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We love the tried and true bottles in our liquor cabinet and our go-to brands at bars. There will always be a place in our hearts and our livers for Johnnie Walker Black, Tanqueray, Ketel One, Maker's Mark, and so many other standybys. But we're living in a golden age of booze, where new distilleries are popping up with the frequency of Miley Cyrus twerking jokes. New and exciting spirits are being created, ignored old classics are being rediscovered, and history-minded distillers are going back and reviving long-extinct spirits. We're not saying you should give up your old favorites, but these ten spirits are worth your time and your money. You're not rocking the same jeans you wore in 2005, so why keep drinking the same old booze?
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10. High West Campfire Whiskey
Suggested retail price: $60
Utah is Mormon country, but thanks to the good folks at High West it's also whiskey country. They've been making, sourcing, and blending whiskeys and vodkas for a few years now, and they're relentlessly creative—old whiskeys mixed with young, bourbons with ryes, you name it. Campfire is their most out-there blend yet, a combo of bourbon, rye and a peated Scotch whisky, all aged more than five years. On paper, it sounds like it could be a car wreck, but in a glass, it's a sleek, turbocharged beast of a whiskey. The smoke and peat of the Scotch zoom into the peppery spice of the rye before downshifting to the sweet, soft vanilla flavors of the bourbon, with a long, dry finish. Buckle up, it's a hell of a ride.
9. Pierde Almas Espadin Mezcal
Suggested retail price: $60
Everyone knows tequila, but people are just starting to get hip to its badass cousin, mezcal. They're both made from the agave plant, but in tequila the juices are steamed out. With mezcal, the agaves are roasted over red-hot stones in a covered underground pit, then mashed by donkeys pulling a heavy stone along a circular track. Seriously. The difference between the two is like James Bond vs. James Brown. Pierde Almas is made from the espadin agave (there are about 30 varities; tequila is made exclusively from blue agave), and it's got a funky, smoky, even vegetal flavor that's not as easy to love as tequila but is well worth the effort. (Pierde Almas isn't available everywhere; if you can't find it, check out Del Maguey's killer line of mezcals.)
8. Pierre-Ferrand 1840 Original Formula Cognac
Suggested retail price: $45
If all you know about cognac is the big, rapper-friendly brands like Courvoisier, Hennessy or Remy-Martin, then you need to get acquainted with this player. Back in the day—by which we mean the mid-19th century—cognac was a lighter, fruitier affair than the stuff we know today, meant for mixing as well as sipping (or quaffing in the club). 1840 Original Formula's flavor profile is modeled on a well-preserved bottle of actual cognac from 1840. While it's higher proof than most modern cognacs (45% alcohol instead of 40%), you get less alcoholic heat and more vibrant, lively fruit flavors. Try it in a Sazerac instead of bourbon or rye, or sip it neat. Either way, it's serious old-school deliciousness.
7. Cynar Liqueur
Suggested retail price: $20
You may not think you've tried it, but if you've had many fancy cocktails from mixology-minded bars, then Cynar may well have been in at least one of them. Beloved by bartenders and Europeans, this digestif made from artichokes (yes, you read right) is challenging, to say the least. Actually, it's pretty damn bitter. Not to mention the vegetal notes coming from the artichokes. But let your tongue dive beneath the surface and there's a lot more going on, like mint and anise and vanilla and cloves and molasses and—we could go on, but why not just try it? Great in cocktails for you more creative types, or keep it simple and drink it neat or with ice to settle your stomach after a big meal.
6. Ransom Old Tom Gin
Suggested retail price: $40
Rest assured you've never had a gin like this. But your great-great-great-granddad might have, because this is an authentic recreation of a popular style of gin from the first half of the 19th century. Yes, it uses juniper and other familiar botanicals like coriander and angelica root. But instead of using a neutral base spirit (a k a vodka), distiller Tad Seestedt uses a barley-based whiskey as a base in which to infuse the botanicals. He then barrel-ages the whole shebang for several weeks, just as it was done 175 years or so ago. The result tastes like an amazing gin/whiskey hybrid—very malty and slightly sweet, with strong floral, citrus and juniper notes abounding. It's a must-try in a Martinez (the vermouth-heavy forerunner of the martini) and a killer sipper as well. It may not replace your London Dry gins, but they'll happily co-exist side by side.
5. Rhum Clement VSOP
Suggested retail price: $35
Rhum agricole is an odd duck in the already strange world of rum, which includes everything from the near-vodka lightness of Bacardi to thick, viscous blackstrap rums to elegant, whiskey-like sippers. Rhum agricole is made from pressed sugarcane juice, unlike the vast majority of rums which are made from molasses. It makes the finished product a lot lighter and cleaner than the dark rums you may be used to. 10 Cane is the best-known sugarcane-based rum, but it's not legally a rhum agricole because it's not made in the designated regions of the island of Martinique. It's also not very tasty. To try the good stuff, check out Rhum Clement (J.M. also makes some very fine rhums agricole). Their VSOP is aged more than 4 years (a long time, given the sultry climates of Martinique). It's got the grassy, slightly vegetal notes that rhum agricole is known for, tempered by sweet vanilla and floral flavors. It's delicious sipped, and it's just as good in rum cocktails (our favorite is the Ti' Punch).
4. Corsair Quinoa Whiskey
Suggested retail price: $60
Young distillers like Corsair's Darek Bell love to push the spirits envelope. They wondered, and rightfully so, why only four grains—corn, rye, barley and wheat—are traditionally used to make whiskey. Well, that's not quite the case anymore. We're starting to see whiskeys made from spelt, millet, and now quinoa, a food you're more likely to encounter at your local vegan restaurant than in a bottle. Even though Corsair Quinoa is made from 80% malted barley (what Scotch is made from), the quinoa still muscles its way to the front of the flavor train with notes of sweet hay, cinnamon, and cashews. A strange mix of sweet and dry, fruity and grassy, it's unlike any whiskey you've ever tried. And we mean that in the best possible way.
3. Belvedere Unfiltered Vodka
Suggested retail price: $45
Vodka, in all its colorless-odorless-tasteless glory, is far and away the best-selling category of booze in the world. But lots of people who take their drinking seriously shun it; they want something more than the alcoholic equivalent of bottled water. Vodka makers are starting to grasp the appeal of distilling and filtering their vodkas less, leaving more flavor in the vodka instead of having it evaporate during distillation. Belvedere's entry in the New Vodka Sweepstakes is one of the best (props also go to Vestal Vodka, whose limited edition offerings are nearly impossible to find Stateside). You're familar with regular Belvedere, but its unfiltered edition is on another level. A delicious melange of bread, salt and pepper, a little caramel, and just a hint of creamy vanilla on the finish. Put it in a cocktail if you must, but we prefer sipping it chilled or with an ice cube for company.
2. Faretti Biscotti Liqueur
Suggested retail price: $20
Faretti is what amaretto (as in Di Saronno) wishes it could be. It hits a lot of the same notes, specifically the almond flavors that are amaretto's calling card. But this biscotti liqueur really does taste like its namesake, with notes of baker's sugar, cookie dough and fennel in the mix as well, not to mention a little anise and citrus. It's sweet, of course, but not cloying or overwhelming. It's great for mixing or sipping. And—bonus!—you won't get any biscotti crumbs on your pants, either.
1. Ron de Jeremy Rum
Suggested retail price: $36
A rum named after a legendary porn star—gotta be a gimmick, right? Well, yeah, and a damn good one, too. Surprisingly, the rum itself is also damn good. In fact it's one of the best sipping rums on the market. Distilled in Panama by the same folks who make the excellent Ron Abuelo, this 7-year-old dark rum is well-endowed (pun sort of intended) with flavor, namely vanilla, honey, green apple and butterscotch. After that initial spurt of sweetness it turns surprisingly dry and spicy, and its finish is so long and smooth that it's hard to forget. One taste and you'll be begging for more Ron Jeremy in your mouth. (What, you thought we weren't gonna go there?)