Ohio has a couple of exciting new spirits, thanks to Western Reserve Distillers in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood. The distillery recently released its Handcrafted Vodka and Handcrafted Gin, both made with 100 percent organic Ohio corn. According to master distiller and co-founder Kevin Thomas, both spirits are distilled in the facility’s handmade copper hybrid still to approximately 192 proof, then chill-filtered and bottled at 80 proof. The gin is infused with traditional botanicals of juniper, coriander, bergamot, anise and lime. We found them both delicious, the vodka extremely smooth and creamy, and the gin deliciously bold with plenty of juniper and anise flavor. A bonus: they are quite reasonably priced, the vodka at $18.74 and the gin at $22.33.
