Cutwater Spirits

Short overview of the distillery

Cutwater is a San Diego-affiliated spirits producer, combining vapor-distilled gin with a mezcal production in Durango, Mexico. The gin draws on a collection of botanicals such as juniper, rose petals, lemongrass, and coriander, while the mezcal is produced by roasting local agave in traditional pit ovens, open fermentation, and subsequent barrel-aging in Cutwater whiskey barrels.

Raw materials and production

Gin production is described as vapor-distillation of a blend of botanicals, with juniper, rose petals, lemongrass, and coriander among a total of eleven botanicals. One of the variants also rests in new American oak barrels for at least two months to achieve a warm finish. The mezcal production takes place in Durango by first roasting the agave in traditional volcanic stone pit ovens. After roasting, an open fermentation is carried out, where the region's wild yeast cells naturally inoculate the sweet agave must, and subsequently the spirit is distilled. To add extra layers of flavor and complexity, Cutwater uses its own whiskey barrels, which are transported from their San Diego distillery to Durango for reposado and añejo aging.

Maturation and barrel types

Barrel Rested Gin rests in new American oak barrels for at least two months, which is noted as the cause of a 'subtle warm finish'. Mezcal Reposado is aged in Cutwater whiskey barrels, which are shipped from San Diego to Durango, with no exact aging time specified in the excerpt. The Añejo edition is aged in Cutwater whiskey barrels for more than a year, and this longer time in the barrels is highlighted as a source of vanilla and oak notes.

The whiskies

The documented range in the extracted pages includes a vapor-distilled Old Grove Gin and a Barrel Rested variant, as well as three mezcal expressions: Joven, Reposado and Añejo. The gin is available year-round and is highlighted with specific botanicals; Barrel Rested Gin is also described as being finished in new American casks. The mezcal line is described as based on the local Agave durangensis from Durango, with Joven and Reposado as available variants and Añejo with longer aging.

The whiskies' style and flavor profile

The material shows several clear flavor directions: the gin's botanicals point to juniper and floral notes (rose petals) as well as spicy and citrusy elements (coriander, lemongrass). The mezcal products emphasize a smoky character from the roasting in pit ovens, along with a deep agave character. Barrel aging in Cutwater whiskey barrels adds vanilla and oak notes, especially in the Añejo edition.

Philosophy and craft

Cutwater combines traditional production methods for mezcal — roasting in pit ovens and open fermentation with wild yeast — with modern distillation techniques such as vapor-distillation for gin. The company actively uses its own whiskey barrels in the aging process and moves the barrels between production sites to shape the final product's character.