Fifth Floor Concentration

These days, when you select a private barrel of whiskey, finding a catchy name that resonates with your customers is almost more important than how the whiskey tastes!!

As we were definitely on the hunt for barrels on that level due to the hotter environment and potential for evaporation/concentration, we decided to call this barrel the “Fifth Floor” because it came from the fifth floor of the rick house. Usually the higher up the barrel, the hotter the temperatures during the summer, which can lead to a more intense flavor profile. 

The first time you nose the whiskey it sends a tangy shiver right up your nostrils, loaded with citrus, wood polish, and a blast of heat from the 57.5% ABV. The second time you smell, it’s all baking spices: cinnamon, clove, anise, with a bit of peppery rye in the background. The palate is exactly what you expect and hope for: lots of herbaceous rye notes dancing around, meandering between the oak spice and the vanilla.

At 6 years of age, it doesn't have the rich or mouth-coating texture you find in older whiskies, but it still holds its own as a straight-sipper. The evolution of flavor from front to back is the highlight of this rye, concentrated from a fifth floor placement within the rick house for a hotter exposure during summer months. It packs an incredible amount of power and complexity into every sip, moving from graham crackers and honey, to rye bread, to toasted barrel notes, and a spicy, explosive finish.

This is exactly the whiskey I want to serve my guests after Thanksgiving dinner, serving up slices of Pumpkin Pie with a spicy glass of high proof Kentucky rye for dessert. Rye is the original American whiskey, and I like to keep my American holidays super traditional! Plus, no other distillery in Kentucky is delivering better bang for the buck value than Jim Beam right now. You get a whole lotta whiskey for your money here.

-David Driscoll

Four Roses Special Pasadena Edition

This was a fun surprise today!

While not exclusive to us, and not at full proof, Four Roses put together a few single barrels for the Pasadena community to celebrate the tie between that both of us have in common: ROSES!

Starting today, select Pasadena retailers will have these special Tournament of Roses single barrel editions in the store. You can find yours at Mission Pasadena, or online here.

-David Driscoll

A Preview of Octomore 12

As a rule, I generally post product overviews on the blog only when we have the bottles in stock, but with so many questions over the last week about the new Octomore releases, I thought I’d post a link today to an overview I wrote last week. I’ve been putting together some posts and reviews into a new archive called Two-Nineteen, (named after my grandmother’s old bar in Idaho), just to get back in the professional habit again.

If you’d like a detailed look into the new Octomore releases, I wrote a more in depth piece here in the reviews section. I thought all three were quite special.

More to come.

-David Driscoll

The List: Spirits Edition

It’s finally that time of the year: when the weather starts to cool off, the evenings start a little earlier, and getting home after dark to a glass of wine or whiskey begins to sound like a pretty good idea.

Now that November is here, it’s also the beginning of the holiday season, which is when most of us start thinking about parties and thoughtful gifts for our loved ones. With the end of the year in sight, publications begin releasing their best of the year lists around this time as well, curating an interesting selection of ideas for those who could use a little inspiration. 

Here at Mission, it’s been an incredibly eventful year. We’ve seen a number of exciting new brands come to market, we’ve been fortunate enough to secure a bevy of private barrels, and we’ve started purchasing single malt whiskies directly from Scotland. Given the endless array of bottles that engulfs each of our five locations, I wanted to put together an extensive list of what I think represent some of the best selections of 2021 at Mission in each category—a cheat sheet, if you will, for those who need an outside-the-box suggestion.

There’s a lot to look through, but I think I’ve managed to hit just about every major category. Without further ado, here’s The List: Spirits Edition.

Best Blended Scotch Whisky: Compass Box Great King Street Mission Single Sherry Butt $49.99 - Imagine if you took Johnnie Walker Black, dumped it into a seasoned Oloroso Sherry barrel, and matured it for an additional two and a half years, then bottled it at 49% ABV exclusively for a single retailer (Mission). If you can picture what that would taste like—rich Sherry flavor, supple texture and viscosity, light peat smoke coming on the finish—then pick up a bottle of our single barrel Great King Street edition and put those ideas into practice. This baby delivers on every level flavor-wise, the packaging is beautiful, and there are only 300 total bottles in existence, making it a unique and exclusive gift idea. 

Best Single Malt Whisky: Hector Macbeth 21 Year Old “First Edition” Single Barrel Cask Strength Blended Malt Whisky $119.99 - So first off: who is Hector Macbeth, and why is a blended malt whisky listed as the single malt selection? Let me tell you about teaspooning. Teaspooning is what’s done before the sale of a single barrel to prevent independent bottlers from marketing off the name of the distillery from where it originated. For example, imagine if one of the major Glen distilleries was to sell Mission Wine & Spirits a single barrel of 21 year old single malt, but wanted to ensure that we couldn’t market the whisky as their single malt. By adding a teaspoon of another 21 year old single malt to that single barrel, the whisky would become a blended malt whisky, and no longer a single malt, due to the addition of a second single malt whisky. We would have to call it something like Hector Macbeth 21 year old blended malt whisky as a result, since we wouldn’t be allowed to legally label it as a single barrel of single malt whisky. So this is actually a 21 year old single malt from a very, very famous Highland distillery with a tiny teaspoon of single malt whisky from another very, very famous Highland distillery. And it’s available for about half the price of what it should cost. And it’s delicious. And you’ll probably want two bottles.

Best Non-Scottish Single Malt: Starward Mission Single French Oak Wine Barrel Cask 55.3% Strength Australian Single Malt Whisky $59.99 - Located in Melbourne proper, I was introduced to David Vitale’s Starward distillery as part of a trip to Australia a few years back, and I left with as many bottles as I could safely fit in my suitcase. Without a doubt, it’s one of the best non-Scottish single malts being made anywhere in the world right now, and also one of the most precocious. When Starward finally became available in the states, I made sure Mission was first in line for a single barrel selection, which is how we nabbed this absolutely gorgeous French Oak Red Wine cask of three year old 55.3% cask strength single malt. The decadent aromas of cocoa, port wine, and incense are intoxicating enough, but it’s the color of whisky that first grabs your attention: a dark amber hue that looks much, much older than its true age. The chewiness of the red wine smacks the gums on the finish, leaving you immediately in search of a second sip.

Best Peated Whisky: Caol Ila 9 Year Old “Hepburn’s Choice” Single Sherry Butt Single Malt Whisky $59.99 - To quote Special Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks: “Nothing beats the taste sensation when maple syrup collides with ham.” Or in this case, when the taste of sweet Oloroso Sherry collides with peat smoke. The sweet and peat taste sensation is something that all true peat lovers crave, which is why obtaining this single Sherry butt of Caol Ila directly from Scotland was a real coup for Mission this year. All that phenolic goodness of sea, salt, smoke, and peat gets coated in caramel in this equally smooth and savory delight. The peat freak in your family will be very, very pleased, and the price is damn fine as well.

Best Fancy Whisky: The Kinship Collection $399 to $999 - Working with our friends at Hunter Laing in Glasgow, who also own the new Ardnahoe distillery on Islay, we were able to secure the only American allocation of The Kinship series: a rare and highly-coveted selection of ultra-mature single malts with incredible pedigrees. Laphroaig, Bowmore, Highland Park, Caol Ila, Bunnahabhain, and Bruichladdich, each at full proof and in single barrel form. Originally meant for the Ardnahoe distillery gift shop, we were fortunate enough to bring a very special piece of Islay directly to our customers during the travel restrictions of the pandemic.

There's nothing even remotely as good as these bottles in the whisky category for the price. As an example, the official Highland Park 30 year is $1200. The Kinship expression is a single barrel at full proof and it's $699. You do the math.

Best Irish Whisky: Redbreast 12 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey $56.99 - While out at a bar for the first time in quite a while recently, I decided to order a glass of the Redbreast 12, as it had been sometime since my last pour. Wow, just wow, wow, wow. If there’s a better whiskey out there, dollar for dollar, from any country, please let me know. It’s so ethereal: sweet grains, vanilla, toasted coconut, the softest essence of oak, and it moves over your palate like a slow wave from heaven. Redbreast 12 has long been considered the standard when it comes to Irish whiskey, and while some people I know prefer the cask strength edition, for me it defeats the purpose. This is the archetype of what Irish whiskey should be. They should break the mold now.

Best Canadian Whisky: Found North 16 Year Old Cask Strength Whisky $124.99 - Not only is this my favorite “Canadian” whisky of the year, it might be my favorite whisky of the year—period. It’s no secret that whiskey drinkers today have a sweet tooth, and—even though the Found North isn’t technically Bourbon—I think those of you who want power and richness are going to go ga-ga for this one. This is a 64.9% beast of a whiskey, featuring a corn whiskey that spent 13 years in used barrels and an additional 7 years in new charred American oak. The nose is like Wild Turkey, the whiskey plops down a fat gob of richness on the middle of your tongue, and the finish is big and spicy. It’s not quite Bourbon, but it’s definitely not your typical Canadian whiskey. It’s as if Crown Royal and George T. Stagg had a baby, and this is what came out.

Best New Bourbon: New Riff Single Barrel #16-3459 104.7 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon $49.99  - Being one of the only retailers on the West Coast who sell New Riff has been both a boon and a privilege in 2021. Founded in 2014 by Ken Lewis, a visionary Kentucky liquor retailer and entrepreneur, New Riff is led by a team of corporate refugees ranging from craft beer to politics and more. Their mission is simple: to someday be counted among the world’s great small distilleries. They’re clearly well on their way, as the New Riff cask strength single barrel editions have been without a doubt the top selling Bourbons in our store this year, finally giving local whiskey lovers a taste of what they’ve been reading about online for years. Believe the hype. New Riff is the hottest new Kentucky Bourbon distiller of 2021. 

Best New Rye: Ry3 Mission Single Rum Barrel 61.5% Cask Strength Rye Whiskey $79.99 - With so many great new rye whiskies in 2021, picking just one was difficult. Yet, when every single customer emails you with a glowing review of one particular expression, the decision becomes a bit easier. There was no greater fan favorite at Mission this year than this single barrel rum cask we selected from Ry3, marrying three different rye whiskies from Canada and the U.S. into a sweet rum cask, and letting the maple syrup notes meld with all that potent rye spice. As I told customers before, if you’re a fan of the Angel’s Envy rye, this is a bigger, bolder, better version bottled at full proof. Hats off.

Best Tequila: Tres Generaciones Cenobio’s Batch Plata Tequila $32.99 - With agave prices moving ever higher, and the rise of the dreaded diffuser in the Tequila industry, “real” Tequila fans have been left with two choices: pay more for the good stuff, or settle for the chemically-altered, artificially-sweetened versions that now occupy the middle ground. For fans of blanco Tequila like myself, we’ve seen the entry level blancos of authentic quality move into the $45-$50 range per bottle, moving it into the super premium market and out of the hands of the everyday drinker. Enter Tres Generaciones. From out of nowhere, the new Cenobio’s Batch completely blew the roof off our Tequila shelf, bringing true Tahona-crushed agave flavor for a price that doesn’t break the bank. It’s also quite an exquisite bottle, which makes gift giving that much easier! 

Best Mezcal: Agua del Sol Tobasiche Destilado de Agave $69.99 - Rather than go into the incredible story of distiller Berta Vasquez, and how this woman has forged ahead in the industry despite the loss of her husband and son, let’s focus on the fact that most of Berta’s distillates are sold for well over $100 by other mezcal bottlers and brands. To purchase a wild agave expression of Berta’s ilk for $69.99 is unheard of, which is why this Agua del Sol is a closely guarded secret by those in-the-know.

Best Gin: Four Pillars Olive Branch $29.99 and Isle of Harris Gin $59.99 - In the end, when presented with Sophie’s Choice, I couldn’t force myself to choose between my children. The Four Pillars Olive Branch is like a distilled dirty martini in a bottle. It’s like an olive eau-de-vie!! The Isle of Harris isn’t just the most beautiful gin bottle of all time, it’s also one of the most elegant and ethereal gins on the planet. Both are made with extreme care and attention, and both challenge the horizons of what we think of as traditional gin. More creamy and textural than herbaceous and botanical, these are two spirits that I can’t live without and, more importantly, have a general “wow” factor that cannot be accurately put into words.

Best Vodka: Beluga Gold Vodka $79.99 - From the ceremony of opening the bottle, using the hammer to break the hard wax and the brush the clean the neck, to the exquisite elegance of the spirit itself, it’s really hard to find anything better than Beluga Gold if you’re looking for the height of what vodka can offer you. I have to admit, I am new to the Beluga phenomenon, never having spent much time with it until starting at Mission this year. Now that I’m predisposed, I will admit that both my wife and I will drink nothing else. For straight Martinis or Vespers, it’s Beluga Gold or nothing. Add in a few blue cheese-stuffed olives and you’re really descending into decadence.

Rum: Ron Izalco 10 Year Old Mission Single Barrel 61.7% Cask Strength Rum $69.99 - Again, going back to letting the customer fanfare decide the best of category, there were few rum selections at Mission this year that generated as much unbridled excitement and positive feedback as this single barrel of Ron Izalco. We have a big cigar following at Mission, which helps describe part of the enthusiasm because the sweetness and strength of the Ron Izalco are pure heaven with a cigar. But the richness of the blend, the intensity of the spice, the viscosity on the palate, and the dark, caramel notes on the finish are also part of the equation. I have a feeling we’ll be indoctrinating many more drinkers into the world of Ron Izalco as the holiday season unfolds.

Best Cognac: Dudognon Reserve Cognac $46.99 - Ask me what my favorite Cognac is every year, and it’s always going to be Dudognon. Once you’ve had 100% additive-free Cognac, you realize how much caramel and sugar goes into the big house brands. And, once you’ve tasted how clean and pristine the golden fruit flavors of Dudognon can be, you’ll likely never go back. Made from 100% estate-grown grand cru Ugni Blanc, by the nicest family you’ll ever meet.

Best Armagnac: 1986 Pellehaut 34 Year Old Tenereze Armagnac $114.99 - Since we’re out of the 1987 Ugni Blanc expression, I’m going with the 1986. Mark my words: there is no singular value in the world of distilled spirits as great as Pellehaut Armagnac. Family made in the Tenereze outside of Condom in Gascony, it’s aged like Bourbon, made from a much more expensive source material, shipped across the Atlantic, and it’s still a fraction of the price despite its incredible age. For those looking for the bridge between Cognac and Bourbon, this spirit is going to blow your mind. Big woody notes, rich oak and supple fruit on the palate, and a long spicy finish that lingers with toasted barrel notes and raisined richness. And it’s 34 years old. And it’s cask strength! For this price??!! 

As new products continue to arrive, I’ll be back with a few more holiday suggestions here and there, but for now this list represents some of the best of what we have going today.

-David Driscoll

Instagram Live With Kilinga Bacanora

Bacanora is one of those spirits that—for me—feels like my own special discovery, since it’s the drink of my in-laws. My wife’s family is from Sonora, Mexico, so family parties would often include a bottle and talk of the often powerful spirit.

Made from agave pacifica, and distilled only within the state of Sonora, Bacanora is its own unique designation, not unlike Tequila. Yet, because so little of it is exported to the United States, it’s still a relative mystery to many.

That’s why sitting down with Rodrigo Bojorquez from Kilinga Bacanora was a real treat yesterday. Hopefully, this is the spark that lights the fuse for what is one of the most intriguing new brands on the market.

-David Driscoll

Singani Seminar

We may not have been on the set, but that didn’t mean we didn’t have the director’s chair set up for Steven Soderbergh yesterday as part of our Singani seminar at Mission Wine & Spirits. It’s been about six years since Steven filmed Che in Bolivia and fell in love with the spirit, to the extent that he started a brand and an import company just to fulfill his own personal drinking needs.

Using my Burbank backyard to talk, sip Singani, eat lunch, and do a deep dive for the rest of the staff, I think it was a pretty persuasive event. “It’s almost like a cigar,” our Pasadena store manager Vahi stated; “In that you’re trying to figure out what you’re tasting and if you like it, but after a few sips it’s all you want to keep drinking.”

For those of you unfamiliar with Singani 63, it’s a Muscat grape-distilled spirit from Bolivia, that drinks like something in between Pisco and eau-de-vie. I’d lean towards the latter, as you definitely do not need to mix Singani in order to enjoy it. With it’s intense aromatics and combination of fruity/floral flavors, there’s enough going on to keep your interested straight out of the glass. Plus, it’s so damn soft on the finish it’s almost like air.

If you followed the blog and our Instagram over the summer, you may remember my Singani running challenge, where I would run the same number of miles as the amount of Singani cocktails I drank the night before. Part of the charm of Singani is that—if you don’t mix too much sugar into it—you can pretty much wake up fresh as a daisy the next day. Something about the internal processing feels cleaner than other spirits.

For 30 days, I came home from work, drank usually three Singani 63 and soda cocktails (with a twist), then ran three miles without a hitch the following morning. Always interested in research, Steven hung around after our staff seminar to see the plan unfold in person. If you notice the Sole 63 treadmill model, with the exact same color branding as Singani, I think there’s a pretty obvious co-marketing opportunity here.

-David Driscoll

The Morning After

Yesterday was election day in America, which means the cable news channels will be packed with pundits today, each giving their take on what politicians should have done in hindsight.

Looking at the governor’s race in Virginia, it’s pretty clear what happened: one of the candidates ran on politics, while the guy who won talked about solving real problems for the public. Pretty easy decision, right?

Taking in the data—the political swing of the state, the fact that Biden won by 10 points last year, etc—most people thought it was McAuliffe’s race to lose. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past year, it’s that doing little things that actually help people can be pretty effective in overcoming just about any obstacle.

In the end, you don’t need every voter on your side to win. In fact, going after every voter is a losing proposition because you cannot please everyone. You just need more votes than the other candidate, which is understood in politics, but it’s never really been a business strategy for retail. In the sales market, you want the entire pie.

But in 2021, I’m not sure that’s a winning agenda for independent wine and spirits retailers. If you’re not pissing a few customers off, you’re probably not doing your job right. If you’re not spreading the whiskey wealth, helping everyday shoppers get their fair share of the allocated nightmare that is the Bourbon market, then you’re irritating your base. If you put limits on bottles, or favor loyalty programs to reward your best customers, you anger the most passionate collectors who tend to be vocal about their disdain.

In coming back to retail exactly one year ago today, I decided Mission was going to focus on solving some of these problems for everyday shoppers, those who don’t spend every waking minute on the internet, hoarding as many bottles as they can find. As it turned out, that message resonated with enough people for us to win. We didn’t win all the votes, as we’ve certainly angered some people along the way, but—as I mentioned above—you can’t please everyone. Looking at the numbers year over year, we’re in a pretty good position based on our strategy.

Listening to Van Jones on CNN this morning, he talked about Bill Clinton’s strategy after Democrats lost big during the midterm congressional elections back in the nineties. He said Clinton regrouped by doing lots of small things that resonated with everyday voters and made them feel seen. I would argue for that same strategy in retail today.

Answer emails in a timely manner, help customers get the bottles they want, be kind and compassionate, and be as fair as possible. Take the heat when people get huffy about their Bourbon, but stand your ground and remain consistent. You may not get all the votes, but you’ll probably still win the race.

-David Driscoll

Single Barrel Compass Box Is Here

We’ve been pushing Compass Box to do a single barrel program for years, so this is a very exciting arrival. Other than a handful of retailer one-offs (like the 5th & Harrison release John Glaser and I put together all those years ago), there hasn’t been a way for bars, restaurants, and retailers to participate directly.

But that changed earlier this year when Compass Box began re-racking their Great King Street blend into various barrel types, maturing the whisky for an additional two and a half years, and allowing retailers to select their favorites. 

We were lucky enough to get access to barrel #1: a Sherry-seasoned butt that added just the right amount of richness to the already delicious Glasgow blend. 

The Sherry is immediately palpable on the nose, melding with the peat to create an earthy, sultry aroma that moves lithely between caramel and campfire smoke. At 49% ABV, there’s some pop on the palate, but that sherried sweetness is still front and center, sitting on your tongue like a big gob of richness before letting the peat back in for one last dance. 

For $49.99, it’s a hot smoking deal and I’m sure all you Compass Box fanboys (like me) are going to be very, very, very pleased.

Compass Box Great King Street "Mission Exclusive" Single Sherry Butt Blended Scotch Whisky $49.99

-David Driscoll