We know the holidays can be overwhelming and we’d like to do our part in helping you get back to a more zen state by inviting you to come drink some our favorite spirits here at the shop. Jacob Cohen from PM Spirits will be joining us TONIGHT, Friday December 20th, from 5:30-7:30, pouring a selection of the baller booze that he brings to us, including whiskies from Proof and Wood, eau de vie and Calvados from Roger Groult, and Cognac from Guillon-Painturaud. These are, in our occasionally humble opinion, some of the finest examples of artisanal spirits out there and we know you’ll love them as much as we do. Come by anytime for an end of the year hurrah and a taste of each of these below:

Deadwood Bourbon – Young and fresh bourbon that’s got all that bananas foster goodness you’re craving. A steal for bourbon of this level of drinkability and cleanliness and a staff standby for a good time.

Tumblin’ Dice High Rye Bourbon – Like much of the Proof and Wood whiskies, this one has a lovely texture and that molasses mouthfeel, smooth without being syrupy. In this bottling that quality gets augmented by all that rye that comes out appropriately loud, giving a big spice hit that saunters up nicely alongside its hundred proof wallop.

Zangs & Groult Eau de Vie de Cidre – Distilled from some funky, natural wine-ish cider from Normandy, this is a collaboration between Cyril Zangs (the cider man) and Roger Groult (the Calvados man). Distilled from one of Zangs’s batches, this is the kind of spirit that really highlights its source material, explosively ‘cider-y’ and a drastic departure if all you’re familiar with is applejack and aged Calvados.

Cobrafire Eau de Vie de Raisin – You don’t realize you need full proof white distillate form Armagnac but you do, you really do. Not indebted to the rules enough to be called Blanche d’Armagnac, this is high-proof nerd-juice, begging to be cocktailed up (for instance a split case with this and rye makes a phenomenal Sazerac).

Guillon Painturaud VSOP – A Cognac that somehow manages to be interesting, well-priced, and easy drinking all at the same time, a real rarity in the spirits world. Notes of black tea and dried fruit drive this deep golden nectar that has a texture that is reminiscent of Bourbon at its creamiest. A lovely reminder that bottlings from small Cognac producers will often show an expressiveness that is lost in the big houses of caramel color and filtration.

Natterjack Irish Whiskey – This is the most Bourbon-y Irish whiskey we know of (certainly due to the new charred American oak they use), and it’s a fine drink. Notes of brown sugar and buttered popcorn rest on that golden syrup texture you expect from an Irish whiskey. For a country whose spirits are particularly informed by their mega-houses, the emergence of small batch bottles is a nice change of pace. Currently sourced and bottled but moving to all in-house production.

Groult Cantillon Kriek Barrel Calvados – There may be no finer producer of Calvados as far as we’re concerned (and we hear you over there, talking about Camut. We stand by what we said). There may also be no finer producer of real lambic than Cantillon (again, we hear you talking about Drie Fonteinen. We hear you and respectfully disagree but will gladly help you drink your Drie Fonteinen). The matchup seems obvious and the resulting liquid is one of our favorite releases of the year.

The tasting is free of charge and feel free to swing by anytime. Hope to see you there!

Cheers,