New Faultline Releases – Nov. 5th: IN STORE ONLY

Alright, it's about time we let the entire cat out of the bag here (its head has been peeking out for a few months). We are indeed releasing a St. George/K&L Wine Merchants collaborative Faultline gin this year. You've been asking if we're doing it. The answer is yes, but there's so much more beyond just the simple affirmative. We wanted to do something special this time around—our own version of Record Store Day or the Feis Ile Festival. A project that would celebrate our many relationships and the power of those genre-crossing influences. An event that would reward faithful customers who visit with us on a daily basis. Something unique to bring people together and into the store. So here's the deal:

We partnered with iconic punk record producer (and K&L customer) Lisa Fancher from Frontier, who in turn hooked us up with legendary comic artist Jaime Hernandez of Love & Rockets fame, to do something outside of our normal comfort zone. Jaime drew up three different labels for our approval and we loved each of them so much that we decided to turn this annual singular tradition into a raging three-headed monster.

But could we actually create two other spirits worthy of the same yearly hype? St. George distiller Dave Smith told us there were still a few casks of Bourbon left over from the Breaking & Entering project, plus he had been working on a new absinthe formula. Those were potential candidates for a trio of Faultline releases. Dave and I have been working on all three expressions for months now and the time to unleash them is finally nigh. So where do Lisa Fancher and Frontier Records come into play? I'm glad you asked:

I'll let Frontier manager Julie Masi and Lisa herself model the goods above. When you buy any of the 2015 limited edition Faultline releases, you will get an accompanying seven inch vinyl single depending on which bottle(s) you purchase. The Faultline gin comes with a limited edition Adolescents record—the punk super group from Fullerton. The Faultline absinthe comes with a limited edition Christian Death record—the groundbreaking Los Angeles goth band fronted by the late Rozz Williams. The Faultline Bourbon comes with a limited edition Weirdos record—the late-70s LA act that would go on to influence groups like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Not only do the labels match the sleeves, but the vinyl itself matches the color of the spirit! 

But here's the catch: starting November 5th these three releases will only be available in our three retail locations. Not online. Not via the phone. This is a celebration of California retail, California music, California art, and California booze. We therefore have to give our California customers first dibs.

Supplies will be limited and we cannot guarantee inventory beyond what will be on hand in each location. I'm heading over to St. George to put the final touches on everything later this week. If we have extras leftover after the in-store promotion we'll definitely make those bottles available via our traditional methods. We don't have final pricing available just yet, but I'll make the costs known as soon as I can. 

Oh.......one last thing.

If you show up to our Hollywood store on November 5th to get a bottle (or ten) you can have Jaime and Lisa sign your merchandise. They'll be in the store all evening to celebrate the launch, chit-chat about art and punk rock, and help make your limited edition goods even more valuable by adding their John Hancock. And if you're in San Francisco, you can stop by our new Harrison Street superstore (opening October 30th) to have distiller Dave Smith sign your bottle. I'll be there as well to watch over all the mayhem and make sure this momentous event goes off without a hitch. Redwood City will also have bottles on hand, but no signing events.

So whether you're a booze collector, a record collector, or a comic collector, there's something here for you. And if you like to drink, well, that goes without saying. I'll have more news as the date gets closer, but this is a notice for you to mark your calendars. At 5 PM on November 5th these bottles will go live for those of you who can make it over to one of our three locations. We're expecting the action to be hot and heavy, as Lisa and Jaime have way more fans than we do. 

-David Driscoll