The Bubble Is Bursting

I don’t want to get into all the specifics about why—on multiple levels—this past weekend’s “fight” between Logan Paul and Floyd Mayweather is going to escalate the ruination of society as we know it, but I’ll give you one example that correlates to my industry: influencer RTDs.

You know what’s not happening right now? Young people watching boxing.

Hence, the sport is suffering because it doesn’t speak to the next generation of potential sports fans.

You know what else isn’t happening right now? Young people drinking whiskey. Or wine. Or alcohol, really.

Hence, we’re beginning to see a slowdown in sales as the current drinking populace has pretty much exhausted its capacity for more booze.

You know what it takes to sell a boxing match to young people right now? A YouTube influencer.

You know what it takes to sell booze to young people right now? A YouTube influencer.

We sold countless cases of Happy Dad hard seltzer yesterday, the latest RTD (ready-to-drink) sensation to hit the market, because it’s being backed by the moment’s most pertinent YouTube sensation. It’s the first time I’ve seen this many 20-something year olds in the store—ever.

Meanwhile, sales for whiskey continue to slow as growth for new customers is beginning to stagnate.

So does that mean all your favorite whiskies will soon be easy-to-find and cheap once again?

No, it doesn’t.

What it does mean, however, is that all the guys online who are hoarding bottles and trying to flip them for cash should consider liquidating their liquid ASAP.

A market can only continue to flourish when subsequent generations fuel continued growth with new consumerism.

But that’s not happening with whiskey. Young people in their twenties are not catching the Bourbon bug, and they can no longer afford to buy Scotch.

And there are only so many new bottles that can be sold, over and over again, to the same consumers before they tap out.

As I told someone this past week, the COVID-19 lockdown managed to prolong a relationship that was already on the decline, giving some parties false hope for the future. Hence, a number whiskey companies continued to expand believing the market was still growing.

But it wasn’t growing. It was panic buying.

All I can tell you is this: get ready for some serious price reductions this summer. And get ready for a bunch of people to go out of business.

-David Driscoll

Inexpensive Summer Wines Are Here

Head over to the front page of the missionliquor.com website and you’ll see that a smattering of new rosés and inexpensive BBQ wines have just landed. Having spent all of last week working on a new clearance tab as well, we are geared up for a HUGE summer cleaning at Mission, selling a TON of inventory for wholesale cost (or less) in order to make room for new selections.

In the meantime, check out these fantastic new arrivals that just hit the shelves:

2020 Penya Cote Catalanes Rosé $9.99 - Cases de Pene is a tiny village in the Roussillon region of Southern France, just 30 miles north of Spain. Ceded to France in the mid 17th century, the area is still known as “French Catalonia”. Bursting with fresh aromas of Rainier cherries, garrigue, and hints of red raspberry and melon. Rich, full-bodied, yet bright on the palate. For ten bucks, are you kidding?

2020 Château de Lancyre Pic Saint Loup Languedoc Rosé $14.99 - Purchased in 1970 by the Durand and Valentin families, the Château was originally built in the 1500’s, on the ruins of a 12th century fort. Records of winemaking date back to 1550! Lancyre is now viewed among the top estates of Pic Saint-Loup, which has justifiably garnered a reputation as the Languedoc’s single best wine district. This is a big rosé! Raspberry and pear aromas on the nose, with distinctive spicy, minty garrigue notes. Big, bold and firm on the palate, ending with a long, clean finish.

2020 Commanderie de la Bargemone Couteau d’Aix Provence Rosé $16.99 - This is by far my favorite rosé, year in and year out. When I was at K&L, I would practically live on this between April and August. Bargemone is among the foremost estates of the Coteaux d’Aix appellation of Provence. A benchmark producer of the delicious, dry rosé for which Provence is famous, the Commanderie was founded by Templar knights in the 13th century, and is home to a proud viticultural tradition and more than 160 acres of sustainably grown vineyards. This offers classic aromas of wild strawberries and red currants, with a light, floral character and a crisp, bone-dry palate.

2019 Ma Vie IGP Gard Vignes des Lumieres $9.99 - Domaine le Clos des Lumières is a 50 hectare family farm founded in 1946 by the grandfather of the domaine’s current vigneron, Gérald Serrano. Having grown up on the property, Gérald is intimately familiar with the terroir here. The oldest vines now edge 60 years in age and this land really seems to “pack the character in.” With vines planted close to the Pont du Gard—the famous aqueduct built by the Romans about 2000 years ago—this 80% Grenache/20% Syrah red blend is made from fruit grown at the edge of the Rhône Valley and the Languedoc. Juicy flavors of cherry and black current dance with spices and garrigue notes. All in all, this is one of the best red values in the store if you're a fan of simple, food-friendly, bistro-style French reds.

-David Driscoll

Summer of Singani

Back when I had just started at Mission, I hosted a private happy hour on Zoom featuring director Steven Soderbergh and WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash, two friends of mine that I met while drinking what is perhaps the most underrated spirit in the world: Singani 63.

I didn’t really get into the nitty gritty of what Singani was, as I assumed most people who were into booze had heard of it at this point. But seeing that so many new drinkers have entered the fold over the last few years, I think a new introduction may be necessary.

So what is Singani?

• It is not just the name of a brand (Singani 63), it is also a completely unique category of alcohol, just like Tequila, Cognac, or Bourbon.

• Singani is a product of Bolivia, distilled from Muscat of Alexandria grapes, that drinks like something between an eau de vie and a white rum, yet technically it’s an unaged brandy.

• You can use Singani in practically any type of cocktail: as the base in a sour, with ginger beer in a Mule, in a flip, with soda and a twist—the possibilities are endless.

• It has a floral, fruity flavor that is somewhat mysterious at first, but grows on you quickly over time.

BUT…here’s the real kicker.

There’s a reason that Steven Soderbergh became obsessed with Singani while shooting the film Che in Bolivia: you can drink it like water, wake up the next day, and feel completely fine.

Don’t ask me why, but it’s absolutely true.

That being said, there’s a beverage law forbidding alcohol brands from talking about the effects of alcohol in their advertising. For example, you can’t say: “our product makes you feel amazing,” or “our liquor gives you the high you’ve been looking for.”

Hence, one of Singani’s most important selling points (in my opinion) is completely off the table for the brand’s marketing department. But that won’t stop me from sharing our stories publicly, as I’m not affiliated with the brand and I can say whatever I want.

What stories are those?

Well, there’s the time that Steven and I hosted a screening of Erin Brockovich at the Alamo Draft House in San Francisco and killed an entire bottle of Singani 63 during the film, then hosted a thirty minute Q&A session immediately after.

I’ve never consumed 375ml of any 80 proof spirit that quickly, and in that quantity, then worked a professional event, then headed to the bar for more cocktails, then woke up feeling completely fine the next day!!!!

There’s also the time that Nash and Steven stayed up drinking Singani 63 all night while watching Team America, and Kevin woke up the next morning to hit the gym feeling completely clear-headed.

But enough of the stories. I’m going to prove it to you this month.

I’m going to drink nothing but Singani 63 on weeknights for the rest of June, with a minimum of three drinks per occasion. Then, I’m going to get up and run three miles on every subsequent morning without a hitch before heading off to work. I’ll bet you I drop five to seven pounds in the process, without sacrificing one iota of pleasure.

To be continued…

-David Driscoll

Brunch Is Back

Yesterday was one of the best days of my life in God-knows-how-long.

While we were drinking coffee in the morning, looking at the baby finches that have nested just outside our patio window, I said to my wife: “I feel like I need to have more gratitude and awareness for every moment right now. Otherwise, we’re going to look back at this time in a few years and wish we went all out, rather than continue to sit at home and get drunk watching Office reruns."

That’s not to say that we haven’t been enjoying ourselves lately, just that we haven’t been up to our usual standards. COVID had taken a year away from us, so I wanted to go all out yesterday. We decided to start with a six mile power walk around the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

It was a beautiful morning. We were having a great conversation about life’s current debacles based on generational expectations, when I reached into my pocket to grab my phone and I realized we had a problem. My wallet was gone. When I’m out and about I sometimes carry a small leather card holder rather than a full-sized wallet, and I knew immediately what had happened. I had switched my keys and phone to different sides after they began rubbing against my leg in an irritating way, and it must have fallen out during the process.

We spent another hour looking for it, but it wasn’t to be.

I had two credit cards, my driver’s license, and about $70 in cash now missing, but I wasn’t going to let it ruin my day. Losing your wallet in the modern age isn’t all that terrible. I immediately logged into the banking apps on my phone, cancelled my cards, and instantly received two new cards in my digital wallet. As long as the restaurant took Apple Pay, we could still go out for brunch. With the DMV, I was able to request a new license online, then I quickly visited the DMV kiosk at the Von’s next to my house to print out an updated copy of my driving record in the meantime.

It only took about ten minutes, all in all, to completely recreate my entire financial and personal identification.

After straightening out my affairs, we headed over to Messhall Kitchen in Los Feliz as we hadn’t been in over two years, and we’d never been for brunch. Let me say this right off the bat: I’m going to be craving their crab cake hash every single morning for the next six months, not to mention their absolutely divine French 75 cocktails. Even the fucking salad that came with it was perfectly tossed and coated with a flavorful vinaigrette. Fresh, shredded crab meat cooked in between tiny chucks of crispy potatoes with a Siracha aioli and two poached eggs? It was the brunch flavor explosion I was looking for. I didn’t know I wanted it until it was right there in front of me. We downed two French 75s each (with gin, of course, never Cognac), and decided to head home for a break.

Since we wanted to keep the party going, I decided to finally smoke one of the new La Palina Blondies I’d been coveting since their arrival; by far the most expensive cigar I’ve ever purchased and, given the age of the tobacco involved, one of the oldest as well. I poured a glass of our Mission Angel’s Envy Single Barrel to go with it, hoping the sweetness of the Port finish would make for a nice pairing.

Sitting outside, relaxing, already two cocktails deep, looking at the blue sky and the clouds, I was riding that crab cake high right into happy hour. What completely caught me off guard with the La Palina Goldie was how mellow it was—delicate, gentle, nuanced, and almost haunting in its flavor. I was texting with my buddy Matt Freerks between puffs, sharing my thoughts: “It seems as if old tobacco is like old wine: it mellows with age, and it’s not immediately obvious as to what it can offer.”

“Exactly,” he replied.

That’s the thing about old wine (and apparently old cigars): it’s more expensive and highly-sought after, but it’s not necessarily what most people want. For the guys that want big flavor, bold spice, richness, weight, and intensity (as in most cask strength whiskey drinkers), the La Palina Goldie is the polar opposite (as are most old wines). It’s earthy, subtle, gentle, and almost effortless for the first third of the cigar. I decided to pour the Angel’s Envy back into the bottle (not the right whiskey at 55% ABV), and instead popped a bottle of 2017 Marchesi di Gressy Martinenga Barbaresco.

I had a plan.

Since I was pouring myself a glass of young, tannic Nebbiolo straight out of the bottle, I would let the initial strength of the wine pair with the smoke from the cigar, then let the rest of the bottle decant while I decided what we would do for dinner.

After deciding we didn’t feel like leaving the house again (and deal with finding another e-friendly restaurant sans wallet), we began scouring DoorDash for new restaurants we may have missed or failed to notice in our general tunnel vision towards the same five things we always eat. “Holy shit,” I muttered; “The new Osteria La Buca in Sherman Oaks is on here. And it delivers to Burbank!”

Having just opened a $60 bottle of fine Italian red, I knew right where I wanted to go:

• Caccio i pepe arancini

• Caesar salad with farro and arugula

• Calzone with mozzarella and broccoli raab

• New York steak with polenta and salsa verde

• Roasted potatoes with rosemary

• Tiramisu

Let me me clear: I’m not generally the type of person who orders fancy food for delivery, but in this instance I was more curious as to whether it would translate after 20+ minutes in the car. We specifically avoided pasta for that reason, but we figured these dishes would hold up during transport.

And…..oh my…..did they ever. If you’re looking for your next dinner date location (or takeout/delivery option), I can’t recommend La Buca highly enough. Every single dish was utter gold. The arancini were super crispy on the outside, and loaded with black pepper and cheesy goodness in the middle. The calzone was a big as my head and to die. The salad popped with crispy farro and delicious homemade Caesar flavor. Steak is steak, but when it’s cooked right and topped with a tangy pistachio salsa verde? Oh man…alternating between the beef and the Barbaresco was pure heaven.

After gorging on every dish, we poured ourselves some Nardini Grappa and devoured the Tiramisu, which was just as amazing as the previous plates had been. I looked at my wife and said: “Even though I lost my wallet, today has been the best day of my life in some time. And I’m here, in the moment, with total awareness.” She laughed and we dwelled on the irony for a bit, coming back around to our initial conversation that morning about gratitude.

That’s when I began looking at the photos I had taken throughout the day to see which images would make for a suitable Instagram post. It was about 9 PM at that point and there was a message waiting for me on my personal account:

“David, I found your wallet. Call me.”

And guess what: the cash was still in it.

-David Driscoll

Instagram Live Repost: Talking Mezcal With Bad Hombre's Fred Sanchez

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If you missed the conversation with Bad Hombre’s Fred Sanchez, you can now dig into all the details concerning what is—without a doubt—the best value brand in mezcal at the moment. $69.99 for a wild agave distillate made by Berta Vasquez? That’s less than the WHOLESALE cost we pay for the same juice bottled by other labels!

Check out the current collection here. We’ve still got more coming.

-David Driscoll

Devo's Gerald Casale In Pasadena On June 12th

With June 12th being Record Store Day across America, we thought it would be the perfect day to bring Devo’s Gerald Casale into the Pasadena store for a bottle signing; especially given that a new reprinting of Gerald’s legendary solo record will be part of the exciting new Record Store Day releases!

From 1 PM to 4 PM, Gerald will be in the wine bar at Pasadena, happily signing bottles of his new vintages of 50 by 50 Pinot Noir and Rosé. Purchase any one bottle and Gerald will sign it along with any other Devo collectables you might have!

NOTE: This is not a wine tasting event, just an in-person meet and greet.

See you there!

-David Driscoll

New Mezcal From Bad Hombre

When’s the last time you saw a bottle this cool?

A bull horn, full of small production Pechuga mezcal, where the spirit inside tastes as amazing as the vessel that holds it.

What’s in it? Deliciousness.

Pescador de Sueños Pechuga is made by maestro mezcalero Felix Angeles Arellanes in Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca, where the average altitude is more than 1500 meters above sea level. Felix is part of the Angeles family that produces Real Minero and Lalocura. They all live on the same road and produce agave spirits in a similar fashion. He has worked in mezcal production for over three decades in Minas. Always merry, Felix works with the help of his wife crafting agave spirits distilled in clay pots.

Santa Catarina Minas is the birth town of Felix Angeles, and he keeps local traditions of fermenting in Montezuma cypress or Sabina wood and placing a cross on the mash during fermentation in order for their Saint to watch over their production. 

This expression is triple-distilled with agave Angustifolia and a raw criollo chicken breast, and seasonal fruit are added for the third distillation. This batch included plums, apricots, raisins, tangerines, almonds, banana, apples, and pineapple.

That’s right: mezcal with chicken and fruit. Like gin. Bottled inside a bull horn.

There are only 80 bottles of this in existence, and I’ve got 10 of them. Here are the specs:

Product Details:

• Batch: PSP-01

• Vintage: 2017

• Production Volume: 80 bottles (~110 liters)

• Agaves: Cultivated and harvested at full maturity in their endemic habitat.

• Milling: Horse-drawn tahona or manually with a wooden mallet

• ABV: 47%

If you want to learn more, tune into Instagram Live today at 3:30 PM and listen to Bad Hombre’s Fred Sanchez break it down.

See you there.

-David Driscoll

Instagram Live Repost: Talking Cigars With La Palina's Sammy Phillips

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I’ve been hitting up Instagram Live quite a bit in the last two weeks and for good reason: you get to see, hear, listen to, and learn from the people making the creative decisions about the products we love!

As you may have picked up on, I’ve become completely smitten with La Palina cigars over the last month, also for good reason: they’re well constructed, they burn perfectly, they draw effortlessly, and they’re priced at about half of what they should be.

There’s a point in the interview where I say to Sammy: the ultimate high of whiskey buying is finding the next great $25 bottle of whiskey, not the next great $100 bottle.

Seeing that no one gives a shit about $25 whiskey anymore, I’ve had to transfer that bargain-based emotion over to cigars and as of late I’m riding a nostalgic high over La Palina. Considering the La Palina Classic sticks are only $5.99 a piece (and smoke like $10-$15 cigars), it’s as excited as I’ve been about doing my job in years.

I think cigars are where whiskey was 20 years ago: phased out, passé, but primed to make a serious comeback. Get in while the gettin’s good because we all know what happens when categories get hot.

-David Driscoll