Bourbon and Beer Shops off Castro St., Clement St. and Cortland Ave in San Francisco!
Castro: 2299 15th St. San Francisco CA 94114, Phone#:415-255-0610
Clement: 1042 Clement St. San Francisco CA 94118, Phone#: 415-682-4260
Cortland: 249 Cortland Ave San Francisco CA 94110, Phone#: 415-374-7838
Email: healthyspirits.sanfrancisco@gmail.com
Blog Patrolled by Nate Breed
Bio: Nate Breed is a diehard whiskey fan that is convinced there is a type of whiskey for every palate. He is the regional wine and spirits buyer for Healthy Spirits, and the head writer for the Bourbon Blog and Bourbon Club.
Join Healthy Spirits American Whiskey Club Today!
Members receive: -1 limited American whiskey per month at a discount -In depth tasting notes -Distillery history and interesting whiskey facts -Cocktail recipes and serving suggestions -In store discount card -Special perks and access to exclusive whiskies -No membership fees, just the cost of whiskey each month, usually running $60-$80
Nate's Favorite Whiskeys in Stock
1. Lagavulin 37 Year Single Malt Scotch 2. Port Ellen 34 Year Single Malt Scotch 3. James E. Pepper "1776" 15 Year Bourbon 4. Laphroaig 25 Year Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch 5. Talisker 30 Year Single Malt Scotch 6. Barterhouse 20 Year Bourbon 7. Lagavulin Distiller's Edition 1995 Single Malt Scotch 8. Moylan's 8 Year Double Barrel Single Malt 9. Oban 21 Year Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch 10. James E. Pepper "1776" 15 Year Rye
Healthy Spirits Beer Blog
Keep up on the latest beers from around the world!
It is a happy day for Healthy Spirits my friends. I'm proud to announce the first ever appearance of the Willett Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Bourbons. Take a moment to let that soak in (brief pause), yes the day has finally arrived.
These special Willett bottlings are pretty much the most limited release bourbons on the planet. The 16yr batch we received produced only 120 bottles and the 13yr had only 152 bottles. Both were bottled at barrel proof and unfiltered so all the oils and proteins that give bourbon great depth and flavor are still present. Believe me, you want these.
New Arrivals:
Willett 16yr single barrel 69.5% (wheated recipe)
Willett 13yr single barrel 62%
Jefferson's 17yr Presidential 47% (wheated recipe)
Black Maple Hill Small Batch 47.5%
Old Fitzgerald 12yr Special Reserve 45%
I should have a couple more vintages of the Willett special releases due in next week, and if you haven't tried the Black Maple Hill Bourbon yet, give it a go because its arguably the best bang for your buck on the market. Yippie Ki Yay!
Did you know Rye Whiskey has become one of the hottest selling spirits in the market? It makes sense too, before prohibition it was America's favorite Whiskey and out sold all others including Bourbon. Heck in 1791 early Americans orchestrated a "Whiskey Rebellion" to fight the taxation of their beloved Rye Whiskey. The Rye Whiskey trend has increased so much that manufacturers are actually having a tough time meeting demand, and won't be able to increase supply anytime soon as Whiskey must sleep in wood many years before its ready.
Never fear my friends, Healthy Spirits is here to meet all your Rye needs. In addition to a nice variety of Ryes we already carry (click on our bourbon menu on the left side of this page), we have finally added the historic Rittenhouse Rye bottled in bond and the Rittenhouse 25yr single barrel Rye. I could write a lot about these Ryes as I really think there second to none, but I'll let Heaven Hill regale you with their press release:
"In what can only be termed an upset of Final Four proportions, Heaven Hill Distilleries' Rittenhouse Bottled-In-Bond Rye Whisky was named "North American Whiskey of the Year" at the recently-completed 2006 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The annual competition is among the most prestigious spirits competitions in the global distilled spirits industry, judged by a panel of industry luminaries. In capturing the trophy for top North American Whiskey, Rittenhouse first had to be judged a double gold medal winner in its Rye Whiskey class, meaning it was unanimously awarded gold medal by all judges in a blind tasting. It then had to top all other double gold medal winners in the North American Whiskey category, including Bourbons, Canadian Whiskies, and a number of artisinal spirits made by smaller "boutique" micro-distilleries. And the Rittenhouse Bottled-In-Bond, a traditional rye made in a time-honored method, left these much more heavily advertised and merchandised whiskeys in the dust on its way to the title. "Historically, rye whiskey has been the ultimate expression of classic American whiskey style, and we at Heaven Hill Distilleries were one of only three remaining producers to keep the style alive during the lean years when rye was overshadowed by Bourbon and Scotch and Irish Whiskeys " said Kirstin Jackson, brand manager, Rittenhouse Rye Whisky. "As the desire for a broader selection of styles and flavors grows in the American Whiskey category, it is only natural that rye whiskey should reclaim its former position of prominence, because it is generally regarded as the most flavorful of the United States' whiskey styles. This award properly affords rye whiskey the recognition it deserves, and for Rittenhouse to have bested such highly-regarded competition is a tribute to the fact that things don't necessarily have to be 'new and improved' to be judged the very best." Rittenhouse Rye Whisky was originally launched upon the repeal of Prohibition by the Continental Distilling Company of Philadelphia, and was subsequently acquired by Heaven Hill Distilleries, the nation's largest independent family-owned spirits producer and the second largest holder of aging American Whiskey in the world. Heaven Hill continued to produce the brand during the years when rye whiskey went largely ignored, despite its historic role in the Whisky Rebellion of 1791 and the iconography of Mike Hammer and The Thin Man. Now available in limited supply in select areas of the United States, Rittenhouse Rye was also named "Whiskey of the Year" for 2005 by Wine & Spirits Magazine, and last summer Esquire called it "one of the best American Whiskeys at any price"."
Not to shabby, that deserves a big taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarnation!
1. Willett Single Barrel
2. Kentucky Vintage 17 year
3. Noah's Mill
4. Rowan's Creek
5. Pure Kentucky XO
6. Johnny Drum Private Stock
7. Old Bardstown Estate
8. Prichard's 9 year Double Barrel
You want these! Also look out for the Willett special cask strength releases due to hit shelves in April.........
Putting New York back on the map for artisan small production spirits is Tuthilltown Distillery and their critically acclaimed Hudson Whiskey! Before prohibition many farms in New York would distill excess grains and fruits into small batch spirits. Once a breeding ground for fantastic rye and other whiskey, New York has been without a whiskey producer for the last 70 some years. Enter Tuthilltown who in 2001 decided to convert a mill granary into a micro distillery. Hats off gentlemen! Hudson Baby Bourbon: The first Bourbon ever to come out of New York is unique with its use of 100% corn, instead of the traditional corn, rye and barley. It may be young for a bourbon but is imparted with a concentrated oak flavor from special small oak barrels that help increase the barrel to whiskey ratio.
Hudson Four Grain Bourbon: A more traditional bourbon entry that brings together the ingredients of corn, wheat, rye and barley in a symphony of flavors. The end result balances the soft richness of corn, the sharp peppery notes of rye, all the smooth subtlety of wheat and the sweetness of malted barley.
Hudson Manhattan Rye: The quintessential ingredient in a Manhattan cocktail will always be a good rye. With a subtle fruity, floral and peppery yet smooth taste you'd be well advised to serve this highly acclaimed rye neat, or with a splash of spring water. This is a worthy tribute to one of America's pre prohibition favorites.
Parker's Heritage Golden Anniversary Bourbon has finally arrived at Healthy Spirits and in case you hadn't heard it was just crowned "American Whiskey of the Year" by John Hansell of Malt Advocate. This is the third release in the tribute series that pays homage to sixth generation master distiller Parker Beam. To commemorate his 50 years in the industry he has hand selected a bourbon from each decade of his tenure and married them together to make this amazingly refined spirit. That means this tiny production bourbon (only 1,500 bottles) contains whiskey asleep in oak barrels since the 60's and 70's.
"Very well balanced and mellow on the nose and palate. Sweet notes of mature dark rum, toffee, nougat and candy corn with dried apricot, golden raisin, hot cinnamon, mint tea, and vanilla. Polished leather and tobacco lead to a long, contemplative finish. This is what an ultra-mature bourbon should taste like: all the depth and complexity that comes with this much aging without all the excessive oak. The wood is there, but it never crosses the line."
Wild Turkey originally began as a wholesale grocer called Austin Nichols in 1855. In 1869 they opened their first distillery then called the Ripy Family Distillery. Their reputation as a premium Bourbon producer began to grow over the next few decades, culminating in its selection to represent Kentucky in the 1893 world's fair. Many years later, post prohibition, a group of wild turkey hunters tried some of the Bourbon brought by one of the distillery's executives. It became such a favorite they asked if he could bring that "Wild Turkey" Bourbon along on each annul hunt. As a tribute to his friend's good taste the Wild Turkey brand was formed in 1940.
Here are some of the fantastic Wild Turkey Bourbons you can find at Health Spirits:
-Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel Bourbon: Hand selected at the peak of maturity this rich full bodied bourbon shows a complex layering of vanilla, almonds, honey, toffee, blackberries and leather.
-Rare Breed Barrel Proof Bourbon: A unique blending of 6, 8, and 12 year old bourbons. This ultra smooth bourbon has flavors of caramel, orange, mint, sweet tobacco, roasted nuts, hot peppers and whole wheat bread.
-Russell's Reserve 10 year Bourbon: Show casing what the master distiller believes to be a "wonderful stage of maturity for a bourbon" we have this 10 year entry. Rich notes of vanilla, toffee, oak, almonds, chilli peppers, cumin and leather.
-Russell's Reserve 6 year Rye: A bright and robust rye offering with notes of caramel, toffee, pepper corns, chillies and cedar.
-Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon: Jimmy Russell likens his 101 bourbon to a great soup, low and slow is key. In this case the bourbon is distilled closer to bottling proof, which retains more of the flavor and doesn't require as much dilution. Notes of honey, caramel, vanilla and oranges with a spicy kick at the end.
