Mesquite

Whiskey Del Bac Distiller’s Cut Summer 2023

Whiskey Del Bac Distiller’s Cut Summer 2023

Stephen and Elaine Paul founded Hamilton Distillers in 2011 in Tucson, born out of the question if smoke drying barley with mesquite wood could impart something unique to a whiskey. After a lot of experimentation, it turned out that the answer was yes. While the distillery eventually settled on their core line, they were continually experimenting with different ideas, the essence of what got them started in the first place. Some of those early experiments involving mash bill and maturation have started to see the light of day over the last couple of years, including their line of Distiller’s Cuts, which are released thrice a year and named after the seasons. The Distiller’s Cut Summer 2023 was a true mixing of elements. One batch was aged in new American white oak and finished in ex-rhum agricole barrels (rhum agricole is a style of rum made from freshly-squeeze sugar cane instead of molasses, often made in the French West Indies). A mesquited tequila petit eau (water aged in tequila barrels, which does in fact absorb some alcohol from the wood over time) was added and the whole was given a base of the Classic before being blended in stainless steel tanks. Nicknamed “Abbey’s Blend” after Abbey Fife, one of the Hamilton’s distillers (though now in marketing) who was responsible for creating this particular offering.

Andalusia Stryker

Andalusia Stryker

Andalusia Whiskey was started by friends Tommy Erwin and Ty Phelps in 2015. They discovered the site of their planned distillery was once called the Andalusia Ranches, perhaps after the hill country of southern Spain. The Andalusia Stryker is one of the four main offerings from the distillery. Harkening back to the Scottish tradition of drying malted barley using peat smoke for some of their whiskies, Tommy and Ty give Stryker a Texas twist by smoking the barley with a mix of oak, mesquite, and apple wood, pointing towards Texas barbeque as their inspiration. 

Colkegan Single Malt

Colkegan Single Malt

Santa Fe Spirits was founded in 2010 by Englishman Colin Keegan. An architect by trade, Colin and his family built their home on an old apple orchard in the American Southwest in the early 90s. Colin decided to look at the Recession of 2008/09 as an opportunity and founded Santa Fe Spirits. After a decade and more in production, Santa Fe Spirits offer vodka, gin, apple brandy (from the orchards) and liqueurs. Their flagship product, however, is the Colkegan Single Malt. A portmanteau of the distillery’s founder, the Colkegan line uses local mesquite wood to dry a portion of the barley used in the whiskey, with other versions using various proofage and cask finishes.