Spirit Works California Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in a Sloe Gin Cask

We hand-selected this cask from Spirit Works Distillery in Sebastopol, California, right in the heart of Sonoma wine country. We love Spirit Works for a whole host of reasons. The distillery has been built from the ground up with sustainable practices in mind, and both of its founders got their start in environmental nonprofits. It’s also a family-run distillery, and has one of the very few female-led distilling teams in the United States. But most importantly of all, it makes wonderful whiskies (and gins, too!).

This special whiskey was made by finishing straight 2-year-old rye whiskey for an additional year in a cask that previously held the distillery’s own sloe gin. It’s the first sloe gin-finished whiskey we’ve ever seen, and it’s really something special. The finish adds complex flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and juniper to the underlying spice, vanilla, and oak notes, making this whiskey similar in flavor to one of our very favorite cocktails: the Boulevardier.

Proof: Natural cask strength, 113
Quantity Produced: 207 bottles
Format: 750ml
Age: 3 years
Mashbill: 70% Organic Rye, 10% Malted Rye, 20% Specialty Brewing Malts
Barrel Details: ISC 53 gallon new American oak barrel; char 4
Barrel Entry Proof: 114
Finish: American, Toast + Char 4, 3rd use cask: 1st use w/Gin, 2nd use w/Sloe Gin
Distillery Location: Sebastopol, California
Details: Non-chill-filtered, no color added