An Eclectic Mix.
Check out this unique lineup of beautiful products that span the gamut from clean, cocktail-friendly Netherlands vodka to a blended Kentucky bourbon masterpiece. Earl Grey tea spiked gin cocktail, anyone? We thought so.
Roaming Man Edition 8 Tennessee Rye
Gatlinburg, TN
Vitals: 90 Proof (45 ABV); $40
Roaming Man Edition 8 Tennessee Rye; Gatlinburg, TN
Vitals: 90 Proof (45 ABV); $40
Sugarland Distilling Company’s Roaming Man Edition Tennessee Rye can be a tough find since its rotating “editions” tend to sell out during pre-sale. We’re not surprised since this spicy rye was “the best product on the list” at the John Barleycorn awards and remained among the highest-rated spirits in the competition’s history. This “beautifully aged distillate” greets with a “nutty, structured rye nose.” Flavors of “praline and Sugar Smacks cereal” are rounded out with an “underlying earthiness” and a “mild menthol finish.”
Corgi Spirits Earl Grey Gin
Jersey City, New Jersey
Vitals: 80 Proof (40% ABV); $38
“Wow!” Jersey City-based Corgi Spirits created something “truly special” with this “impressive” Earl Grey-infused gin. It’s the “balanced tea notes” that make this gin “pretty and different.” Expect classic botanicals and “strong notes of tea leaf” aromas that carry to the palate. Earl grey meshes seamlessly with “bright notes of juniper, lemon peel, and coriander,” concluding with a long, soft, lingering finish.” Try it in a spirit-forward Brit 75 cocktail.
BRIT 75
Recipe Courtesy of Corgi Spirits
- 1 oz Corgi Spirits Earl Grey Gin
- ½ oz fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz simple syrup
- Sparkling wine
Fill a shaker with ice, add gin, lemon juice, syrup, and shake until very cold—strain into a chilled champagne glass and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Legent Bourbon
Clermont, Kentucky
Vitals: 94 Proof (47% ABV); $30
Jim Beam’s ubiquitous Fred Noe and Suntory Japanese Whisky master blender Shinji Fukuyo created Legent, a “spicy, sweet and peppery” marriage of straight and wine cask finished bourbons. This whiskey “gets better with each sip,” commented one judge at the Barleycorn International Spirits Competition. And it’s easy to see why. “Aromas of creamy corn, oak and nutmeg” sets the stage for an “excellent balance of toasted caramel and vanilla” flavors with “layers of fruit like apricot and lovely spices.” A “nice viscous mouthfeel” ties this whiskey together, concluding with a “medium, pleasant menthol finish.”
Red Harbor Rum, Age Stated to 5 Years
Charleston, South Carolina
Vitals: 80 Proof (40% ABV); $40
This Charleston, South Carolina-based rum company that “drinks older than a 5-year” crafts its “flavorful and delicious” Red Harbor with the bourbon drinker in mind. But rum geeks won’t complain about this “smooth operator.” “Crisp notes of fruit and molasses meet toasted oak” on the punchy nose, while “vanilla, caramel, and coconut shine on the palate.” Red Harbor’s finish is a “lovely balance of fruit, acid, and tannin.” “Overall, a most pleasant experience.”
Van Gogh Vodka
Tilburg, The Netherlands
Vitals: 80 Proof (40% ABV); $20
Van Gogh’s signature vodka “tastes like a vodka ought to taste.” Made from wheat sourced in Holland, Germany, and France, this “clean and smooth,” “no brainer” cocktail vehicle has “aromas of fresh rainwater, a sleek mouthfeel and distinct mineral notes” that will entice you to “reach for another sip.” Try it in this slushy and refreshing summer cocktail, the Dutch Frosé. Multiply the ingredients to make batches for friends.
Dutch Frosé
Recipe Courtesy of Van Gogh Vodka
- 1 oz. Van Gogh Vodka
- 3 oz. rosé wine
- ½ oz simple syrup
- 1 cup ice
Add ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Serve in a wine glass with fresh mint, a lemon wheel, and strawberry.
Spirits writers, marketers and designers are among the most influential forces in the spirits industry. Their opinions, ideas and creative talents inform and influence consumer perceptions and buying decisions. The John Barleycorn Society was started by a group of spirits journalists seeking to honor excellence in all facets of the industry. The journalists spent several years creating a comprehensive competition that became the John Barleycorn Awards. An elite team of authoritative and influential spirits journalists was selected to administer the flagship component of the Awards, a blind tasting competition destined to become the preeminent arbitrator of spirits taste, quality and character.
