Hola Free Rangers,
We’re officially into holiday tourist season. These aren’t necessarily out of towners, but the sort of folks who only shop in places like this during the last two months of the year and who will often come in two or three (or four or five) times before buying anything, if ever. Can’t even count the number of people who left here with nothing on what was a very high traffic Friday. It’s hard to say which feels worse in the moment, when they avoid eye contact and refuse to engage, or when they ask every question they’ve ever had about every bottle in here. Regardless, we don’t pay the bills with hearty thank yous nor with awkward quiet and abrupt exits, and most certainly not with aggressive interruptions to be told longwinded stories about where you’re from and what you like (that we don’t carry). And as always, profound thanks to all of you wonderful regulars, and your lovely 4-legged furry friends who bing us their joy everyday, and make the more difficult moments the exception around these parts. Unrelated to any of that, Zac & Gavin of the Vanguard Podcast came to town to cover our mayoral race, and interviewed me- as a born NY’er and local business owner- about our support for Zohran Mamdani. I’m briefly in the intro, and they shout us out again at the end (while they’re crushing some of our Champagne), but if you want to jump to the bulk of our interview, that kicks in at about 7:10 into the stream, which you can check out here: Free Range on The Vanguard. It was a good conversation. Those guys are alright.
Now, it’s no secret that I absolutely adore St. George Spirits– out of Alameda, CA- and am of the belief that their annual release of their much lauded Single Malt Whiskey is one of the very finest, most balanced, and most delicious grain based spirits that has ever been. This year’s release is Lot 25, not coincidentally the 25th Anniversary of its inception. If I had ever bothered to grow up, I might’ve liked to be Lance Winters, the genuine renaissance man at the helm of the coolest ship in the industry. While the baseline quality of these best in class whiskeys is undeniable, there is an intriguing variation from year to year, that has nerds like us highly anticipating each fall’s new lot. Unless you are an absurd hoarder like we, it’s a very rare event that one gets to taste these variations side by side, which is why it is so cool that Master Distiller, Lance Winters, will be hosting a vertical tasting and Q&A next week- Tuesday, November 18th (7pm)- at Brooklyn’s very best whiskey bar (and the only place I drink whiskey besides the shop and my home), Travel Bar, for a ticket price that seems next to nothing considering the quality and scarcity of what one gets with entry, which includes tastes of St. George Single Malt Lot 17, Lot 18, Lot 20, Lot 22, Lot 24, Lot 25, and if you ask real nicely, there might be a cameo by the insanely rare and deliciously deep 40th Anniversary (of the distillery) Single Malt release. You’ll first be welcomed with a unique cocktail by proprietor, Mike Vacheresse, based in St George Baller Single Malt, the recipe for which has not been disclosed even to us! Plus, Lance will answer your questions, and sign your bottles if you wish. As an added bonus, there will be an opportunity to pick up take home bottles of these (and more!) via our website at notable discounts, available first to event patrons only (via QR code at the party)! Click here to secure your tickets, while you can:
(!) St. George Single Malt Event @ Travel Bar (!)
Also, it’s another double-up on FREE in-store tastings this week, the first of which is our usual Thursday tasting, this round with our friends from Garrison Brothers Distillery, out of Hye, TX. These fine folks produce particularly bold bourbon(s) shaped by the extreme heat and pressure changes which are largely responsible for how juice is pushed in and out of the barrel wood- the source of their style and flavor(s). We have been proud to carry these unique whiskeys since back when they were releasing two dated seasonal bottlings per year (and still have a handful of those squirreled away amongst our hoard in the cellar). So please join us this Thursday, November 13th (5-7pm), for FREE tastes of Garrison Brothers Small Batch Bourbon (available in 750ml and 375ml boot flask), Garrison Brothers Ladybird, and Garrison Brothers Balmorhea. All Garrison Brother whiskeys are 10% off in-store on tasting day, and all week on the website for pick-up or local delivery via the sale page below:
(!) Click here for Garrison Brothers sale page (!)
And then, Saturday’s bonus FREE tasting welcomes to the shop a newer industry friend from an old school distributor who is known for their serious Burgundy book, but also is the source of our beloved Ridge Vineyards wines, which is exactly the focus of this one. Ridge is one of the largest grower of organic grapes in CA, and is steward to many of this country’s oldest and most historically significant vines. While the 2022 is the 50th release of Ridge Lytton Springs eponymous Zinfandel based field blend, many of the vines at this historic estate are over 100 yeas old, the earliest plantings being from 1901 and 1910. The Petite Sirah remains one of California’s best kept secrets, and is one of the deepest, darkest, most expressive wines of which we are aware. These are legitimately two of the most classic red wines on Earth, and remain outstanding values for their deliciousness and historical significance. So, please join us this Saturday, November 15th (4-6pm), for FREE tastes of crisp, mineral driven Ridge Vineyards Grenache Blanc 2023 alongside aforementioned ancient red beasts, Ridge Lytton Estate Petite Sirah 2021, Ridge Lytton Springs 2022. All three are 10% off in-store on tasting day only, or 20% off a mixed 6-pack (2 each)!
Cheers,
Jack
Proprietor
Free Range Wine & Spirits
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