Review: Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Whiskey
Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Whiskey is bottled at barrel strength to capture every nuance. The Uncle Nearest brand honors the first known African American Master Distiller, Nathan Nearest Green. Fawn Weaver founded and launched the brand July 2017, and is still the CEO. Nearest Green Distillery sits on 432 acres in Shelbyville Tennessee, and it is already the worlds seventh most visited distillery. Uncle Nearest Whiskey has earned over 1000 awards including Double Gold Medal’s in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Wine Enthusiast also named Uncle Nearest The Spirit Brand of the Year in 2020. Uncle Nearest Single Barrel is barrel aged for 5 years and triple filtered through sugar maple charcoal before bottling at barrel strength. Read more 
Review: Patron Cristalino Anejo Tequila
Patron Cristalino Anejo Tequila was just released. It is crafted by Master Distiller David Rodriquez at Hacienda Patron Distillery. Patron is the only brand of tequila distilled at this distillery. The 100% Weber agave is grown in the Cienega region of Los Altos Jalisco Mexico. The pinas are trimmed, cut in half and steam cooked in brick ovens. Once cooled the pinas are crushed with a two-ton volcanic stone tahona wheel. The juice and fibers are open air fermented in pinewood vats, and double distilled with the fibers in small pots stills. Patron Cristalino Anejo is aged for 12-15 months in 4 types of oak barrels. The spirit is blended, then filtered through American oak charcoal before bottling additive free. Read more
Review: Burl & Sprig Matisse Vodka
West Michigan Rum Company was founded in 2017 by Cody Wasilchenko and Pete Johnson. Cody Wasilchenko built his first still in his parents basement without their knowledge. After a career in the electrical field and inspired by new legislation in Michigan facilitating the establishment of small distilleries, Cody began laying the groundwork to open his own distillery. Cody apprenticed at several distilleries in the Caribbean and Central America. One of those distilleries was Las Cabras in Panama. The West Michigan Rum Company currently produces 6 spirits under the Burl & Sprig brand label including 4 rums at their sister distillery, Las Cabras. Burl & Sprig vodka and gin are distilled at their distillery in Muskegon Michigan. Burl & Sprig Matisse Vodka is made from fine wheat grain and water from the Great Lakes water basin. The spirit is distilled 26 times and filtered through activated carbon filters. Read more
Review: Uncle Nearest Rye
Uncle Nearest Rye was introduced November 2022. The Uncle Nearest story starts with Nathan Nearest Green, a former slave and the first African American Master Distiller. Nearest Green worked as a slave on Reverend Dan Call’s Farm. While there he distilled whiskey and developed the Lincoln County process of filtering the spirit through charcoal made from sugar maple trees. Years later a young boy named Jack Daniels came to live and work on the farm. Nearest taught the boy how to distill whiskey. After the Civil war Reverend Call sold the still to Jack Daniels and Jack opened his own distillery making Nearest now a free man, his first Master Distillery. From that day on a member of the Nearest family has worked for Jack Daniels. Uncle Nearest Rye is made from 100% rye grown and distilled in Canada. Following exact American specifications require to be a straight rye whiskey the spirit is aged in New York for a minimum 4 years. The Rye whiskey is transported to Tennessee where it is rested in used Uncle Nearest barrels for an additional maturation. Each barrel is tasted and blended by fifth generation Master Blender Victoria Eady Butler. Read more
Review: Beattie’s Potato Vodka
The Beattie’s Potato Vodka story starts in 1876 when Roland Beattie came over from Scotland. The Beattie Family Farm, now 6 generations strong grows chipping potatoes on 2000 acres in Alliston Ontario Canada. Potatoes that are too small or too big are rejected and turned into cattle feed. This costs the farm money. The original ideal for a craft farm distillery began when Ken Beattie a fourth generation farmer went to lunch with some friends and they discussed the possibility of using the rejected potatoes to create a potato vodka. In 2013 the Beattie’s while on vacation on Prince Edward Island visited a farm distillery that was already distilling a vodka from potatoes grown on their farm. After speaking with the owner, Ken Beattie was convinced it was something he wanted to do. In 2015 he founded Beattie Distillers. One year later they were bottling their own vodka. They currently also produce a Sweet Potato, Strawberry, Blueberry Lemongrass, and Peppermint Vanilla flavored vodka, Potato Gin, and Potato Poitin. Beattie’s Potato Vodka is distilled from Russet and Dakota Pearl potatoes. Read more
Review: La Gritona Reposado Tequila
La Gritona Reposado is distilled by Melly Barajas Cardenas and her staff of women at her small distillery in Valle de Guadalupe Jalisco Mexico. La Gritona translates to The Screamer. Melly opened Raza Azteca in 1999 when she was 22 and eventually she was able to buy her own agave fields. La Gritona is made from 100% agave grown for 8-10 years in the iron rich red soil of the Jalisco Highlands. The hand selected agave is put into masonry ovens within 24 hours of trimming where they are steam cooked in two thick walled earthen ovens for 24 hours. The agave cools for 24 hours before crushing the pinas to extract the juice. The liquid is fermented for 8-12 days in open air steel vats with wild yeast. The spirit is double distilled then rested for 6 months in second and third use American whiskey barrels sourced from Jack Daniels and Balcones. Read more
Review: Weber Ranch Vodka
Weber Ranch Vodka is the first spirits created by Round 2 Spirits. Round 2 was founded by Patron Founder John Paul DeJoria and several of his former associates from Patron including Ed Brown former CEO of Patron, Lee Applbaun former CMO, and Dave Wilson former COO. Weber Ranch is made from 100% Blue Weber agave that is hand selected and distilled in Jalisco Mexico. The spirit is then imported to Weber Ranch distillery in Muenster Texas. It is combined with water from the local Trinity aquifer, then further distilled by Master Distiller Antonio Rodriquez in copper pot and column stills, filtered and bottled additive free. Each bottle is embossed with FAC WEBER 1902 in honor of French botanist Frederic Albert Constantin Weber who first cataloged this specific species of agave in 1902. Read more
Review: Antano Blanco Tequila
Antano Tequila is made at La Cofradia, a distillery fed by a spring from Tequila’s famous bat shaped volcano. La Cofradia distills tequila for 61 brands including Casa Noble, La Cofradia, Senor Rio, ElVelo, Hiatus, and Tequila Mi Campo. Antano is available in a Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo expressions along with Coconut, Cucumber Jalapeno, Valencia Orange, and Grapefruit Hibiscus flavored varieties. Total Wine and More is the most likely place you will find Antano Tequila, and like a lot of their Spirit Direct Spirits, little production and ownership details are available. Today we are reviewing Antano Blanco. Read more
Review: Kalifornia Vodka
Kalifornia Vodka is made at Kalifornia Distilleries in Murrieta California. This distillery opened September 2021. Their original distillery was located in Temecula California. Father and son Bill and Billy Tiller founded the distillery. It’s a true family distillery as Bill, Billy, and his sister Jessica Sheridan distill all of their spirits. The idea for the distillery came after Billy retired with PTSD after 8 years as a San Diego Deputy Sheriff. The Tiller’s can trace their family history of distilling back to 1731 in County Cork Ireland. Billy started researching and visiting local distilleries and after two years of saying no, Bill was all in to join his son Billy in building the distillery. January 2015 Bill Tiller began bottling his own made corn whiskey. Flavored Moonshine followed. They now also craft distill vodka, and Bourbon whiskey. Kalifornia Vodka is made from 100% cane sugar. It is small batch distilled 6 times and filtered through coconut husks. Read more
Review: Tanteo Blanco Tequila
Tanteo Tequila was founded in 2007 by Jonathan Rojewski. Tanteo is the only tequila distillery owned and operated by a cooperative of agave farmers. Tanteo Tequila is proudly produced by a cooperative of 85 families of agave farmers at Destiladora Juanacatlan. Most farm in the Cienega Region of Jalisco. This distillery produces tequila for 5 brands including Espero and Carreta de Oro. Tanteo released their first three ultra premium flavor infused tequilas in New York in 2009. Those flavors included Jalapeno, Tropical, and Cocoa. Jonathan Rojewski was the Founder and CEO of Tanteo until he died in a tragic fall at The Redstone Inn in Redstone Colorado in 2013. Tanteo Blanco was released in 2019 and Ole Smoky Distillery acquired Tanteo Tequila August 2023. Tanteo Blanco is distilled from 100% fair trade blue weber agave. The agave is slow cooked in brick ovens, fermented in open air stainless steel tanks and double distilled in stainless steel pot stills. Tanteo Blanco is bottled additive free at 85 proof. A tip of the hat to the 85 families in their cooperative. Read more