Cut Spike

Cut Spike Distillery in La Vista, outside Omaha, makes single malt the way the Scots do — malted barley, copper pot stills built in Scotland — and ages it the way Americans do, in new charred oak. The result sits between the two traditions: rounder and sweeter than Speyside, maltier than any bourbon.

We carry the standard bottling, a cask-strength version, and a maple-syrup-barrel finish that surprised our buyers: floral and slightly funky on the nose, ripe peaches and whiskey-soaked raisins, with the barrel spice and vanilla underneath.