Hidden down a dark alley in a former chop shop, skilled men are quietly violating one of Evanston's founding principles: Prohibition. In the 19th century, Frances Elizabeth Willard was elected President of the Chicago Woman's Christian Temperance Union and embarked on a decade-long crusade to prohibit alcohol in the United States. Willard worked tirelessly; as President of the WCTU, she traveled roughly 30,000 miles per year and gave an average of 400 lectures each year for an entire decade As a result, Evanston remained a dry town for over 100 years. It wasn't until Paul Hletko, owner and master distiller at Few Spirits, began lobbying the town that the antiquated laws were lifted. "I'm the vice president of the PTA at my kids' school and I coach their soccer and T-ball teams," Hletko says. "People around town know me and what I'm about, which is handy when you're looking to change 100 years of laws." Today, Hletko and his team of master distillers distill Few Single Malt Whisky in the heart of Evanston, Illinois. Few Single Malt Whisky is crafted exclusively from malted barley. Unlike traditional single malts, however, the whisky is crafted using both cherry wood smoked barley (this imparts a sweet, slightly smoky flavor) and unsmoked two-row barley. After distillation, the single malt is matured in custom-made oak barrels from Minnesota. "The cooper I eventually chose to make our barrels won 24 out of 25 categories at a spirits competition I visited," Hletko says. "I'm no math major, but that's the cooper I want to make our barrels." As a result, the single malt has an aroma of fudge, vanilla and salted caramel. Notes of turmeric, cherry, espresso beans, honey and graham crackers dominate the palate, and lead to a finish with hints of apples, oak, smoke, cinnamon and caramel.

Situated under the steps of the St. Bride's Church on Fleet Street, the City of London Distillery is the first distillery to be commissioned within the City of London in over two centuries. The distillery was founded in 2012 by Jonathan Clark and Jamie Baxter, who set out to pay homage to the thousands of distilleries in London that had suffered and were ultimately shuttered due to England's repressive regulatory and tax regimes. City of London Dry Gin is a handcrafted gin that is made using two stills and seven unique botanicals. The stills, which were constructed by Carl GMbH, are nicknamed Clarissa (a Carter Head still) and Jennifer (a classic pot still) are "the heart of the operations of the distillery," says Clark. In addition, the botanicals using during distillation juniper, coriander, angelica, liquorice, orange, lemon and grapefruit create a sublime gin that has touches of zesty citrus, pink grapefruits and licorice. City of London Dry Gin earned the title "Master" at the Gin Masters Competition in 2014. 

The Irishman. Premium Irish Whiskey. Exceptional character. Championing Irish Single Malt. The recreation of age-old recipes to create unrivalled expressions. For a new generation of whiskey enthusiasts.

Always Single Malt focused – whether championed in blends or pure Single Malt expressions. Always enriching the flavour, lengthening the depth, refining the smoothness. After all, everything comes back to the whiskey. It’s our pride and our focus. Every one a true original, triple distilled to leave a lasting impression.

A tip of the hat to Ireland’s Golden Era of Irish Whiskey. Learning from the past to create the future. Redefining Irish Single Malts. Single Malt – that’s our heart.

In the early 1800’s, New York produced more than half the young nation’s Barley and Rye and the Hudson Valley was the country’s breadbasket. With abundant high quality grain, local craft spirits flourished and over 1000 farm distilleries produced Whiskey and Gin reflecting the unique terroir of the region. In the 1930’s, Prohibition forced these distilleries to shut their doors and this wellspring of American spirits was left dry.

Hillrock Estate Distillery is changing this. Our mission is to produce the finest hand-crafted spirits made with our own grain, floor malted, craft distilled in our copper pot still, aged in fine oak and hand bottled at our estate in the Hudson Valley Highlands. Crowned by a fine 1806 Georgian house built by a successful grain merchant and Revolutionary War Captain and meticulously restored to its original beauty, Hillrock Distillery overlooks our rolling barley fields and the distant Berkshire Mountains. Like our premier spirits, every detail refined, no expense spared, quality steeped in the tradition of 200 years of rich history.

Hillrock is proud to be one of the few “field-to-glass” whiskey producers in the world and the first USA distillery since before Prohibition to floor malt and hand craft whiskey on site from estate grown grain. Hillrock’s commitment to quality embodies the rich history of artisanal distilling in the Hudson Valley. By controlling every aspect of production from planting & harvesting heirloom grains, to smoking our malt, to crafting whiskies in our copper pot still, to aging in small oak barrels and hand bottling, we are able to create the highest quality whiskies reflecting the unique local terroir.

THE ART OF FINE CRAFT DISTILLING HAS MADE THE JOURNEY HOME…

High West Distillery was founded in 2006 by David Perkins and his wife, Jane. David, a former biochemist, was inspired to open his own distillery after seeing the parallels between the fermentation and distilling process and his own work in biochemistry during a trip to a whiskey distillery in Kentucky. In 2004, David and his family relocated to Park City, Utah to begin their new venture, where they began distilling in 2007. They chose Park City because of David’s love of the Old West and Utah’s little-known whiskey history.

High West began with humble roots, opening a small, 250-gallon still and Saloon in an historic livery stable and garage. What was once a small operation in downtown Park City has grown to be an internationally-recognized, award winning brand.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Brandied cherries, fig jam, sun-dried raisins, dried orange peel, baking spice, French oak toast.

Taste: Quince paste, strawberry rhubarb crumble, vanilla caramel, molasses, toffee, leather.

How to Enjoy
We recommend that you enjoy this special spirit neat, due to its many layers of complexity, next to a warm fire as the snow piles up on the window sill. It also pairs beautifully with fig cookies!

Situated along the banks of the East River, Kings County Distillery is New York City's oldest operating whiskey distillery and the first distillery in New York City since Prohibition. Wedged between Williamsburg and Vinegar Hill, Colin Spoelman and David Haskell, the master distillers at Kings County, make hand-crafted bourbon and moonshine out of the 113-year old Paymaster Building at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. A typewriter the two distillers found on the sidewalk in Williamsburg is used to make the labels that adorn their clear, flask-like bottles, while a hairdryer (made by Revlon) is used to afix each bottle seal. Handwritten scrawls on a chalkboard keep track of different batches, and mesh laundry bags are used as strainers. Before white whiskey, there was moonshine, otherwise known as whiskey before it is aged in a barrelthough the word can also mean any illegally-made spirit. Kings County Distillery's Moonshine is a corn whiskey made from 80% New York State organic corn and 20% malted barley. It is double distilled and reduced to a smooth, drinkable 80 proof. Bright with a sweet slap of corn, this is a very respectable take on a classic American whiskey.

Colonel Charles Goodnight was a force to be reckoned with when the west was still being won. As an iconic cowboy, he blazed the historic Goodnight-Loving Trail from Texas to Colorado, driving scores of cattle thousands of miles over dusty plains and snow-packed passes. As a Texas Ranger lawman, he doled out vigilante justice to protect ranchers from rustlers and outlaws. But Goodnight had a head for commerce too, building towns as well as businesses. This premium Small Batch Bourbon harnesses the unique character of this legendary man. Unflappable, unforgettable and one of a kind.

Tasting Notes

Rich aromas of vanilla and caramel and flavors of honey, spice, and smoky tobacco

Pyrat Rum is a brand owned by owned by Patrn Spirits, and was released in 1997. The company is not a distiller, but rather a blender of spirits. Pyrat Rum was previously produced by the Anguilla Rums Company, but is now produced and bottled in Guyana South America, in the Diamond Bottling Plant owned by Demerara Distillers Ltd. (DDL). Pyrat XO Reserve, is a blend of 9 different Rums, sourced from all over the Carribean, primarily consisting of 2-year-old Demerara rum. Demerara rum is produced by DDL, which produces well over 20 million liters of rum a year. Though they have their own label, El Dorado, their rum is also commonly used in blends like Pyrat XO Reserve. The Diamond Bottling Plant -which is owned by DDL- has its own private bottling line within the plant itself. The rum in Pyrat XO Reserve is partly produced in a traditional pot still, and a portion of the blend is produced using Demerara Distillers High Ester Still, which is a John Dore Still. The oldest rum in the Pyrat Rum XO blend is 15-years-old, and all of the XO rum is aged in a combination of American Oak and French Limousine oak casks. Bottled at 40%, ABV Pyrat XO has a stout corked bottle said to resemble the type of bottles used by Caribbean rum runners, ship captains, and pirates in the 19th century. This XO Reserve has a dark amber color. It is sweet on the nose with notes of molasses, toffee, citrus, and spice. The palate is sugary, with signature bright citrus notes of orange liqueur and lemon, and tobacco. The deep flavors of Demerara rum are also present. It has a long finish with hints of ginger and cinnamon.

Situated in Seattle's Capitol Hill Neighborhood, Oola Distillery was founded by Kirby Kallas-Lewis as "a labor of love, intellectual curiosity and commitment to the neighborhood." Oola Waitsburg Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon is crafted from a mash of approximately 65% corn and 20%-28% rye, with the remaining balance split evenly between malted barley and white winter wheat "All our grains are sourced from two organic farms in Eastern Washington," says Kirby. In addition, the use of wheat in the bourbon's mashbill "allows me to hold back on the corn and add more rye. This results in a more complex, balanced and less overly sweet bourbon." Once the ingredients arrive at the distillery, they are milled and mashed before being distilled through Kirby's copper-pot still. Following distillation, the bourbon is matured in small, American white oak casks that are subjected to large temperature swings of up to 50-70 each day. "The idea is to extract a lot of the influence from the barrel early on in the aging process." After this initial beautyrest, the bourbon is transferred to 53-gallon, American white oak casks that boast an alligator char. The alligator char allows the whiskey to penetrate the wood, which hails from the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, up to a inch. There, the bourbon rests for an additional three to four years. Whereas at that point, multiple casks are typically married together to create a blended bourbon whiskey, Oola Waitsburg Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon represents a single barrel bottling from Oola's finest stock of maturing whiskey. This particular batch no. 6, bottled at cask strength exclusively for members, produced only 216 bottles at a robust 114 proof. Doing so allows "the full richness of the nose and flavor profile to stay as intact as possible," says Kirby. Oola Waitsburg Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon has a spicy aroma, with touches of cinnamon, ginger and black peppercorn that give way to notes of caramel, vanilla, cherry and oak on the palate. The finish is warm and balanced, with hints of brown sugar, toffee and maple syrup complementing each other. The bourbon was "highly recommended" by the Beverage Testing Institute, and has a "pleasingly long and mellow finish," according to the Capitol Hill Times. In addition, it earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2013 and the Silver Medal at the Beverage Testing Institute Competition in 2012. Pick up a bottle today!

Angel’s Envy Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels Bot 2022

Our 11th Cask Strength release has arrived. Made from some of the most distinctive barrels in our rickhouse and aged for up to 14 additional months in port wine casks, it’s one of our most popular and critically acclaimed whiskey collections. 

TASTING NOTES

A dark amber red 119.8 proof bourbon with a creamy, indulgent flavor. Notes of caramel, brown sugar, and fruit.

NOSE: Begins with hints of leather, brown sugar and caramel, followed by crème brûlée, marshmallow, green apple and citrus orange.

PALATE: Apples, caramel, and brown sugar. The creaminess pairs with orange from the nose, creating a dessert-like richness. Vanilla, toasted oak and black pepper spice round it out.

FINISH: Slight fruitiness and grape tannic notes with a lingering spice.

After two Colorado family farms grow our heirloom varietals of wheat, barley and rye, our labor-intensive cooking technique brings each grain’s individual character to life, while open-air sour mash adds soulful complexity. After three years in 53-gallon charred oak barrels, influenced by our high-altitude climate, an entirely novel bourbon unfolds.

AROMAS: Orange blossoms compliment notes of black tea, honey and dusty pepper

FLAVORS:  Pekoe tea, orange peel, cinnamon and vanilla custard. Hints of sweet tobacco and spice lead to a rich, dry finish.

MASH BILL: 60% corn, 20% heirloom wheat, 10% heirloom rye, 10% heirloom malted barley

AGED: 3+ years in new 53 gallon charred oak barrels

Situated along the northern coast of South America, Guyana was colonized by the Netherlands in the early 17th century. Much like other European countries at the time, the Dutch used their settlement's tropical climate Guyana enjoys an average temperature of up to 89.6 F and up to 137.8 inches of rainfall annually as a source of raw, fresh ingredients that were unable to be harvested on the European continent. In 1658, Guyana began exporting sugar back to the Netherlands and within a decade, farmer's along the Demerara River began distilling their excess cane sugar into rum. By the turn of the century, the tiny Caribbean country had over 300 unique distilleries. Today, Demerara Distillers Co. the last remaining rum distillery in the country pays homage to Guyana's rich tradition of distilling fine rum with El Dorado 8 Year Old Rum. El Dorado Rum is made from fresh, raw sugar cane cultivated in Guyana's rich, alluvial soil. After the sugar cane has been harvested by hand, it is transported back to Demerara Distillery by barge. There, the molasses is fermented with a proprietary strain of yeast specifically designed to control the brix of the wash (brix is the measure of dissolved solids in a solution). Following fermentation, the rum is distilled through Demerara Distillers antique wooden and copper stills (the stills, which are up two two centuries old, were used when the country was still a settlement). Following distillation, El Dorado 8 Year Old Rum is matured in bespoke, 45-gallon American oak casks that were previously used to mature whiskey. The hand-coopered barrels are allowed to mature in a custom-built warehouse, where Guyana's intense heat and tropical climate forces the rum and wood to mingle. Once the rum has rested for a minimum of eight years, it is brought to proof and bottled by hand. The rum has a dark aroma, with hints of tobacco, caramel and toffee. Notes of stone fruits, banana, creme brulee and papaya dominate the palate, and lead to a soft and slightly sweet finish with traces of oak and butterscotch. The rum was named the Best Rum of 2014 by F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal, which also named it one of the top ten spirits of the year. In addition, El Dorado 8 Year Old was named the second best rum at the Imbibe Magazine tasting competition in London.

Founded in 1982 by German-born Jrg Rupf, St. George Spirits is one of the oldest craft distilleries in the United States. The distillery, housed in an old World War II airplane hangar on a former naval base on the edge of San Francisco, is home to Lance Winters, mad scientist and St. George's master distiller. Winters, who is widely-known for experimenting with different types of spirits, has a laboratory dominated by a 10-liter test still in addition to the glass beakers and graduated cylinders that cover every inch of his counterspace. Next to the dusty chalkboards caked with equations for the conversion of sugar to alcohol and intricate diagrams of molecular structures are bottles of experimental whiskies, vodkas and even an aging balsamic vinegar (it's 14 years old already). Our objective with St. George Raspberry Brandy, explains Winters, was to take an olfactory snapshot to capture exactly what raspberries smell like at their peak of ripeness. We used the whole fruit in its entirety in a deliberate effort to maximize the most elemental and essential flavors and aromas. Once the raspberries have been harvested, they are distilled through copper pot stills without the use of sugar or any other artificial ingredients. The brandy has an extraordinary texture and flavor profile, with rich waves of soft fruit, raspberries, oak and cinnamon that are complemented by a mineral touch. The brandy was named one of the Top 75 Spirits of 2014 by F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal.

Born in southern Burgundy, Alexandre Gabriel spent his youth working on his family's farm in central France. His grandfather, a strict disciplinarian, taught Alexandre how to graft a tree, milk a cow and harvest grapes. "For my grandfather, the only wealth is the one from the land," says Alexandre, fondly. After studying at the Macalester College in Minnesota and earning a degree in Lyon, Gabriel began working with Maison Ferrand, one of the oldest cognac houses in France. During his tenure at Maison Ferrand, Gabriel would dispose of used cognac casks by selling them to distilleries in Scotland and the Caribbean. "Our love affair with true rum began when we sold the prized casks that once held our Cognac to rum producers, and we fell in love with their product," says Alexandre. Centuries ago, Caribbean rum producers would send casks of rum to Europe and the United States, where the rum would mature before it was bottled and sold to the public. This is a practice that was done more commonly in the past but has almost disappeared now. We thought who better than Ferrand, with our know-how and exceptional casks, to resurrect this ancient technique." Plantation Grande Rserve 5 Year Old Rum was initially distilled on the island of Barbados and then matured for five years in ex-bourbon casks that were laid to rest in the Caribbean. Following this maturation process, the rum was transported to France and matured in used French oak casks at the Chteau de Bonbonnet. This secondary maturation adds hints of oaky vanilla, fudge and caramel that complement the rum's intense notes of tropical fruits, bananas, toasted almonds, brown sugar and coconuts. Plantation Grande Rserve 5 Year Old Rum earned a score of 94 points from Wine Enthusiast.