Cowboys and Indians wrangles up the best of the west in their October 2020 issue. Find Wheeler’s Gin in the collection of “gutsy gins.”
Five Gutsy GINS of the West
“You may have heard (not from Uncle Tito, but other sources) that gin — America’s original base spirit for martinis and many a classic cocktail before vodka began stealing that show — is enjoying its long-awaited second heyday. That’s especially true out West, where some of the country’s most trailblazing, herbally creative craft distilleries have jump-started the venerable spirit’s latest comeback and rethinking. Here are five bottles for your next intrepid gin journey way off the Beefeater highway.
Situated on an heirloom apple orchard in a small farming community just outside of its namesake town, Santa Fe Spirits has in just 10 years become one of the top artisan distilleries of the Southwest for its fine malt whiskey, revival-worthy apple brandy, and one of the more adventurous gins you’re likely to encounter anywhere. Purpose-fueled local botanicals like osha root, magenta cactus flowers, and homegrown sage give this classic dry gin, in the words of its distillers, “bold complexity” and “sincere terroir.” George Wheeler, the great 19th-century Southwestern explorer and cartographer after whom the gin is named, would no doubt approve.”