We’ve been big fans of the blossoming local spirits scene for a while now. The quality and variety of spirits available to us and the dollars being reinvested in our community, each part of it is just fantastic! One of the brightest buds in garden for us has been 11 Wells. Just this week, they launched another wave of new products, and we’ll be lucky enough to have them in store this weekend as part of our Fall Beer & Spirits Spectacular!

One of our other favorites from these guys is their Boiler Room Rum. A classic blackstrap rum, there is a surprising depth of flavor developed here for a rum made in the Midwest. You get a little more body and flavor because of the fact that there is no true column distilling done for this spirit, as you might see in Spanish style rum. Closer to English style rum, there is a great viscosity to it, as well as a sweetness that is not cloying or overly saccharine. We’ve all had candy-sweet mass market rums, and this is simply nothing like them. An instant classic for cocktails or neat. ($28.99)

11 Wells has a host of liqueurs planned to roll out in their cocktail collection, but our faves of the latest roll out are the orange curacao and allspice. The orange curacao is bright and luxurious. It feels like reclining in the sun with the shade of an orange tree just over your upper body. There is a rich body, with a bright citrus note combined with a welcome brown sugar background flavor. Fantastic for tiki cocktails or any recipe that calls for Grand Marnier, this sips just fine in tiny glasses as well. The Allspice is a little more aggressive, a little more unusual, but just as fantastic. The only other allspice liqueur you might be familiar with is Haus Alpenz’ St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram. This was a resurrection of a long lost style of Caribbean liqueur known in cocktail recipes as Pimento Dram. Lee & Bob at 11 Wells have taken the island spirit and brought it home to MSP. Made with a grain spirit base instead of the usual rum, you have a less sweet starting point in this cordial. There is a sharp, spicy clove flavor at first and a cola note following shortly after. Great to slip into some tea or to sip by a roaring fire during the colder months. ($22.99)