vibrant spirits from living soil in california & arizona
A community effort for inspirational deliciousness… agriculturally focused beverages conjured by ancient techniques with a curious and inclusive vision of what could and should be… marketing hooks do not obscure the farmers and makers, instead they are the focal point and teachers directly interacting with both the public and the industry… fresh, true plant flavor is the pinnacle of this art, quality old oak barrels are used instead of new (like Bourbon) as to not add sugar or wood flavor to delicate rare grain flavors… as the best chefs say “get out of the way of the ingredient”…
Floriani Red Flint Corn Whiskey
An umami event like none other. This corn is so protein and fat rich that when we brew it, the top of the ferment forms a solid rubbery pink and copper layer that is the physical manifestation of the impending flavor density of the spirit.
The richness in this corn translates to length of palate and nougat/nut/chocolate/buttered bread flavors.
Grown by a real CA regenerative farming hero, Fritz Durst, the photo above shows him and some of the best regenerative farming practices: no till and green compost by way of leaving the roots and stems in the ground post-harvest. Distilling this corn is a statement of California cuisine; get out of the way of quality grown expressive ingredients. It is great for the soil and although nutrient rich, it is low in starch and therefore alcohol.
Not only are we proudly paying the farmer about 40X the commodity corn price, we are getting less spirit than the normal Monsanto corn that virtually everyone else uses. It is worth doing things in an analog and small way to us for all these reasons surrounding both flavor, labor ethics, and environmental health. We are the environment, we are not separate.
Ute Blue Corn and Purple Barley Whiskey
Heirloom blue corn of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe harvested near Four Corners with a dash of Tibetan purple barley harvested near Phoenix. 4 years in used oak. Clean and mineral, with a lingering flavors.
We have sourced many blue corns over the years… all of them are unique; however, we’ve learned that blue corn, in general, offers a lot of mineral and fruit depth.
Our favorite blue corns so far have been Buttonwillow Blue (Dark Sky Farm, CA), Ute Blue (Ute Mountain Ute Tribe), and Conico (sourced from families in Oaxaca by Masienda).
Sometimes we blend them; sometimes we keep them single-source, depending on the desired flavor profile.
The narrative of vodka has been muddled over the years. Between the deceptive marketing of top-shelf vodka and some of the more cocktail-focused consumer perspectives of “it’s all the same” and “there’s no taste to it”, we forget that it doesn’t have to be like this. It’s true that most of the vodka at your liquor store tastes the same. But that’s because much like industrial-scale whiskey, rum, and tequila, most vodka is all the same and comes from the same low-grade grain.
That’s where GOOD GRAIN VODKA comes in. Rob wanted to make something that shows you vodka doesn’t have to mean mundane. This is a collaboratively distilled, layered vodka designed for flavor and for a community of small distillers to make something interesting out of something that is usually just a commodity. At its heart, vodka, like all other spirits we drink, is made from plants. How those plants are grown matters, and producing spirit from quality grains that benefit the soil (and the farm's workers who tend that soil) changes everything from the impact on the environment to the flavor profile, as well as your overall drinking experience. We already loved Mexican June Corn (best known in our Southwest Blend, grown by Arevalos Farm in Douglas, AZ), and now we get to enjoy it as a pure, expressive, clear spirit.
Up Next
HIGH RYE
Lucious, textured, umami red corn with deeply earthy and spicy Farmer Mai heirloom rye; a Bourbon in recipe only—used oak rather than new oak is employed as to not add any wood flavor or sugar to the delicate heirloom grains.
Blue Blend
A rosy California vision of a Japanese highball whiskey; velvety mineral, citrus, and savory depth from a blend of only corn and malt (no rye), centered around an evolving cast of rare blue corns with Admiral Maltings’ antique-style malted heirloom barley.
Seasonal Projects
