Skurnick Wine & Spirits which was established in 1987 is one of the local distributors of wines and spirits in the New York area. In the three-tier system we have in New York State, businesses have to buy their spirits from a third party, a distributor.

On April 2nd they held an event for members of the trade that showcased their rum, tequila and mezcal portfolio. The event was held at Ixta restaurant at 299 Bowery in lower Manhattan.

If was the perfect event to attend on a rainy afternoon. At the tasting, I would say that about three quarters of the spirits were Tequila and Mezcal with the rest dedicated to Rum.

I appreciated that all of the Tequila and Mezcal producers at the tasting were from small, artisanal distillers with limited production as opposed to the Corporate, mass-produced spirits that are usually found on bar shelves in the city.

Something out of the ordinary from Mexico was eau de vie from Endenico, made from tropical fruits, and a liquor from Alamatepec made with Pasilla Mixe chiles.

The rum selection was not as extensive as the spirits from Mexico but they poured an excellent selection of rums. One of my favorite Agricole rum producers, Rhum J.R., had some new products added to their portfolio of rums, which were Fume Volcanique, Terroir Volcanique and Jardin Fruite. Producer Ak Zani poured some very excellent Haitian rum which had a cool artistic label on the bottle.

Some of what I sampled:

Rum

Rhum J.M	Chairman’s Reserve
R.L. Seale’s	Hart & Son
Holmes Cay	ElDorado
Emmanuel Camut	Ak Zanj
Proof and Wood	Black Tot
Probitas

Tequila/Mezcal

Santanera	Almatepec
Salvadoree	La Gran
Atanasio	Tosba
Lamata	Amatitena
Nuestra Soledad	Don Vicente