Dear friend of fine spirits,
SALE on Hangar One: once we’re sold out of current inventory, we will no longer have this vodka, whose concept, package, and marketing came from the Craft Distillers folks. We have the Mandarin and the Lime on sale for $20/bottle, first come, first served. These are the original-design bottles, with amazingly fresh aromas, both distilled prior to the recent changes. We have just a few bottles left of the Straight, the Raspberry, and the Spiced Pear (discontinued at the distillery), still at $30.
We’re making room for Craft Distillers/Devin Cain’s upcoming wonder, a set of four unreal vodkas whose macerations are based on using one of the antique Germain-Robin cognac stills: November catalogue.
Just released: Mezcalero no. 7, from Joel Antonio Cruz’ family distillery in the Oaxacan pueblo of San Juan del Rio. The wild/semi-wild varieties of agave in No. 7 are perhaps the best for distillation: Sierra Negra (suave), Tepeztate (spicy), Tobala (elegant). The result is a very complex & smooth intensity. There are just over 600 bottles. Fabulous mezcal. $84. Many in the spirits trade regard the Mezcalero bottlings as the best mezcals on the markets.
Crispin Cain’s recent release of a Low Gap Single-barrel wheat whiskey, 2 years old ($75), received five stars/Highest recommendation review from spirits maven Paul Pacult: “astonishingly luscious”. This, his clear Rye, his standard 2-year-old wheat, and his Russell Henry gins (one of which was ranked as the highest gin on Pacult’s recent list of the world’s best spirits), are some of the finest distilled spirits on planet Earth.
Coming up: a Mezcalero from newly-enlisted artisan producers near Sola De Vega southwest of Oaxaca, the USA release of the fourth Alipus distiller, Santa Ana del Rio, who has at last achieved norma cerification,and a new Alipus supplier from San Luis del Rio. Regards/Ansley Coale.