With the warm weather cooling off and the leaves changing color, it is time to embrace all things fall. This includes your cocktail choice. Celebrate fall by switching out your summertime cocktails for craft spirits that feature autumn’s warm and cozy flavors. These include flavors commonly found in baking, such as vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, sage, and pumpkin pie spice. These are paired with flavors that install feelings of warmth, such as caramel, toffee, nougat, and brown butter. This is the ultimate guide to the best spirits to enjoy during the cool fall months. 

1. The Heart Distillery Small Batch Bourbon 

Small batch bourbon from The Heart Distillery will delight your senses with a surprising blend of sweetness and spice. It is a rare gem you can experience when exploring the Kentucky bourbon trail. When you first take a sip, you are greeted with strong flavors of warm vanilla and oak. The flavor profile deepens as hints of caramel, candied orange, and plum make themselves known. This cask-strength craft spirit is perfect for sipping during fall. 

2. Discovery Bourbon Finished in Apple Cider Casks

Cask-aged bourbon is rich in flavor, but those flavors become perfect for fall when apple cider casks are used. At Aristotle Spirits, they have created this unique bourbon. Aged for two years, it has a hint of spice with a bright apple finish. The small batch distillation process ensures that just the right amount of flavor is infused for a well-balanced spirit. 

3. Maple Bourbon Cream

The rich, creamy flavors and texture of Hard Truth Maple Bourbon Cream make this the perfect fall drink. The flavors are surprisingly complex, thanks to a unique blend of maple syrup, cream, and bourbon. You will enjoy bold pecan and oak flavor. Subtle notes of nougat, maple, and toffee, then highlight these. This is one of the best spirits for sipping post-dinner by the fire. 

4. Balaton Cherry & Persian Lime Vodka

While vodka is not typically considered a fall spirit, this one from 1220 Spirits will change your mind. This clean and crisp vodka comes from a botanically inspired craft distiller. Balaton cherries are sour cherries originating from Hungary. They are delightfully sweet, making them perfect for baking pie. Combine this with the zesty fresh taste of lime, and you have a craft spirit that will remind you of a delicious fall dessert. 

5.  Basil Carolina Rum

Basil is a staple baking herb that commonly appears in fall dishes. So, it is only natural that a basil rum would be a perfect fall craft spirit. Muddy River Distillery sources basil from local farms and infuses it into their craft rum. Sipping a craft cocktail made with this rum is a farm-to-glass experience. Basil rum pairs well with fall produce like apples, oranges, pears, and plums. This makes it perfect for someone wanting a lighter fall craft cocktail. 

6. Distiller’s Workshop Spiced Rum

While other craft spirits on this have distinct fall flavors, this spiced rum keeps things simple. A classic spiced rum is the perfect spirit for creating fall-themed craft cocktails. The New Deal Distillery double pot distills their spiced rum and then ages it in American Oak barrels. With distinct flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, clove, orange, and nutmeg, it is perfect for mixing a delicious hot buttered rum. 

7. Carolina Cream

This delicious craft spirit got its start when the owner of Six & Twenty Distillery received a request from his mother-in-law. She wanted a Christmas Irish cream. He set out to create something better than anything on the market today. The result was this creamy and smooth five-grain bourbon with cream, spices, and rum. Enjoy it on its own or in your coffee with subtle flavor notes of cocoa, cream, and vanilla. 

8. Smoked Apple Brandy 

The Baltimore Spirits Company has created the ultimate fall craft spirit using apples. This apple-flavored brandy is distilled using traditional Mezcal production techniques. This created a smooth but powerful flavor. To deepen the complexity of the apple flavor, the smoked apples are fermented and distilled. The apples are fermented in wooden vats on a smoked apple pomace. It is then distilled in a double copper pot distilled. 

9. Pumpkin Spice Vodka

Sonoma Coast Spirits crafts this pumpkin spice vodka that is perfect for fall. It is a craft spirit that embraces the classic spices of pumpkin pie. You’ll smell hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin. Sipping a cocktail that uses this vodka will make you feel like you are wrapped in a warm, cozy hug. There is a subtle nutty flavor that reminds the palette of pumpkin pie. 

10. Rivulet Pecan Liqueur

Fall is the time for pecan pie, and Rivulet Pecan liquor is like pecan pie in a glass. This decadent craft spirit starts with slow-distilled brandy aged to perfection in small oak casks. Then, rich pecan flavor is extracted from American pecans. This spirit is made in small batches to ensure the highest quality. The unique profile of this craft spirit has a rich, nutty flavor with subtle hints of caramel and a blasts citrus pucker. 

FAQ

What are the best spirits for fall?

The best spirits for fall are those that give you a feeling of warmth when you drink them. They embody flavor profiles that remind you of childhood and home. This would include cognac, brandy, scotch, aged rum, and bourbon. 

What is the most popular fall drink?

The most popular cocktails for fall include Spiced Bourbon Old Fashioned, Ginger Apple Moscow Mule, Dark and Stormy, and Cranberry Bourbon Sour. You will see cocktails that embrace fall flavors like warm vanilla, caramel, apple, pumpkin, pear, and maple. 

What flavors are in season in the fall?

The classic fall flavors are those that you would find in traditional fall foods. Pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, salted caramel, maple, chai, sage, and brown butter are all popular flavors. These are also flavor profiles that you will find in high-quality craft spirits and cocktails. 

Check out the Distillery Nearby website and find great places and craft distillery adventures near you to try seasonal craft spirits.