Letherbee
Gin Bësk Fernet Absinthe Chicago
Our Story
Botanical distilled spirits. Gin, Fernet, Bësk, Absinthe, Seasonal Gin. Growing local and sourcing global ingredients. 100% Independent and DIY. No marketing schemes. Began in a basement, grown into an international boutique brand. Work with friends. Peace. Read More —
Our Products
AUTMNAL gin 2020
The oak barrel holds an almost mythological place in the crafting of spirits. Barrels have been used for thousands of years to store countless types of goods including wine, beer, spirits, tea, pickles, hot sauce, maple syrup, mustard, salted fish...and the list goes on. Spirits makers who employ barrel-aging often point to the casks themselves as a key component to their products’ quality and character.
We began our humble program of barrel-aging Letherbee Gin in May of 2015. Since then, we have been slowly and steadily laying down an array of barrels, and waiting for when the time felt and tasted right. With glee, we feel that time is now.
Letherbee Autumnal Gin 2020 is a straight up barrel aged gin. We’ve picked our favorite barrels and made our favorite blend. No sugar, caramel, or any other sweeteners or colors added. It’s bone dry and sits in a balance of being uplifting yet grounded, ethereal yet solid, aromatic and earthy.
To go deeper: We use standard size 53 gal. American oak barrels (nothing smaller). This size staves off the oak’s tannins from overpowering the spirit. All casks used in this batch are brand new, first fill, meaning they’ve never had any other liquid in them other than our gin. Veering away from the preferences of whiskey producers, we lean toward barrels that are lightly toasted on the inside - a distinction from the more aggressive charred insides of barrels typically used for aging Bourbon. This bestows a gentler, more delicate and more nuanced oak impression that preserves space for the gin’s botanicals to carry on singing their aromatic harmonies.
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Besk
Letherbee unites with R. Franklin for a refined rendition of BËSK —a relatively obscure yet locally infamous Swedish liqueur dominated by wormwood. The bitter shot initially hits with flavors of grapefruit before an oncoming of wormwood alongside earthy gentian root — an effect that lingers on the palate for quite a surprising while. Beneath the acrid din of the more acute tasting notes rests more gentle traces of juniper, star anise, and elderflower musk. Bottled at 100 proof, Letherbee’s BËSK remains an esoteric shot for adventurous drinkers, but the bitter liqueur can be gracefully incorporated into sophisticated cocktails.
Letherbee Gin
Original Label
Few gins unfold like Letherbee’s flagship tipple, distilled by hand with a clean yet robust blend of 11 botanicals. Juniper spearheads a mélange of spices, including coriander, cardamom, and cinnamon, while cubeb berries evoke a touch of pepper and a hint of ginger in the finish. Lemon and orange peel lend the dry, balanced concoction a bit of room for keen drinkers to pick up subtle notes of licorice and almond. At 96 proof,Letherbee Gin shines in all contexts, whether sipped straight, louched with a few drops of water until slightly cloudy, or mixed in a cocktail.
FERNET
Letherbee’s freshly refined take on the signature digestif is smooth, perhaps startlingly so. The prominence of saffron evokes popular Fernets, but supporting notes of rhubarb root and myrrh gum scaffold the palate as to not let bitter notes overpower. Spearmint and eucalyptus lend a subtle, pleasant mentholated finish. Given Letherbee’s penchant for balanced flavors, this Fernet is versatile—shoot it, sip it after a meal, add it to coffee, or mix it in a complex cocktail.
BARREL AGED ABSINTHE
Letherbee’s Barrel-Aged Absinthe draws its caramel hue from a six-month stint in new, full-sized, charred, American oak casks. A straightforward white absinthe recipe mellows in the aging process, softening the anise notes to let sumptuous floral and spice layers resonate. Besides the color, the full-sized barrels also imbue the Absinthe Brun with toasty hints of vanilla and caramel. Bottled at 126 proof, the spirit-forward drink is an addictive sipper that can also add depth to a variety of cocktails.
Fernet
Letherbee’s freshly refined take on the signature digestif is smooth, perhaps startlingly so. The prominence of saffron evokes popular Fernets, but supporting notes of rhubarb root and myrrh gum scaffold the palate as to not let bitter notes overpower. Spearmint and eucalyptus lend a subtle, pleasant mentholated finish. Given Letherbee’s penchant for balanced flavors, this Fernet is versatile—shoot it, sip it after a meal, add it to coffee, or mix it in a complex cocktail.
Letherbee Gin
Original Label Flask
Few gins unfold like Letherbee’s flagship tipple — a Chicago-made, grain-neutral spirit distilled by hand with a clean yet robust blend of 11 botanicals. Juniper berries spearhead a mélange of spices, including coriander, cardamom, and cinnamon, while cubeb berries evoke a touch of pepper and a hit of ginger in the finish. Dried lemon peel and orange pith lend the dry, balanced concoction a bit of room for keen drinkers to pick up subtle notes of licorice and almond. At 96 proof, Letherbee Gin shines in all contexts, whether sipped straight, louched with a few drops of water until slightly cloudy, or mixed in a refined cocktail.
BESK
LETHERBEE UNITES WITH R. FRANKLIN FOR A REFINED RENDITION OF BËSK —A RELATIVELY OBSCURE YET LOCALLY INFAMOUS SWEDISH LIQUEUR DOMINATED BY WORMWOOD. THE BITTER SHOT INITIALLY HITS WITH FLAVORS OF GRAPEFRUIT BEFORE AN ONCOMING OF WORMWOOD ALONGSIDE EARTHY GENTIAN ROOT — AN EFFECT THAT LINGERS ON THE PALATE FOR QUITE A SURPRISING WHILE. BENEATH THE ACRID DIN OF THE MORE ACUTE TASTING NOTES RESTS MORE GENTLE TRACES OF JUNIPER, STAR ANISE, AND ELDERFLOWER MUSK. BOTTLED AT 100 PROOF, LETHERBEE’S BËSK REMAINS AN ESOTERIC SHOT FOR ADVENTUROUS DRINKERS, BUT THE BITTER LIQUEUR CAN BE GRACEFULLY INCORPORATED INTO SOPHISTICATED COCKTAILS.