Civil War General Joseph Hooker had a penchant for stiff drinks and friendly ladies. His Sonoma confine was known as Hooker’s House and was often swimming with fine bourbon and ladies who soon became known as “Hooker’s Brigade” and later simply “Hookers” (we can’t verify if that’s where the name came from). General Hooker, a dedicated military man, instigated such activity to raise morale among his enlisted men.

Not to fret though, the story turns family friendly many years later when his Sonoma home (right on the Plaza) is turned into a museum of Sonoma history. We’ll always remember where it got its name though.

Nowadays General Hooker has a fine bourbon named after him, Hooker’s House Bourbon (from the makers of HelloCello Limoncello). He’d be proud to know that such a fine bourbon carries his namesake.

Now available in-store at Bottle Barn.

More information here.

Why Blends you ask? 

With the rising interest in single malts, blends have been increasingly (and criminally if you ask us) overlooked as a quality drinking experience.  There are several types of blends and to truly understand them we need to know what exactly they are. By definition a Blended Scotch is a blend of one or more single malt whiskies with one or more single grain whiskies. This is not to be confused with another type of blend called Blended Malts, which are blends of different single malts. Some of the smoothest, most flavorful whiskeys in the world are made by one of these two methods. In the past few years we have seen a renewed interest in this category and the number of new products available is mind-blowing.

Here is a short list of some of our favorites:

Isle of Skye 12 year:  The follow up to their 8-year expression, Ian Macleod’s Isle of Skye 12-year is a complex whiskey.  Smoke and earth are tempered by dried fruits, sweet sherry and big malt flavors.  There is a pleasant oily texture to this whiskey, which contributes to its overall smooth, rounded flavors.

Bottle Barn Price $33.99

Great King St. Artist’s Blend:  From John Glaser, the mastermind behind Compass Box, comes a great new blend.  Rare because the single malt component is almost 50% of the overall composition of the blend, the single malt component is a combination of two highland distilleries and a speyside distillery.  The grain is all lowland. Malt Advocate gave his Royal Highness 91 points.

Bottle Barn Price $36.99

Wemyss Malts: We are carrying three wonderful blended malts from Wemyss Malts. Each is aged 8 years and highlights a different region and therefore a different flavor profile. The Spice King’s signature malt is from the highlands, producing a rich, full, spicy whiskey. The Smooth Gentlemen uses malt from Speyside, which leads to a sweet, floral, and honeyed product. Finally, The Peat Chimney is everything you would expect from Islay, sweet smoke, iodine, and peat. This series gives the drinker a great introduction to classic scotch styles.

Bottle Barn Price $34.99 each

Barrel aged Cocktails you say?!!

Yep, you heard correctly. Premium cocktails aged in casks. This is the craft distillers’ answer to the RTD (Ready to Drink) category made famous by brands like Diageo’s Captain Morgan Long Island Ice Tea, Bacardi’s Mojito, and Kahlua’s Mudslide. Maybe it’s not fair to compare these two categories; the new barrel aged cocktails being far superior and more serious explorations into the possibilities that remain available to the spirit industry. The concept may seem strange or even unnecessary at first, but upon further review we see this is as being what the craft spirit movement is all about. The new breed of distiller is interested in experimentation and pushing boundaries. We don’t have to look far to see how the microbrew industry grew and changed over the years, using wild new concepts as their calling card to gain respect and appreciation. We see the craft distillery industry doing the same and we applaud it.

Here again is a short list of some of our favorites:

Germain Robin:  Our good friends to the north are at it again. Germain Robin is distilling some of the finest spirits in the world. In the process they are pushing boundaries and redefining the art. So it is with little surprise that they are at the forefront of yet another craft distilling first, barrel aged cocktails. We are carrying three of these creations, with a fourth due early next year. The St. Nick marries house brandy with Clear Creek Distillery Cranberry Liqueur. The Saratoga blends brandy, whiskey, and sweet vermouth and The Brandy Manhattan, as one would guess, is brandy and vermouth.

Bottle Barn price $17.99 each (200 ml)

High West Distillery’s The 36th Vote: Utah is home to one of the best craft distilleries in the country. High West is responsible for great rye whiskey, 100% oat vodka, and now a barrel aged cocktail. The 36th Vote, named after Utah’s vote to end prohibition, is a classic Manhattan recipe aged for 90 days in American White Oak barrels. 2 parts Rye, 1 part sweet vermouth, 2 dashes bitters, and a whole lot of faith turned out one great barrel aged cocktail.

Bottle barn price $39.99