability to bartend, with Muráth by my side, we were able to relaunch and renamed shortly after making a splash at Trailer Happiness, a world-famous rum and cocktail destination in London. Having a partner showed me I could still make an impact without long hours of shaking and mixing and pushed me to keep working and healing; so, when Steva Casey from Tiki by the Sea approached me to talk about a bigger perspective, I agreed.

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I treasured (and still do) the opportunity to share what these collaborations have taught me and what it took for this Indigenous-led takeover series to even exist. Most importantly I found community, my first Indigenous mentee and some lifelong friends doing these talks. Being able to update my list of examples of cultural empowerment and reclamation each year is why I fly home. Just give me flaming cocktails and the opening chords to “Empress Rising” by Monolord, and I’m happy to take you on that journey.

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today!

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The Louisiana-Texas native recently collaborated on recipes in a cocktail-focused cookbook with James Beard award-winning author Toni Tipton-Martin, Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs & Juice: A Cocktail Recipe Book, and been featured in two Netflix series, including an appearance in a season-two episode of the Peabody award-winning High on the Hog and a guest-judge stint on 2022’s Drink Masters.

Last summer, Barriere took home the Tales Visionary Award from Tales of the Cocktail for her work in mentorship, equitability, inclusivity and barrier-breaking within the hospitality industry. I was fortunate enough to be with her when she received the news over the phone—she burst into tears of joy that could only be described as contagious. (I cried, too.)

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Barriere hopes that the recognition marks a turning point—both for her personally, and for the industry. Despite feeling a sense of pride for finding a way to thrive as a Black lesbian in an industry long dominated by white heterosexual men, she has often felt isolated. “Not many women are seen behind the bar, let alone Black women, in lead roles,” says Barriere.

For the past 15 years, Barriere has been working double duty to change that. Now that her personal profile has risen to new heights, she wants to use her increased visibility to inspire other marginalized people to find their space in the bartending industry—and help to cement a long-needed change.

“There is an obvious importance to diversity and inclusion in this world because there’s not enough,” she says. “[Black] stories aren’t told, and our history has been erased.”

Blazing an Unworn Trail

Barriere’s path to becoming an internationally-recognized educator was a long and winding one. She got her first hospitality job right after high school, as a server at Applebee’s. Pretty quickly it became obvious that Barriere’s larger-than-life personality would be best utilized behind the bar.

She was great at slinging drinks and having lively conversations with customers. But when she eventually took a bartending position at One Flew South, a fine-dining restaurant in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport—the busiest airport on the planet—Barriere found herself surrounded by a team of chefs who were steadfast in their dedication to innovation and creativity. It was a stark departure from the team of line cooks who had followed predetermined steps and recipes. Barriere was inspired to similarly up her game with the drinks.

“It’s a fine line… the difference between bartender and mixologist,” she says. “Working with [the culinary team] kept me on my toes, so I told myself that I wasn’t just going to make a drink, I was going to create one.”

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She dug deep into the olden days of cocktails, spending countless hours studying different spirits and their origins, various bar techniques and flavor combinations, along with regional and cultural histories including ingredients and drinks linked to Indigenous communities.

She recalls learning about the “daiquirí,” a cocktail whose name derives from the Taíno people, an Indigenous group of the Caribbean islands who were slaughtered en masse by the first wave of European colonizers starting with Christopher Columbus. Customers and fellow employees were enthralled by such histories and anecdotes, and guests began peppering her with questions about what she was working on and what spirits were trending. One day, a fellow employee looked at her and said, “You’re coaching them every time you put a drink down—you’re like a drinking coach.”

Part of what draws Barriere to drinks history is that it’s often inherently political. Discussions often veer into topics like sustainability, the struggles and successes of family-run businesses, and Black and Indigenous culinary history. This is why she views herself as more of a storyteller than anything else.

“Not just talking about shaking a drink or the profile coming from it, but sharing where it started,” she says. “That history notch is important to me.”

Breaking Barriers for the Entire Industry

Though Barriere’s face can now be spotted on T.V. and her name headlining events, it took years of study and work to overcome her self-described “imposter syndrome.” To this day, many people see her career as a “hobby” or an “in-between job,” she says. Despite the recent cocktail revival, “there’s a lack of respect and a lack of seriousness.”

Barriere confesses these judgments have affected her more than she’d like to admit. In fact, it’s in part what led her to quit her bartending gig at One Flew South. Afterward, she took a job as a brand ambassador for a year, figuring that a more traditional nine-to-five role would offer stability and authority. Unfortunately, her skill set wasn’t suited for that job so, in the end, she struggled to make ends meet financially

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She credits her community for encouraging her to keep studying beverage history. These friends, most of whom are bartenders, provided a safe space to share learnings and receive emotional support. They helped her remain grounded in her passion for cocktails.

“They are my mentors because we love on each other and we share vulnerable moments,” shares Barriere. “Also, anyone Black in the liquor industry has been a support to me. In the beginning, there were only a few of us.”

Barriere in particular credits Elayne Duff, who for roughly a decade was a master mixologist for Diageo. Barriere closely watched the way that Duff cultivated her career, which opened Barriere’s eyes to what was possible for women in bartending. “I saw a major corporation hire a resident bartender who worked with their entire portfolio and I was like, ‘That’s my dream job,’” recalls Barriere. Fast forward a few years, Duff and Barriere now regularly work together as peers at events such as the international trade fair Bar Convent Berlin, in 2021, and as judges for last year’s Tales of the Cocktail Spirits Competition.

Turn of The Tide

Barriere found another guiding light in esteemed culinary journalist Toni Tipton-Martin. They first met at the Southern Foodway Symposium in Oxford, Mississippi, and Barriere was immediately struck by Tipton-Martin’s class, eloquence and deep knowledge of Southern culinary traditions.

The experience was life-changing. Although the entire conference was full of like-minded Southerners—all fascinated with Southern food history and its global impact—Barriere felt anxious and somewhat overwhelmed. Speaking with Tipton-Martin, however, that unease dissipated.

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“When I met her, I felt safe from that point on,” says Barriere. “I wanted to have the weird-ish conversations. I wanted to talk to white people about Black people things, and I wanted to share my history.”

These days, Barriere spends her time living on the road, judging international cocktail competitions and conducting workshops and lectures around the world. This year, for the first time, she will be leading a seminar and tasting at the internationally renowned Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. She says it feels like a career milestone, since last year’s Classic was the first time Barriere graced a big-event mainstage, which she did alongside several James Beard award-winning chefs.

In spite of her recent success, however, Barriere isn’t resting on her laurels. Her biggest challenge today is finding the time to rest.

“I don’t ever feel like I’m on the other side of the mountain,” she says. “Just because I broke through one door, there’s still ten others to get through. There’s so much work to be done in the bar world.”

The post For Tiffanie Barriere, Breaking Barriers Begins with Silencing Self Doubt appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

“Volcanos provide a wealth of resources for the making of vodka,” explains Jeffrey Naples, ambassador for Iceland’s Reyka Vodka. Both Reyka and Katla Vodka (also from Iceland, made at micro distillery 64°Reykjavik), power their stills with geothermal energy created by volcanic activity, and source glacier water that runs through layers of porous lava bedrock.

“This volcanic water contributes to the distinct soft mineral profile of the vodka, giving it a sense of place and capturing the essence of Iceland’s terroir,” says 64°Reykjavik cofounder Snorri Jonsson.

Elsewhere, raw materials sourced near volcanos demonstrate the literal importance of soil and climate in making spirits, says Jim Grannan, CMO for Maui’s Hawaii Sea Spirits, which distills sugar cane grown on the slopes of the Haleakalā volcano into its Ocean Organic Vodka.

“The volcanic soil is rich with nutrients that support healthy plant growth,” Grannan says. “Sugar cane absorbs and retains water from the ground, and we irrigate our crops using the water from our deep well that consists of filtered rainwater through volcanic rock.”

And while vodka is often maligned for fanciful filtration techniques, some are filtered through lava rocks as an intentional way to distinguish provenance, as with Archipelago Lava Rock Vodka. (Reyka also is filtered through lava rock.)

“Our craft distillery is located in the Philippines, home to over 20 active volcanos,” explains Matthew Westfall, founder and head distiller at Full Circle Craft Distillers, which makes Archipelago—and was blanketed by over two inches of volcanic ash as recently as January 2020 after the eruption of the Taal Volcano nearby.

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That filtration wasn’t an afterthought: “We specifically included a lava rock filter built into the distillery, as we were keen to highlight the unique tectonic setting of the Philippines and bring this into our craft spirit production process,” Westfall notes. “The bespoke lava rock filter allows us to naturally filter our vodka distillate over lava rocks foraged from two active volcanos.”

It also pays homage to Filipino culture, he adds. “Our lava rock filtration process allows us to create an authentic spirit unique to the Philippines, with a nod to mystical, sacred volcanos that have informed local mythology and defined our natural heritage.”

While proximity to volcanos may add certain nuances to vodka, producers are well aware that it’s a selling point, too. For example, Katla—named for Iceland’s largest volcano—has built its packaging around it: The label design shows a topographical map of Katla; a red stripe on the bottle seal is meant to symbolize the eruption of lava (the last eruption was in 1918, but it’s still geothermally and geologically active).

Full Circle’s Westfall offers a pragmatic perspective: “Our lava process also allows us to bring a taste of the Philippines, of our islands’ terroir, as a means to differentiate our vodka from a hyper-saturated market,” he says. “Any good spirit must have a story to tell, and that story should be anchored in its own geography and sense of place.”

Bottles to Try

Reyka Vodka

This brisk, clean Icelandic vodka includes subtle notes of candied lemon peel and coriander. Mix into a crisp vodka martini or Vesper.

$17.99 Total Wine

Vulcanica Sicilian Vodka

Made near Italy’s Mount Etna, this grain-based vodka is tinged with vanilla and ginger heat. Try it in an Italian-inspired Sgroppino, with lemon sorbet.

$43.99 Total Wine

Ocean Organic Vodka

Hints of almond and graphite distinguish this Hawaiian vodka, made from sugar cane grown on the mineral-rich slopes of Maui’s Haleakalā volcano. Shake it into an Espresso Martini (preferably one made with Hawaii’s Kona coffee).

$4.99 Total Wine

Archipelago Lava Rock Vodka

Filtration over lava rocks gives this Philippines vodka crisp, nuanced minerality. Try it in a cooling highball, like a vodka soda.

$ Varies Wine-Searcher

Katla Vodka

Named after “the mother of all Icelandic volcanos,” the savory echoes of black pepper, coriander and caraway would stand out in a Bloody Mary.

$ Varies Wine-Searcher

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today!

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Subscribe to Wine Enthusiast Magazine now and get 1 year for $70 $29.99.

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The post These Volcanic Vodkas Are Literally on the Rocks appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

It’s a departure from how the majority of whiskey distilleries currently operate. Most don’t know the exact types of corn, wheat or rye used to create their whiskeys, says Nick Nagele, co-founder of Whiskey Acres in Dekalb, Illinois. Two farmers might grow different types of yellow dent corn, for example, which may be commingled before ever making it to a distiller.

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“All of these different varieties get thrown together… kind of like [grapes for] red table wine,” he says. Meanwhile, proponents of estate distilling say that producers who grow their own grain—carefully choosing the varietal for its flavor profile—are more likely to create memorable whiskeys that are nuanced and complex.

Are we seeing the beginning of something that could become a major spirits category? Or will a lack of clarity over the term—and skepticism of its inherent value—throttle the trend before it fully takes off?

What’s in a Name?

The category’s lingo can be confusing. Some operations call themselves estate distilleries, while others prefer heritage distilleries. Others still describe themselves as farm distilleries or forgo iterations of the designation entirely. Chalk up to the newness of the conceit.

“In the wine world, it’s so common to have an estate winery that grows their own grapes before making their own wine, but in the whiskey world, it’s so rare that there’s never been a definition of it,” says Colby Frey, founder of Frey Ranch in Fallon, Nevada. The distillery used to go by Frey Ranch Estate Distillery, but Frey found it too loose a term. The verbiage “Farmers and Distillers” now features prominently on its website.

“Some distilleries call themselves grain-to-glass, but they actually buy the grain instead of growing it,” Frey says. “We call ourselves ‘ground to glass’ because that’s what we do.”

Frey’s family has been farming in what’s today the Silver State since 1854—longer than Nevada has been in the Union. In 2006, he secured an experimental license to make whiskey and age it, and he sold his first whiskey in 2019. Frey’s whiskeys, all of which are made with grains grown on its 1,500-acre farm, have since become sought after. All aspects of the production process, from malting, milling and mashing to distilling, maturing and bottling, take place onsite.

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Nagele’s co-founder Jamie Walter thinks that “seed to spirit” might be a more apt description of such products.

“We control the entire process from seed going into the ground to the spirit we distill and then age,” Walter says. At the time of its founding in 2013, Whiskey Acres relied on typical yellow dent corn. But in recent years, the team has experimented with heirloom varieties like Bloody Butcher, blue popcorn and Oaxacan green corn, as well as their own hybrids.

“The seed matters,” Nagele stresses.

Walter’s interest in grains is rooted in his experience with wine. In a previous lifetime, he helped produce a Cabernet Sauvignon called The Frenchman and the Farmer. “It was a short-lived, hobby business, but it got me thinking,” he says. “We have a very strong background in corn genetics, and we knew that there are dozens—if not hundreds—of varieties of yellow dent corn, as well as other types of corn. It got us thinking of them like grapes.”

But Is It Any Good?

There’s disagreement as to how important grain varietal is to whiskey—and with it, arguments over the value of estate distilleries.

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter that they’re farmers, it matters that they’re good distillers,” says Fred Minnick, author of Bourbon: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of an American Whiskey. In fact, he considers it “dangerous” for whiskey companies to compare themselves to wineries. “Growing their grapes is far more important than growing the grain,” he explains. “The grains matter, but there are so many variables that go into making whiskey—it puts less emphasis on the grain than it does the grapes for wine.”

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But Mike Swanson, who with wife Cheri Reese founded Minnesota’s Far North Spirits on his family’s 100-year-old farm in 2013, disagrees. Working with the University of Minnesota, he planted 15 different varieties of rye, distilled them all into whiskey and then aged the results for three years.

“We were able to prove, all other things being equal, that the variety of rye will completely change the profile of the whiskey,” Swanson says. “I was prepared for there to be no difference, that the distillation process would kind of erase the differences between the grain varieties. But boy, we were able to prove that there’s a huge amount of variation.” He’s especially partial to a rye varietal called AC Hazlet, which has a “nice vanilla note to it.”

At Whiskey Acres, the team sees promise in a new whiskey made with a hybrid corn they created from an Italian red corn and a Prohibition-era corn previously used to make hooch. “The red corn comes out of Tuscany and it’s known for its flavor in polenta—that was our male—and we crossed it with the American corn to create a new hybrid,” Nagele says. “It’s resting in barrels, and we obtained a patent for it. We’re super excited about the flavor.”

Other Upsides to Estate Distilling

Control over the type of grain used is just one benefit of estate distilling. Milling and fermenting also can affect the flavor profile of a final product, two processes that are generally in-house at estate distilleries.

“It also matters how much fertilizer we use, as the more nitrogen you put in boosts the protein, which lowers the starch,” adds Frey. “In commodity, that’s good, but in distilling, we look for starch, because that’s going to ultimately turn into the alcohol part of the whiskey.”

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Estate distilleries can ostensibly also determine where to grow their grain. This opens the door to explorations of terroir, something that’s very much on the mind of Far North Spirits’ Swanson. He plans to embark on a terroir experiment with another Minnesota whiskey distiller.

“We’ve talked about growing the same variety in two very different parts of the state with very different soil and topography,” he says. “[We want] to see if there’s a difference in the terroir that would be reflected in the whiskeys.”

At the end of the day, estate distilling is about trying to create a better product. “There’s a saying in the wine industry that you can’t make good wine out of bad grapes,” Frey says. “If you start with better quality inputs, you end up with better quality outputs. We can create better whiskeys because we have better quality grains we’re starting with.”

The post ‘Ground to Glass’: Heritage Distilleries Oversee Every Step of the Whiskey-Making Process appeared first on Wine Enthusiast.

Amidst the not-so-impressive news, however, there was one particular bright spot—the continued rise of agave-based spirits. In 2023, tequila (and mezcal) sales skyrocketed 7.9%, up $476 million, to a total revenue of $6.5 billion. The increasingly popular category is running hot on the heels of vodka, America’s longstanding favorite spirit.

Tequila drinkers are spoiled for choice these days. There are thousands of options on the market, from popular bottles to mix into a margarita or Mexican martini to celebrity-owned brands and aged reposados at a wide array of price points. It seems there’s an ever-constant influx of tequilas debuting on U.S. liquor store shelves, including a surge of “premium” bottles intended for savoring slowly.

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Some of these higher-end selections are aged or filtered to maximize smoothness, while others are rare or otherwise special in varying ways. According to the drinks market analysis firm International Wine and Spirits Record (IWSR), consumers have been gravitating toward this so-called “sipping tequila” for a while now.

“Over the years, tequila has evolved from being a low-price shot to a more premium option used in cocktails and high-end sipping,” says Brandy Rand, chief strategy officer at IWSR. “Tequila has an association as an affordable luxury, and many brands are aligned with celebrities, leading to lifestyle-oriented marketing.”

More imbibers have been placing value on tequila’s connection to Mexican heritage, creating a sense of place, she adds, which has prompted their desire to learn more and experiment with different expressions. All of this has led to even more growth in the category.

While this expansion is great news for lovers of all things agave, it does make it difficult to figure out which bottles are worth stocking in the liquor cabinet. But there’s no need to stress: We’ve tapped our expert reviewers to narrow down the best tequila for sipping right now. Take a look below.

Best Estate-Grown Sipping Tequila

El Sativo Tequila Blanco Organic

A whiff of fresh spearmint introduces the lightly herbaceous aroma. The light palate echoes the fresh herb note, mixing it with lemon peel and fresh jalapeño, plus a hint of vanilla. Each sip finishes bracing and crisp, with pleasantly peppery heat. Sip or mix. 96 Points— Kara Newman 

$ Varies Total Wine & More

Señor Rio Tequila Blanco

Deep, savory aromas suggest sundried tomato and dried oregano. The palate opens with fresh herbs, while the vegetal midpalate includes bell pepper and jalapeño. A saline hint sets the mouth watering. Crisp and peppery finish. 92 Points — K.N.

$54 Total Wine & More

Best 100% Blue Agave Tequila

Don Vicente Tequila Blanco

The aroma suggests fresh-cut jalapeño, with a spicy hint that makes the nose prickle. Peppery notes follow on the palate. Jalapeño as well as bell pepper and black pepper are framed with hints of tarragon and graphite. Grapefruit-peel astringency and white-pepper sparks complete the lively finish. Sip or mix. 96 Points — K.N.

$ Varies Del Mesa Liquor

La Pulga Tequila Blanco

Overall, this is a citrusy and lively tequila. A fresh tomato scent welcomes the savory and zesty palate. Lemony acidity leads to pickled jalapeño and ginger, plus white-pepper heat. 93 Points — K. N.

$43 Total Wine & More

Buendia Tequila Blanco

This tequila has a tropical touch, opening with coconut, citrus and pineapple aromas. The complex palate offers coconut and bracing hints of rubber and graphite. Almond sweetness smooths the exit, sprinkled with clove and cinnamon heat. 93 Points— K. N. 

$49 Folsom Wine & Spirits

Best Budget Sipping Tequila

Campovaso Tequila Blanco

Honey richness and sundried tomato on nose and palate give depth to this limited-production tequila, while lemon peel jazzes up the exhale. A teasing oaky note suggests the barrel-aged expressions will be worth a closer look. 95 Points — K.N.

$ Varies Whole Foods Market

Jaja Tequila Blanco

This tequila shows the sweeter side of blanco. Agave nectar, vanilla cookie and almond are balanced by drying white pepper and ginger notes. The exhale includes a hint of butterscotch. 93 Points — K.N. 

$ Varies Total Wine & More

Painted Donkey Tequila Blanco

Herbaceous notes lead the nose and palate, with a bouquet of mint, tarragon and lemongrass that head to a mentholated finish. Fennel seed, bell pepper and lime peel exit with a final, sneaky burst of heat. Best Buy. 92 Points — K.N. 

$25 Total Wine & More

Best $50 and Under Sipping Tequila

Siete Leguas Tequila Blanco

Bold, zesty, savory aromas hint at fresh and pickled jalapeño. The palate is equally robust and complex, adding lemon peel and a steely, minerally midpalate. It finishes clean with an enticing mouthwatering saline note and flicker of cayenne heat. 93 Points — K. N.

$48 Total Wine & More

Lalo Tequila Blanco

Look for bold tropical fruit on nose and palate. Each complex sip opens slightly sweet and finishes with citrus zing, mouthwatering salinity and a mineral hint of graphite. 93 Points — K. N. 

$ Varies Total Wine & More

Pasote Blanco

The mild scent hints at agave and basil. Meanwhile, the palate shows vanilla sweetness up front, warming to a traditional agave and jalapeño midpalate, and finishing with black pepper sparks and echoes of vanilla and cinnamon. Seems like it would lend itself to barrel-aged expressions. 90 Points— K. N. 

$ Varies Total Wine & More

Best Still-Strength Tequila

Codigo 1530 Tequila Blanco

This limited edition is bottled at still strength, meaning plenty of flavor intensity and alcohol power. Look for a roasted jalapeño scent and a hint of rubber. The memorable palate opens with graphite, fading into coconut sweetness framed by baking spice and a mouthwatering saline hint. 94 Points — K. N. 

$ Varies Remedy Liquor

Best Small-Batch Sipping Tequila

Mijenta Tequila Blanco

Hints of bell pepper and fresh mint perfume this blanco. The palate opens with vegetal bell and jalapeño peppers, leading to a mouthwatering saline hint on the midpalate. The exit blazes with alcohol heat, melding with cayenne, ginger and jalapeño, soothed with cooked agave and rich honey on the way out. 93 Points — K. N. 

$ Varies Total Wine & More

Best Celebrity-Owned Sipping Tequila

Teremana Tequila Blanco

Owned by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, this crystalline tequila resounds with zesty bell pepper and poblano aromas. The light, crisp palate entwines lemon peel with gentle almond and marshmallow sweetness, finishing with white-pepper sparks. Mix in margaritas or palomas. 92 Points — K. N.

$ Varies Total Wine & Spirits

Best Splurge-Worthy Sipping Tequila

Sin Pensar Tequila Silver

Look for a mild almond aroma and hints of cocoa and roasted tomato on the toasty palate. Fiery cinnamon and clove warm the finish. 91 Points — K. N. 

$ Varies K & L Wines

Best Single-Vintage Sipping Tequila

Lagrimas del Valle Tequila Palo Verde Plata 2022

Savory and smoked—but not smoky—hints mean this complex blanco is a wild ride. Lively lemon, sundried tomato and tarragon open each sip, leading into a zesty, savory blast of smoked paprika, mesquite, ancho chile powder and a fleeting hint of bacon, finishing with black-pepper fumes. Note: each bottling will be a single vintage (2022 is the first), harvested from a single field (in this case, Palo Verde). 94 Points — K. N. 

$ Varies K & L Wines

FAQs

Is Reposado a Good Sipping Tequila?

In brief, reposado (“rested”) tequila is aged at least two months in oak, añejo is aged at least one year and extra añejo is aged a minimum of three years. Usually, the longer barrel time equates to deeper color and more intense flavor. 

Some purists staunchly believe that reposado is the ideal sipping tequila because barrel-aging smooths out some of the tequila’s natural peppery notes and amplifies honey notes, without hiding the character of the agave. But others appreciate the rich complexity of añejo, as longer aging coaxes out vanilla or even deep toffee notes alongside dried fruit and spice, which can unfurl further flavor as it sits in the glass.

In addition, some producers experiment with special cask finishes on top of standard aging times. Barrels that previously held sherry might add nutty or dried fruit tones, while ex-bourbon casks can layer on more intense vanilla and spice. These finishes add complexity and nuance, which can add to sipping appeal.

In other words, it’s about flavor, not age. The best sipping tequila is one that’s multi-dimensional enough to enjoy slowly.

Which Type of Tequila is the Smoothest?

When talking about whether a spirit is “smooth,” that usually indicates that it’s less fiery or less harsh than others. Alcohol heat isn’t necessarily always bad, and it can be tempered by adding ice or even a splash of water.

Those seeking a “smooth” tequila likely will want to bypass overproof bottlings, which are fiery by nature, and may want to seek out tequilas in the reposado and añejo range, where soothing honey, vanilla or caramel can make alcohol burn seem to recede a bit. Extra añejos can be delicious, but extended barrel time can draw out extra tannins. If overdone, that can create the perception of a little more harshness on the palate.

Perhaps the smoothest of all is cristalino, a relatively new tequila category. Named for its “crystal clear” appearance, cristalino is made by aging tequila, then charcoal-filtering out the color and flavor so it’s clear (or close to it), creating a lighter flavor. Some versions have sweetener added, usually agave nectar, which also helps take the edge off alcohol burn.

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