New gifts from local distilleries | 2012 Holiday Gift Guide
Why give a bottle of whiskey when you can give a barrel?
1/4Photograph: Martha WilliamsAge Your Own Journeyman Whiskey KitOne salvaged-wood box, two bottles of white whiskey, two whiskey-tasting glasses and one adorable two-liter oak barrel: All you have to do is pour the whiskey into the barrel�and wait three months. Bonus: You can repeat this process three or four times; then, use the barrel to age cocktails�beer�Gatorade�. $179; in a cardboard box $149. Available at Journeyman Distillery (109 Generations Dr, Three Oaks, MI, 269-820-2050).
2/4Photograph: Martha WilliamsLetherbee Distillers Holiday Box SetThe handsome, minimal bottles from this new Chicago distillery are good enough gifts on their own. But with this gift set, you can get every spirit Letherbee�s made so far (Original Label Gin, Autumnal Gin and Barrel Aged Absinthe) nestled in a custom-built box by RX Made constructed from reclaimed old-growth pine floorboards and a strap made from repurposed leather belts. $89.99. Visit facebook.com/letherbee for retailers.
3/4Photograph: Martha WilliamsFew Spirits Barrel Naming RightsWe�ve yet to meet a bottle of whiskey that doesn�t have our name on it. But Evanston-based Few is being a little more literal. For $100, you can put anyone�s name on a five-gallon barrel of Few bourbon or rye: That name will be handwritten on the barrel itself (Few will send the giftee a pic) and all 30 bottles that come from that barrel. Pony up another $50 to add bottle No. 1 from the designated barrel to the package. E-mail brooke@fewspirits.com; no shipping, must be picked up at the distillery.
4/4Photograph: Martha WilliamsNorth Shore Distillery Silver LiningThe O.G. of local spirits produced only 860 bottles of this �krauter,� a traditional German herbal liqueur, which was released in late October. It�s infused and distilled with a range of herbs and botanicals, including Metropolis coffee and cacao, and is meant to be sipped neat after a meal. Though it�s technically in the same genre as Jager, Silver Lining is more similar to an amaro. Get it before it�s gone�forever. $34.99 at Binny�s (locations citywide).
