Historie

Venus Spirits is a small-batch distillery based in Santa Cruz, California, founded by Sean Venus. Behind the company lies a love of craftsmanship and quality ingredients, and a belief that ocean air and precision can yield extraordinarily handmade spirits. Sean Venus's journey began about 20 years ago with homebrewing and evolved into the distillery dream. The idea of starting a craft distillery in Santa Cruz was born in 2012 to produce small-batch gin, whiskey, and agave spirits. In 2014 production began: Blend No.01 gin hit the market in July, El Ladrón Blanco in September. Wayward Whiskey's first batches were launched in January 2015. Today the company produces Wayward Whiskey (bourbon – rye – single malt), gin, aquavit, vodka, El Ladrón rum, and agave spirits.

Produktion

Venus Spirits’ distillery consists of two hand-forged copper alembic stills imported from Spain and one Bennet still from Italy. Each dimple in the alembic stills creates a unique pattern for the distillate, which drips back and contributes to the distillate's character. We operate with a 10 bbl brewhouse and fermentation periods specified for different products: Wayward Whiskey is typically fermented in 5–7 days, El Ladrón Blue Agave Spirit in up to 15 days. Most aged spirits rest in 53-gallon new American oak barrels, char 3, and most are aged for at least two years before bottling. Some lighter-aged products, such as Gin Blend No. 02, lie for only a few months to avoid the wood's character dominating the delicate notes. Their aging house is built around the ocean air tempered rickhouse. Venus Spirits is also a pioneer in agave spirits in California and is a co-owner of the California Agave Council.

Produkter / Whisky-serien

Wayward Whiskey

Wayward Whiskey is consistently a full-bodied and robust spirit, produced in 53-gallon American casks and fully copper-distilled (alembic, double distillation). - Bourbon: 92 Proof; Mash bill 88% corn, rye and malted barley; Color: deep amber; Nose: caramelized, sweet; Taste: caramel, corn, grain; Finish: sweet, cherry wood. - Rye: 92 Proof; Mash bill 88% rye, corn and barley; Color: deep amber; Nose: sweet, spiced fruit; Taste: sweet, raisins; Finish: long-spiced finish. - Single Malt: 92 Proof; Mash bill 2-row, crystal malt; Color: deep amber; Nose: malty, roasted and chocolatey notes; Taste: semi-sweet, full-bodied; Finish: cinnamon, chocolate, hazelnut and grain.

El Ladrón (agave-spirit)

• Blanco: double-distilled in copper alembic and rested in stainless steel tanks; Nose: tropical fruit; Taste: rich agave; Finish: salty.
• Reposado: aged in used Wayward Whiskey casks and takes on a light amber color; Nose: rich agave; Taste: caramelization, spice; Finish: oak.
• Añejo: aged in new American casks at least 12 months; Nose: apple; Taste: caramel, fruit & pepper; Finish: vanilla.
• El Ladrón Yolo: 100% agave from Yolo County, produced in Santa Cruz; pit-roasted method, 10-day fermentation, double distillation, neutral aging ca. 6 months; 84 proof. Recognized by Sunset International Spirits Competition and American Distilling Institute.