Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/133302
Tim Hirota, Director of the Artisanal Group in Southern California. While there were plenty of longtime industry vets in the room, there was one notable newcomer in Ralph Bullock, owner of Wildcat White Whisky and Amethyst Lavender Gin. Bullock and his wife, longtime lavender farmers, have entered the spirits business with two Washington State–produced products that are truly handcrafted and unique. "I'm a whiskey drinker," said Bullock, who grows the lavender that goes into Amethyst, "but I'm just completely captured by this product." We couldn't agree more, and fell in love with the delicate, super-smooth gin, which offered lovely floral aromatics that would shine in simple springtime recipes. With the market for boutique brown spirits ever-expanding, brands that have genuine, strongly-rooted stories are the ones that find the most success. That's where Clyde May's Whiskey comes in, named after an Alabama bootlegger whose unique whiskey became legendary in the Deep South for its unique flavor. "Clyde May was an innovator from the get-go, says Jay Liddell, " VP Marketing Director for the brand. , "Back then, he really made a name for himself by incorporating ingredients like green apple, cinnamon and vanilla. But now that we're in the 21st century, we can offer a handcrafted product that's not only unique in flavor, but is a really nice cocktail base because it has such a dry finish. " With a fresh, lightly sweet flavor (you really can taste notes of bright apples mingled with vanilla), this throwback brand is making serious moves toward the future: "What we're discovering is that bartenders' imaginations are really lit up by Clyde May's, says Liddell. "It has a really " different aroma and flavor, and the story is great—what's not to love?" "Karlsson's Gold really articulates the craft spirit movement," said Patrick Puryear, National Vice President of Sales, here joined by Western Regional Manager Lauren Simmons and Maggie Mohan, Area Sales Manager, Los Angeles. "We are 100% artisan, from the ground up, and because our vodka is made from seven different potato varieties, we have a sense of terroir, which really adds another level of appeal." june 2013 / the tasting panel / 117 TP0613_080-119.indd 117 5/23/13 5:31 PM