Spirits

Common Ground Spirits has introduced a new gin expression featuring the unique combination of blood orange and tarragon flavors. This innovative blend offers a refreshing and aromatic profile, making it a versatile choice for various cocktails. For instance, the "Witch's Revival" cocktail highlights this gin's distinctive taste.

Witch’s Revival
- 3/4 Common Ground Blood Orange & Tarragon Gin
- 3/4 Cocchi Americano
- 3/4 Cointreau
- 3/4 Lemon
- Absinthe rinse in a Nick & Nora
(Based on a Corpse Reviver No.2)

Maker's Mark Cellar Aged 2024 is a limited-edition bourbon that represents the distillery's oldest release to date. This expression is a meticulous blend of 15% 12-year-old and 85% 13-year-old bourbons, aged to taste rather than time, and bottled at cask strength of 119.3 proof (59.7% ABV).

The aging process includes finishing maturation in Maker's Mark's LEED-certified limestone cellar, which allows the bourbon to develop a richer, deeper, and more complex flavor profile while avoiding the harsher tannic effects often found in older American whiskies.

Tasting notes for this release include aromas of caramelized sugar, zesty citrus, and toasted almond. The palate offers flavors of buttery shortbread, rich coconut, and bright spices, leading to a lingering, mouth-coating finish with dried dark fruit and subtle oak undertones.

Tom’s Town Botanical Gin is a modern twist on a classic spirit, inspired by the vibrant creativity of Kansas City’s golden age. This Western-style gin offers a beautifully balanced profile, with juniper taking a subtle back seat to an aromatic medley of hand-selected botanicals. Bright notes of floral lavender, zesty citrus, and a whisper of warm spice create a refreshing and versatile spirit perfect for sipping neat or elevating your favorite cocktails. Crafted with the spirit of innovation, Tom’s Town Botanical Gin captures the essence of artful distillation and the adventurous spirit of a bygone era.

Italians call this old world treat, “Nocino,” The French say, “Liqueur de Noix,”Americans call it “Walnut brandy.”

Elegant brandy enters the barrel sweet and innocent, meets cinnamon…and becomes dark, naughty, and truly “Cinful.”

AMARO is made from late harvest wine and wine fortified with barrel aged brandy, herbs (sage, thyme, marjoram, parsley, lemon  verbena, rosemary and mint to name a few), bark, roots, dried orange peel and caramelized simple syrup. Other additives include gentian, angelica, and cinchona bark to name a few. In all, there are forty different botanicals added to make up the blend. The wine has been aged in barrique for a combined 12 years utilizing the solera methodology. It has 23% alcohol and 16% residual sugar.

Luscious cacao, essences of coffee and vanilla, velvety on the palate with notes of cacao, and caramelized sugar.

Includes one bottle each of the Russell's Reserve Single Barrel (110 Proof) and Russell's Reserve Single Rickhouse 2024 Release (Camp Nelson B, Floor 6, 120.2 Proof). 

Quick to satisfy but often overlooked, the Whiskey Sour is a century-old, no-frills crowd-pleaser that has stood the test of time for good reason - it's simply delicious. The perfect balance of sour & sweet complements the bourbon whiskey beautifully. It's a downright democratic cocktail, equally refreshing wherever it's enjoyed. Some folks like egg whites in their whiskey sour but for the benefit of all we chose to leave that out of the can.

Tasting Notes: Caramelized fruits, vanilla, oak, raw sugar, and tart lemon.

McKenzie Straight Rye Whiskey is a robust, small-batch spirit crafted by Finger Lakes Distilling in upstate New York. Made with a mash bill of locally sourced rye, it delivers bold, spicy notes of black pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg, balanced by hints of caramel, vanilla, and oak from aging in American charred barrels. Finger Lakes Distilling is known for its dedication to traditional methods, including grain-to-glass production and the use of pot stills, ensuring every bottle captures the essence of handcrafted, high-quality whiskey.

"With Reflection II, Whiskey Director Shaylyn Gammon is looking to continue the tradition while emphasizing a different layer of flavor notes than its predecessor. While Reflection I focused on the darker base notes like oak and caramel, Reflection II zeroes in on the brighter middle notes, including florals and sweetness. Reflection II also features older whiskey stocks than its predecessor, with Gammon seeking out barrels that clearly exhibited elevated mid-note flavors from Blue Run’s more than 5,000-barrel inventory."

Blue Run High Rye Bourbon is distilled and aged to perfection in Kentucky, the heart of America's whiskey-making tradition. The exceptional high rye mash bill imparts a distinctive spicy note that harmonizes beautifully with the underlying sweetness of caramel, vanilla, and toasted oak. The result is a rich, full-bodied whiskey with a complexity that reveals new layers of flavor with each sip.

Bold. Distinctive. Inviting. Blue Run Spirits offers fine Kentucky whiskies carefully crafted to make every experience memorable. Blue Run Spirits serves the high growth, ultra-premium market. Blue Run partners with industry legends and brings a cutting-edge design and marketing approach to embrace a rapidly expanding customer base.

COLOR: Mahogany
NOSE: Butterscotch, maple and the rainbow of peppercorns
BODY: Full and robust
PALATE: Freshly polished leather, dried apricots, warm butter, dusty oak furniture in a fire, finishes with root beer and brown baking spice.
GENERAL: This forward and sexy rye will spice up your evening. Succulent and spicy on the entry yields to round, smooth, sweet bakery items and toasty oak. An experience akin to the pre-duel heightening of one’s senses followed by the euphoria of getting off the first shot.

Color: Tawny/Auburn
Nose: Brown sugar, toast, grain, dark fruits
Body: Full and chewy
Palate: Peanut brittle, vanilla, leatherbound books, finishes with almond and cola
General: Comes off nearly sweet, but beautifully balanced. Its powerful, but gracefully gentle, like Muhammed Ali petting a kitten. Pairs well with an elegant, yet sultry evening.

Distiller Notes: For years we’ve released a bold, heavily-smoked American Single Malt inspired by the super-smoky single malts of Islay (ai – luh). Formerly known as Winter Release, we’ve renamed this classic expression “Ode to Islay.” This expression is our way to raise a glass to tradition and pave our way with Southwestern ingredients – Ode to Islay is heavily mesquited. Not peated. It also joins the Global Cask Collection as a limited annual release like Frontera and Normandie.

This year’s Ode to Islay is our mesquited-not-peated American Single Malt finished in a mix of ex-rye, bourbon, and second-use Whiskey Del Bac Dorado casks.

The final result is a beautiful love letter to both inspirations. The last Ode to Islay expression earned a 9/10 from Malt Review Magazine and secured 91 points from Whisky Advocate.

On the Nose: 

You may find cocoa nibs, cinnamon, charred mesquite, and earth. On the palate, you may find soft vanilla up front, blossoming into plumes of mesquite smoke and white pepper, tapering off into soft cinnamon and candied toffee.

On the Rocks: 

You may find the mesquite moves to the forefront, contrasting against new notes of vanilla and dried stone fruit. The pepper spice recedes, replaced by notes of honey and butterscotch.

Our recommendation is to serve Ode To Islay with one large ice cube.