Day Drinking with David: Fortuna Edition

A Long-Awaited Bourbon Release Unlike Any Other
Fortuna Sour Mash Small Batch #1 (Bottled 9/22) Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ($84.99)
"...this has all the presence and character of the great small batches from the big dogs but adds a level of nuance and complexity that's rarely seen in modern bourbon."
— David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer

This might be the most anticipated craft bourbon brand release of the year, and for so many good reasons. The team at the trailblazing bottler Rare Character is responsible for some of the most compelling new bourbons hitting the market, and Fortuna might just the pinnacle effort of the whole project. Painstakingly recreated by master blender Pablo Moix from a legendary 19th-century whiskey of the same name, it isn't merely a new run of juice made according to an original recipe. Instead, Pablo composes each six-barrel batch guided only by his own palate's impression of the original Fortuna spirit itself, drawn from his own personal collection. It's artisanal blending in the most authentic fashion. Distilled by one of the legacy Kentucky distillers (we can't say by whom), the result is a sour mash spirit unlike any other. As David Othenin-Girard declares, "I'd be genuinely shocked if anyone else is taking so much time and energy to put together such a delicious product." Supremely balanced yet decadent and packed with old-school bourbon character, Fortuna is a everything we thought it would be when we first heard of its impending release. New brand releases with this kind of pedigree are unicorns, and this first batch of Fortuna is very likely set for legendary status down the road, so savvy collectors will want to take full advantage of the very first offering in California, before it inevitably sells out.

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