Courage in Kentucky

MODSUB#81

Wotcha!

As the calendar turns to spring in the Pacific Northwest, it's that time of year when choosing which coat to wear becomes a daily gamble—one that I, for one, seem to lose more often than not. One minute there's a lingering winter chill and the next, it's positively balmy.

Still, while the days may be growing longer, the evenings mostly still call for the comforting embrace of winter drinks. There's time yet to enjoy dark beers like stouts and porters while robust IPAs continue to shine during this transitional season.

For those who prefer spirits, whiskey cocktails like Old Fashioneds, Whiskey Gingers, and even Hot Toddies offer warmth and solace.

So, I’m going to squeeze in a few more cold-weather drinks before beach season officially begins.

Enjoy some great drinks this week.

Cheers,

Myles

In this week’s edition:

NAN
New NA Drink News

SPIRIT
Nkd Distillery - Whiskey

BEER
Grüvi - Mocha Moment

Read time: 5 minutes 37 seconds

NAN
New NA Drink News

NORTH AMERICA

• COCKTAIL: Haus of Babylon are expanding their line up with the intriguing new RTD Babylon Spritzer made with Middle Eastern ingredients such as tamarind, allspice and hibiscus. (Link)

• COCKTAIL: News from Little Saints who’ve permanently brought back their mushroom-powered Mojito in time for summer. (Link)

• COCKTAIL: Masion Perrier Chic is a new line of non-alcoholic cocktails, newly launched in the U.S. and exclusively at Wholefoods. (Link)

• COCKTAIL: Following on from last year’s launch of Spritz Del Conte Non-Alcoholic Classico, Riboli Family Wines have just announced a Spritz Del Conte Non-Alcoholic Lemoncello Spritz. (Link)

I so nearly fell for this April Fool’s but thankfully realized at the last minute. (Link)

SPIRIT

ModSub: Creating a bourbon whiskey alternative is a brave thing to do. Aside from the wine category as a whole, a good non-alcoholic whiskey may not be the most sought-after spirit—but it’s perhaps the most scrutinized. Those new to non-alcoholic drinks tend to have high expectations for exact replicas, often finding little to get excited about when sipping the spirit neat, and then writing off the drink almost immediately. It’s tough for brands to get the message out that almost all of these “whiskey” spirits are designed for cocktails, not for sipping over a large cube of ice.

If anyone was going to keep aiming to perfect a non-alcoholic whiskey you could sip, it was Becca Gardner, founder of Nkd Distillery. After 10 years of living in New York and working for Deloitte, and with the pandemic in its early stages, she decided to return to her native Kentucky to start a non-alc spirits company. 

Growing up along the Bourbon Trail, it made sense to create a non-alcoholic whiskey—but let’s be honest, it takes a fair amount of courage and perseverance to attempt to replicate that alcohol-free spirit right in the heart of an industry with a 250-year history.

But persevere she did. It took a year and hundreds of tests to figure out the recipe, but finally the first bottle of NKD LDY (the original brand name) was ready to bring to market. Since then, she and her team of female founders have introduced a gin and a tequila, rebranded to simply Nkd and tweaked the recipes to wide acclaim. 

I have to say, the bottle of Nkd Whiskey sitting in front of me is a thing of beauty. A curvy bottle filled with caramel-golden liquid and stamped with a sleek, minimalist label. It deserves to be the centerpiece of any spirits collection based on aesthetics alone.

Neat: Strong notes of vanilla, oak, and a little bit of peat waft up as soon as the cork is pulled. There’s no doubt—it smells like a whiskey. But does it taste like one—neat? Well, and I’m honestly slightly shocked I’m typing this … it really does. The mouthfeel is there. The burn is even there. A little caramel, perhaps some fruit. It’s very smooth. I’m genuinely bowled over by how close this is to matching the real thing, even down to that breathy ethanol aftertaste. I don’t doubt there’ll be a small line of hardcore whiskey connoisseurs who’ll poo-poo my excitement about this, but for the rest of us laypeople, here’s a non-alcoholic whiskey that can truly be sipped neat.

Whiskey Ginger: I had to try this one as a nod to my dad, who used to love a whiskey ginger when I was growing up. Ginger beer is anything but delicate, and I worried it would drown out the whiskey—but it doesn’t. The oak, vanilla and that lovely burn all stand their ground against the intense mixer. I know it should have been ginger ale but I’ve never been a huge fan. 

Piper’s Amarno Cocktail: Trying out this cocktail from Cheeky and Dry’s Instagram feed: a combo of NKD Whiskey, Dr. Zero Zero Amarno, All The Bitter Orange Bitters and simple syrup. Oh, this really is lovely. The sweet botanical bitterness from Dr. Zero adds an almost smoky flavor to the whiskey, and the orange, of course, is the perfect fruit to hold hands with the spices. Ooof. That’s dangerously good. This cocktail will most definitely be going into my little cocktail notebook. 

I’ll close by simply saying this: if whiskey is your thing, and you aren’t one of those hardcore connoisseurs, then you should already be on the Nkd Distillery website ordering one of these beauties. Well, after you’ve finished this newsletter of course. 

How does Nkd Distillery describe their Whiskey: Made in the bourbon capital of the world, Louisville, Kentucky - Nkd Whiskey stays true to the traditional tastes and aromas you'd expect. A smooth and full-bodied blend of oak, leather with hints of apple and maple syrup. Notes of vanilla, honey, caramel and toffee, with a tongue-tingling pepper finish and a bite of heat. Nkd spent over a year developing a new formulation based on consumer feedback. The result is a bold and flavorful non-alcoholic spirit that stands up and stands out in cocktails unlike anything else on the market.

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BEER

ModSub: It seems like the gods of NA beer have issued a decree: all breweries must rebrand and completely redesign their cans. I have to say, I'm a big fan of some of the new looks—others, though, fall well short of the mark. Grüvi’s rebrand, however, hits all the right notes. It playfully realigns the packaging to reflect the essence of the company’s name, with a nod to the fabric swatch book pinched from Mike Myers’ wardrobe.

Also getting a refresh is their Mocha Nitro Stout, now renamed Mocha Moment. I had the previous incarnation at some point in the past, but it didn’t leave much of an impression when stacked against other non-alcoholic stouts on the market. The new recipe elevates Grüvi's dark beer to the top tier of the pack.

There are super-smooth, velvety dark beers out there, and then there are ones with a little grit to them. Both are worthy, but Mocha Moment falls into the latter category. The flavors are balanced—perhaps arguably more restrained than you might expect—with notes of chocolate, coffee and a nutty mid-tone. There’s an earthy depth on the finish, reminiscent of old-school stouts of yesteryear.

With a growing list of high-quality non-alcoholic dark beers on the market, Mocha Moment is up there with the very best of them. Which—Grüvi will be the first to point out—is pretty groovy for us.

How does Grüvi describe their Mocha Moment: Our non-alcoholic Mocha Moment makes you do a double take. Brewed with roasted malts that pack the deep, robust flavors of coffee and chocolate, it's a rich and creamy brew that won't leave you stumbling. And while it's dark as night, it tastes just right no matter what time of day you crack open a can. 

READS
Last Week’s Edition

Check out the results of the 2025 World Alcohol-Free Awards where friend of the ModSub, Kirstin from Cheeky and Dry, was one of the judges!