7 Spirits to Transport You to the Best Destinations in the World

Along the southwestern edge of Scotland, the verdant, windswept terrain of Islay contains nine active distilleries. That’s enough to earn it the nickname, ‘Whiskey Island.” The storied liquids bottled here are the gold standard in evocative elixirs. Whenever I want to return to my happy place, I pour out a dram of Lagavulin. Built around peated malt, it is brimming with maritime notes; seaweed, salinity, iodine, decayed earth. One sniff, and I’m standing on the narrow band of rock separating its iconic white barrelhouse from the crashing waves of the North Atlantic.

As a ‘fortified’ liquid, Sherry straddles a line between wine and spirit. Whatever you want to call it, I consider it singularly sensational. No other category spans such a wide range of flavors—from the tongue-smacking dryness of Fino to the cloying decadence of PX. I veer towards the former end of that spectrum: salty, oxidative expressions that feel particularly reminiscent of the Jerez hillside. No other offering delivers me there quite like this 30 year Amontillado from one of the region’s oldest producers. Vibrant, approachable, and colored like the Mediterranean sun, it is Andalusia in a glass. 

A category of spirit unto itself, Trakal is distilled from pears and crabapples under the shadows of Patagonia peaks. The liquor is then infused with a smattering of herbs and berries native to the region. A faint sweetness is subdued by the indigenous flora, gifting the bottle with forest-like aromas; dank, earthy, and herbal. Uncorked it transports me to the trail—Andean foliage surrounds, massive granite towers soar overhead. 

Historically constructed with whatever botanicals were closest to the distillery, amaro is inherently an expressive category of liquor. But few compel the mind’s eye quite like Braulio. Born high in the Italian Alps, it is flush with invigorating notes of pine and clove. Nosing the bottle, I feel as though the opening chills of winter have just slapped me across the face. With each sip a deeper immersion into its complexities and a another step higher towards a pinnacle of alpine achievement. 

Agricole is a style of rum yielded from fresh-pressed sugar cane. It naturally results in a more terroir-driven product; earthier and grassier than its sweeter, molasses-based counterparts. This farm distillery alongside Oahu’s Waiʻanae mountain range plays with dozens of varietals of the rigid stalk. In its un-aged KEA expression, Kohana bottles a clear spirit overflowing with aloha spirit. The bouquet recalls ripened banana and freshly-cut pineapple. A sturdy finish follows through with the unbridled funk of tropical paradise.

The hills surrounding Oaxaca are home to hundreds of palenques—the family-run operations where mezcal artistry passes down through the generations. Trekking out and into the remote reaches of the Mexican state is an obligatory adventure for any admirer of agave. But Vago does an enviable job of bringing the experience to you by way of the bottle. The triple distilled Elote is imbued with toasted corn during production. In its nose is a touch of tortilla on the comal, in the mouth it brings a smoky dryness, kindling a connection with the high-elevation deserts of southern Mexico.

Just south of Osaka, the temples of Koayasan provide a serene respite from the hustle-bustle of city life. Hiking through the region enriches the senses and the soul. But even if you’ve yet to experience this particular brand of enlightenment, you can still lift your spirits with an evocative gin specific to the region. Suntory—known for producing Japan’s most coveted whiskies—recently entered the clear liquor segment with Roku. Meaning ‘six’ in Japanese, the name refers to the number of native botanicals used in its production. These include expressive ingredients such as sencha green tea, cherry blossoms, yuzu, and sansho pepper. Taken together, they form a sip nearly as restorative as plunging into an onsen.