For a fact, ‘ Women are better at distinguishing flavors and aromas than men because they have 50% more olfactory neurons.

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21 Seeds

Kat Hantas, along with her sister Nicole Emanuel and Sarika Singh, founded the all-natural fruit-infused tequila firm, which has swiftly become a celebrity favorite. 21 SEEDS makes an all-natural, genuine fruit-infused tequila for Her by Her that is as tasty and easy to drink as a glass of wine. Kat Hantas is disrupting an entire spirits market that has previously been dominated by men, from collaborating with a female-owned distillery in Mexico to recently negotiating a nationwide distribution deal with one of the country's top alcohol distributors.

Image Source: 21 Seeds Nicole Emanuel, Kat Hantas, Sarika Singh 

The female-led brand, whose slogan is #girlscalltheshots, has carved itself a unique place in the usually male-dominated tequila sector by developing healthy, no-fuss drinks that appeal to women thanks to the spirit's flavor-forward fruit flavors. Before it was a business, it was only a few bottles infused in her home with fresh ingredients like cucumbers, jalapenos, oranges, and grapefruits. Valencia Orange's infused tequila range was awarded Best of Show, Double Gold at WSWA in 2019. In addition, Cucumber Jalapeno was granted 90 Points for Best in Category at the Beverage Tasting Institute 2019, and Grapefruit Hibiscus was awarded Gold at WSWA in 2019.

Image Source: 21Seeds

Freeland Spirits

Image source: Freeland Spirits, Founder Jill Kuehler & Master Distiller Molly Troupe

Jill Kuehler established Freeland Spirits in 2017, taking its name from Kuehler's grandmother, a role model she called Meemaw, who (ironically) never consumed a drop of alcohol but taught Jill that women could be whatever they want to be.

Freeland Spirits follows a grain-to-glass concept, producing outstanding spirits that celebrate everything the Northwest offers. The distinctive bottle of Freeland Spirits is shaped like a teardrop and made of blue Mexican glass. It depicts a woman with her arms lifted, head cocked, and hands firmly gripping the stem of a single stalk of grain. Molly Troupe, a partner and Master Distiller, is the youngest woman in America to receive a Masters Degree in Distillation from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. Freeland Spirits' inventory includes American craft Gin, Genever-inspired Geneva, Dry Gin (Navy Strength), bourbon, and canned cocktails such as Gin and Rose Tonic and French 75.

Image source: Freeland Spirits

Freeland’s whiskey, a blend of three and twelve years old, is matured for an extra six months in pinot barrels from Elk Cove Vineyards, giving it a distinct color and mouthfeel.

Big Nose Kate Whiskey

Image Source: The crafty cask, Melissa Heim Founder of Big Nose Kate 

Melissa is a Head Distiller and Blender who has already earned 40 medals for flavor and quality in various spirits items she has created. Mel is widely regarded as one of the first female Head Distillers and Blenders west of the Mississippi and one of the youngest. One of the top rising stars in the spirits market, Melissa Heim, has created a magnificent new western whiskey called Big Nose Kate. This Western-style whiskey is named after Mary Katherine Horony Cummings, popularly known as Big Nose Kate, the feared and revered wife of Doc Holliday, one of the most famous gunslingers of the Old West. It is distilled in Texas, Virginia, and Indiana before being mixed in New Mexico. Big Nose Kate is a one-of-a-kind blend with a powerful body and rich mouthfeel. It begins with dry sherry and cherry fruit flavors, then transitions to cereal grain and oak before finishing with soft baking spice.

Image Source: Big Nose kate Whiskey, Instagram 

Harridan Vodka 

Bridgette Taylor founded harridan Vodka in 2020 to cater to the neglected traditional luxury vodka market. Harridan raises the bar for premium vodka. Its overproof strength — 88 proof to be exact — pays tribute to the bossy, defiant ladies who inspired the brand's name. The ultra-premium vodka prepared with the same attention to detail as tequila and whiskey Harridan's initial batch of limited-edition bottles is hand-blown from recycled glass in Mexico before being hand-dipped in the brand's signature black wax. Harridan is distilled in Ovid, New York, from organic, local corn cultivated by fifth-generation farmers in small batches with the sense of workmanship normally reserved for tequila and whiskey.

Image Source: Harridan Vodka, Instagram 

The brand's design and bottle have gained the attention of the spirits industry, and it won a Double Gold Medal in the Packaging Design Category at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In addition, this female-owned vodka received a Silver Medal in the Vodka tasting category.

Crooked Water Spirits

Image Source: Bourbon Women, Heather Manley

Heather Manley, Founder/CEO and Whiskey Sommelier founded Crooked Water Spirits in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2013, inspired by her love of spirits and building unique companies that exude life, values, quality, and passion. Her passion for spirits and creativity drove her to create Kings Point, and a Port Cask finished bourbon that sold out in days. Heather has since produced and released award-winning non-traditional vodkas, gins, bourbons, apple brandy, and ready-to-pour cocktails.

Image Source: Crooked Water Spirits, Spirits Range 

Sundog is one of the most well-known spirits, having won gold in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the Los Angeles International Spirits Competition. Sundog is an excellent example of the "New American" gin category, with citrus in the foreground, specifically fresh grapefruit and orange, as well as light and ambrosial botanicals. Because of the vibrant citrus overtones, it's one of those rare gins that's enjoyable on its own. But it also works great as a mixer.

Kasama Rum 

Image Source: Kasama Rum, Founder Alexandra Dorda

A new small-batch rum company by female entrepreneur Alexandra Dorda, Kasama intends to redefine the future generation of rum drinkers and spirits makers. Tad Dorda co-founded Belvedere and Chopin Vodka in the early 1990s. Kasama delivers a unique taste, production, and branding approach to a sector that needs something new, leaving behind the conventional clichés associated with old-school rum brands like sailors and pirates and lacking a strongly spiced flavor profile. Kasama is distilled in the Philippines, bottled at her family's distillery in Poland, and now available in the United States.

Image Source: Kasama Rum, Instagram 

Kasama is a golden rum brewed from noble sugar cane stored in ex-bourbon American oak barrels. It has sweet pineapple, vanilla, and a dash of sea salt. Kasama is named after the Filipino word for "together," it commemorates the Philippines' rich agriculture.

Article By Aakriti Rawat, Beverage Trade Network 

Header Image Source: 21Seeds, Award-winning Tequila Range