These days, it’s not enough to pour a product. What splashes in the glass needs a good story, preferably one involving genuine sustainability efforts or a cool new hop variety. Moreover, that liquid becomes all the more intriguing when it reflects its origin, whether that’s a coastal gin made with local botanicals and seaweed or a seasonal Georgian beer brewed with ripe peaches.
Wine may have capitalized on the concept of terroir but it certainly didn’t invent it. There’s an element of place in all of agriculture, meaning there are distinctive flavors tied to Nevada-grown whiskey grains and Washington state hops, destined to be showcased in an India Pale Ale.
And place-ness in drinks means the possibility of new flavors and styles all over the map. Sure, you’ve probably heard of Napa Valley wine or a west coast IPA, but what about Nevada whiskey or Hawaiian rum? Now more than ever, different regions within the U.S. are making drinks that speak to their exact destination.
Read on for some great options in the ever-growing destination drinking department. You not only get to enjoy that favorite beer or spirit, but immerse yourself in the very surroundings that brought it to life.
Hop tours
From about May to early fall every year, you can meander through a hop field and taste beer made from the yields of those very rows. TopWire Hop Project is an excellent option, located in the hop-centric Willamette Valley. There, amid the towering green hop rows, you can sample a number of IPAs and other hop-forward beer styles, gaining an understanding of just how crucial and variable the brewing ingredient can be. September is perhaps the best time to do so as its peak fresh hop season for the perennial crop.
Up in the Yakima Valley of Washington, the world’s most famous hop-growing dot on the map, you can really dig in via Little Hopper Tours. The group offers beer and sensory experiences and partners with some of the top labels in the region, like Bale Breaker, Single Hill, and Varietal Beer Co. Akin to drinking wine while strolling through a vineyard, sipping a beer in a hop field adds an important contextual (not to mention scenic) layer to the tasting experience.
Hawaiian rum
If you haven’t heard of Hawaiian rum, now is the time. The state is behind some of the best in the U.S., largely because of its unique location and sugarcane-growing history. The coolest part of the tale now is that Hawaiians are taking control, turning old plantations into small-batch operations showcasing the flavors of the land through various types of rum. Hanalei Spirits in Kauai and Kuleana Rum Works of the Big Island are just a couple of great examples offering truly Hawaiian rums that embody the archipelago. Do a guided tasting, book a farm to glass tour, or even explore the distillery and witness the process firsthand.
Grain-to-glass spirits
Here’s a subcategory you’ll likely see explode over the next few years. Brands like Frey Ranch in Nevada and burgeoning Colorado whiskey scene are fully embracing the grains-to-glass movement. Akin to an estate winery, these operations grow everything on site, giving them control to the entire process. You can do farm and distillery tours and taste whiskies made with heirloom grain varieties that only grow in that immediate area. Watch for other states to really join the party and keep an eye on gin too, as the clear spirit is really getting a boost from American producers all over the country imparting local botanicals to make it uniquely their own.
Texas agave spirits
Like Champagne, the tequila name is tied to a specific place (Jalisco). But you can grow agave elsewhere, so why not distill it as well and make something tequila-like? That’s what a growing number of distillers are doing just north of the border in Texas. Perhaps more interestingly, brands are experimenting with plants beyond just Blue Weber agave.
The border town of Roma is home to BLASFEMUS, which is working with a handful of agave varieties. Species like Angustifolia, Americana, and Potatorium are being grown, harvested, and made into earthy spirits reminiscent of fine mezcal, sotol, or tequila. So too is Desert Door in Driftwood, specializing in sotol grown in and distilled in Texas. Look for this category to keep expanding, in Texas and elsewhere in the American southwest.
Other options
As we continue to covet food and drink that reflects its whereabouts, look for more and more destination drinking options. They can come in all forms, from New Hampshire’s Tamworth Distilling, known for its steadfast approach to showcasing local ingredients like foraged berries and pairing them up with water from a local aquifer. There are midwest distilleries looing to do their own takes on nordic spirits like aquavit, plugging in foraged goods grown right in their backyards. And there’s even a growing brandy, especially in places like California where there’s a built-in grape culture.
Get out there and let your palate lead. It’s time to plan a destination drinking vacation.
