Looking for a new flavor? Need a little help making your next choice at your local bar or bottle shop? Dining and drinks writer and judge Virginia Miller combs through new craft spirits releases to taste, review, and recommend. Here are her top 12 picks of the month, rated on a scale of one to five.

My bottle review column (last month’s edition here) is about what is unique, standout, new and/or trending in spirits with my review ratings on a 1-5 rating scale. My 10 bottle reviews of the month:

• Alto Canto Tequila

Additive-free, 100% organic, wild-fermented, Tahona-milled Alto Canto tequila just launched in the U.S. Distilled in the Highlands of Tequila, 9,000 feet above sea level in the Sierra del Tigre mountains, founder Daday Suarez and master distiller Juan Reyes focus on only certified organic agave, mountain spring water, copper pot distillation and wood, even in the blanco. I only tried the Blanco and Reposado, both in striking, clean packaging and white boxes. The Blanco is settled for 25 days in a white oak container, exuding a bit of vegetal-green, white pepper and lime, but buttery vanilla notes are never what I seek in a blanco. Still, I prefer the blanco to the woodier reposado where I struggle to taste any agave, getting more astringency from wood tannins. But with nutty, fruit and caramel notes, these will please fans of wood-forward tequilas.
Taste Rating: 3 (reposado), 3.5 (blanco)

Read more: https://distilling.com/distillermagazine/new-release-roundup-july-2024/