These liquors might not be commonly associated with the United States, but that hasn’t stopped some of the country’s most adept distillers from taking a shot
Bourbon, vodka, and rye. When most stop to consider the best spirits made in America, those are what usually first come to mind. Yet, as deep and decorated as those liquors are, they don’t fully encapsulate the story of domestic distilling. The bandwidth of the country’s most talented spirit makers is wider than you might realize, and growing. To prove it, take a closer look at five categories not commonly associated with the red, white, and blue, but where domestic brands are crafting truly exceptional tipples.
RUM
The Caribbean will always dominate the rum market, but there are no geographical limitations on where rum can be made. Even the regulations defining rum are pretty loose: It must be distilled from the fermented juice, syrup, molasses, or other by-products of sugarcane, and it must be bottled at no less than 80 proof. While it’s true you won’t find many rums crafted in the United States, there’s likely more than you think, with some distilled thousands of miles from the tropics.
A dozen years ago, Bridget Firtle founded Owney’s Rum with the intention of reviving New York City’s rum-making tradition, which faded entirely from view following Prohibition. The brand’s New York City Rum is a mix of unaged rums distilled in Manhattan with those imported from the Caribbean. Smooth, clean, and easily sippable, the final blend isn’t complex, but as a spirit made for cocktails, it provides an ideal stage for other ingredients to shine.
Set along the North Shore of Massachusetts, the Privateer Rum Distillery embraces the once prevalent production of molasses-based spirits in the region: At its peak, only a handful of years before the War for Independence, New England was home to more than 150 rum distilleries. Although the brand specializes in aged rums of various styles and maturity, its limited-edition Distiller’s Drawer lineup is the most sought-after. The most recent release is pleasingly sweet, with plenty of dark brown sugar and marzipan notes balanced by an equal amount of spice on the finish.
If you don’t consider yourself a fan of spiced rum, that’s likely because you haven’t yet tasted Koloa’s Kauai Spice, which smells prominently of eucalyptus and floral vanilla and boasts a flavor profile balanced equally by pink peppercorns and vanilla beans. This subtly spiced rum from the Hawaiian island of Kauai tastes like cream soda for adults—and that’s a good thing.
VERMOUTH
You might think the French and Italians are the only ones crafting vermouth—fortifying a traditional wine with distilled alcohol, then flavoring it with an unlimited number of botanicals—but America’s wine-producing regions are no less dedicated to making fortified vino, only in much smaller quantities. Just as Burgundian pinot noir tastes notably different from one made in Oregon, the leading craft American vermouths—Ransom (based in Oregon’s western Willamette Valley), Rockwell Vermouth Co. (in Santa Rosa, Calif.), and Vya (made at the Quady Winery in California’s San Joaquin Valley)—are not only distinctive from the Noilly Prats and Carpanos of the world, they’re notably different from one another.
When sipped neat, Ransom’s straw-colored dry vermouth teems with strawberry aromas and introduces a touch of lime zest on the palate. Mixed in a gin martini, those red berry notes are less prominent and the cocktail’s finish is satisfyingly dry. The brand’s sweet vermouth, by contrast, is pleasingly spicy—almost savory—and contributes to a delightfully smooth rye Manhattan.
Rockwell Extra Dry vermouth smells of honeycrisp apples and fresh-cut flowers, and it pours an almost clear color. Soft and coating, this vermouth delivers a flavorful kick of lemon zest, as does the gin martini made with it. Rockwell’s Classic Sweet Vermouth, on the other hand, is well balanced with hints of vanilla on the nose and dates and figs on the palate. The resulting rye Manhattan made from this vermouth is just as balanced, delivering a mix of baking spices with a smattering of savory notes and a touch of sweetness.
Vya’s Extra Dry vermouth is, as its name implies, the driest of the bunch, offering lots of floral notes with hints of raspberry. Mixed with gin and a dash of orange bitters, this almost clear vermouth produces a predictably dry concoction that’s a touch bitter: It’s the Negroni drinker’s martini. The brand’s sweet vermouth, by contrast, is sweeter in name than in taste. It introduces the aromas of clove and cinnamon, and is bracingly bitter, producing a savory and complex Manhattan that is minimally sweet.
SINGLE MALT WHISKEY
The U.S. will never topple Scotland and Ireland from the top ranks of single malt whisky (and whiskey), but in recent years the Colonies have stepped up their game, proving that we can distill and cask a sophisticated brown-hued tipple that’s not reliant on corn or rye.
Just outside of Seattle, Westland Distillery is leading the charge. The company recently celebrated its 10th anniversary specializing in single malt. As Master Distiller Matt Hofmann explains, such devotion stems from the fact that the region is the world’s most ideal location—outside of the United Kingdom—to grow barley. “It’s not about making single malt whiskey in Seattle because we think there’s an advantage in American single malts,” he says. “It’s more about this place being meant to make single malt whiskey.”
The brand’s flagship offering is a well-balanced blend of sweet, spicy, and cereal grain character, where a honey-like sweetness is contrasted by bright spice qualities, the latter doing much to qualify it as distinctly American.
In Minneapolis, Brother Justus also specializes in single malt, and its limited-edition Founders Reserve releases are worth seeking out. The first in that lineup (indicated by “FR-1” on the label) delivers unapologetic barrel aromas—think cherry cola and smoked barbecue—not to mention a finish rich with potent spice notes. The second Founders Reserve, by contrast, introduces more baking spice sweetness (brown sugar and molasses) and drinks smoother despite its higher proof.
Even rye whiskey specialists, such as WhistlePig, are getting into the single malt game. The Vermont distillery’s 21-Year Single Malt “Beholden” brings a touch of pepper to the category thanks to a honey-rye cask finish. Wafting with sweet fruit and cinnamon notes, and delivering an array of flavors that include graham crackers, black cherries, and a touch of smoke, this single malt is both intricate and distinctly WhistlePig.
AMARO
Amaro is an eponym for an entire category of bittersweet liqueurs, first created by 15th-century monks and later spread across much of Western Europe. The category is vast, largely due to the fact that there’s not much in the way of formal regulation delineating what amaro actually is. “If it’s got a bittering agent, a sweetening agent, and it’s alcoholic,” says Sother Teague, founder of Amor y Amargo, a Manhattan-based amaro- and bitters-focused cocktail bar, “you can call it amaro.”
Sipped as an aperitif, mixed into classic and modern craft cocktails, or savored as a digestif at the end of a meal, amaro is as popular today as it’s ever been. While most examples hail from Europe, more and more are being crafted in the United States.
Boston-based Bully Boy Distillers, for example, produces a lineup of three bittersweet expressions: Amaro, Amaro Rosso, and Rabarbaro. The first delivers aromas of grapefruit, lemongrass, and burnt orange peel, while hints of anise and mint intermingle on the palate. Amaro Rosso drinks like the brand’s challenge to Campari, albeit without the bracing bitterness and with prominent citrus and spearmint character. Finally, Rabarbaro is richer and more robust, with rhubarb sweetness balanced by flavors of masala chai tea.
Consumers with a prominent sweet tooth will find Heirloom Liqueurs’ Pineapple Amaro right up their alley. Crafted at Wollersheim Winery & Distillery in central Wisconsin, this unique expression drinks like a tiki old fashioned, where fresh pineapple meets molasses, cardamom, and cloves.
For something that lands more squarely in between bitter and sweet, St. George Spirits in Alameda, Calif., produces Bruto Americano, a liqueur that is sweet and floral on the nosebut transitions to complex, savory, and bitter on the palate with hints of vanilla.
J Rieger & Co. in Kansas City leans into coffee for its Caffè Amaro, a liqueur that delivers a tantalizing mix of roasted coffee and anise on the nose. It drinks like a cup of java bolstered by a shot of Sambuca.
BRANDY
Much like with vermouth, when most people think of brandy—whether made from grapes or from apples—they gravitate toward Europe’s most romanticized wine-producing regions. But the United States is also churning out some exceptional distilled wines; you just have to know where to look.
Argonaut Distilling Company, based outside of Fresno, Calif., takes its inspiration from the Gold Rush pioneers of the mid-19th century and produces four distinctive expressions. Speculator delivers a nose rich in stone fruit (think peaches and nectarines), with flavors that swirl from honey and summer fruits to chamomile and hints of nutmeg. Fat Thumb introduces an aroma that is slightly floral and a touch spicy, while its flavor prolife incorporates lots of vanilla and hints of lemon zest. Meant to be the backbone of craft cocktails, Saloon Strength is a touch higher in proof, though it drinks smooth with honey and plums on the nose followed by honeycomb and black pepper on the palate. Finally, The Claim is a blend of the brand’s oldest stocks (between 14 and 25 years old) and offers stone fruit aromas and flavors that range from honey to bready biscuits, with a slightly peppery finish.
The Normandy region of France may be famous for its apple brandies (classified as calvados), but Laird & Company, located in Colts Neck, N.J. (about 30 miles south of midtown Manhattan), proves that the northeast United States can compete in that space, too. Considered the country’s oldest distillery—one that predates the American Revolution—the company’s Tenth Generation Apple Brandy delivers bold, candy-apple-like flavors and aromas. If you’re only familiar with Laird’s bottled-in-bond straight apple brandy (a staple of many classic cocktails), this 5-year-old is like its older, more polished sibling. The fruit character is similar, but the Tenth Generation wraps those apple flavors in a warm oaky caramel and vanilla hug.
Elsewhere in the company’s lineup, Laird’s Old Apple Brandy, which is aged seven-and-a-half years, is soft, round, and smooth, with sweet and floral vanilla notes dominating the palate up front. Those flavors transition to brighter notes of apple, which is a notable contrast to VSOP calvados, where the fruit character comes first and subtle hints of vanilla and oak appear on the finish.
Louisville, Ky., may be the heart of bourbon country, but one urban distillery there is leaning into brandy. Copper & Kings just celebrated its 10th anniversary, and across its first decade the distillery has given brandy a leading role. The brand’s American Brandy serves as a great base spirit for cocktails. Breathe it in and you’ll get a prominent whiff of caramel, vanilla, and baking spices—aromas that all reflect the spirit’s maturation in white oak casks—but the fruit character from the foundational grapes takes center stage once you take a sip.
