Calling the shots with

Nigel Huddleston presents half a dozen brands that could act as a primer for

Storywood

Nestled in a Proof Drinks portfolio that includes on-trade market leader Cazcabel and The Lost Explorer mezcal can be found Storywood, a tequila with a British flavour. It’s aged for between seven and 14 months in ex-Speyside malt whisky barrels with the aim of reaching out to Scotch whisky buffs as well as tequila drinkers. Agave (and related) spirits other than tequila and mezcal, such as sotol, bacanora and raicilla, are gaining traction in the States, and Proof Drinks also ships Estancia raicilla, distilled from must ground from the Maximiliana agave plant, grown at high altitude for up to 15 years, twice the norm for mainstream tequila. proofdrinks.com

The Butterfly Cannon

Plenty of producers have been bigging up oak-aged reposado as a sipper to distance