“I didn’t want to be that guy who thought that just because I’m good at winemaking, I’m also a distiller,” says Dave Phinney of the ori-gins of his Bourbon brand. But Phinney has plenty of inspiration outside of wine, and his approach includes unique sources for materials, a vintner’s touch to barrel finishing, and avant-garde packaging.
The idea for his distillery came from the decommissioned U.S. Naval base Mare Island and its red brick buildings near the waterfront. The distillery's name, Savage & Cooke, refers to two men who once worked at the shipyard's electrical building, though Phinney doesn't know anything more about them. He kept a historical, industrial feel to the distillery, leaving exposed concrete or brick walls and prominent black iron girders. A three-story copper still is located at the heart of the operation.
Phinney started thinking about spirits in terms of one of the key ingredients: water. He had purchased a 300-acre property in Alexander Valley with the thought of developing a vineyard there. But there was something more remarkable at this location: A natural spring bubbling up water with a high mineral content.
We did a blind water tasting, and it's the only time I've done a tasting of anything where it was 10 out of 10 people who all picked the same winner, and it was our water, explains Phinney.
This story is from the June 30, 2022 edition of Wine Spectator.
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This story is from the June 30, 2022 edition of Wine Spectator.
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