For those of you who aren’t familiar with Kemah, Texas, it’s a suburb (?) of Galveston – a small bayside town with lots of strip shopping centers and fried fish restaurants. Of course it’s also home to marinas that host both small and breathtakingly expensive boats, very close to the Johnson Space Center, where legends are made, and home to Meticulous Spirits. But I’ll admit, I wasn’t hopeful about finding a legendary distillery there.
Meticulous Spirits, Eculent, and Clear Creek Winery.
I was lucky enough to have a private tour and tasting with David Skinner, the owner of Meticulous Spirits, and Joseph Beck, the brand ambassador. I had heard about the distillery through my friend at Specs Liquor (thanks, Ralph!) and Joseph was kind enough to host me on a day the distillery was closed to the public.
Meticulous proudly proclaims they are “elegantly inefficient.” While I read that quote on their website, I didn’t understand until my visit. David, the owner, is 100% hands on. He’s quite fascinating. He started cooking at an early age, but most of his career was spent in oil – as an owner of his own company, a highly successful consultant, and more. He opened his Kemah restaurant Eculent in 2014, serving 40-course meals to 12 diners, three nights a week, and is soon to open a new joint concept, The Preserve at Eculent. He’s obsessed with flavor and experience- he has a food lab with a 3-D printer in house! What I realized through reading about him and talking with him is that he’s living the dream – he’s worked hard, clearly made a bunch of money, and now is doing exactly what he wants, driving his incredible passion, curiosity, and zeal for perfection into food, wine, and spirits.
That perfection is what drives the inefficiency that he and Joseph kept extolling during the tour; but I kept thinking what if all that time and money and travel and recipe iterations didn’t make for a good gin?
One of the things that surprised me the most is that Meticulous uses a different base for their vodka (grapes) and their gin (wheat). Most distilleries use the same base product, as it’s easier and cheaper. David wanted his vodka to have flavor, and the grapes do, in fact, lend it. (Note: I’m not a vodka drinker, but I really like his vodka, and purchased a bottle. That surprised me, too.)
They have one 135 gallon hybrid still, and every bit of liquid (the gins, vodka, rums, and did I mention the wines?) is run through it by David Deschler, the distiller. After spirits are distilled, the “heads” – liquid that contains by-product not suitable for drinking – is separated from the “hearts” – or the good stuff – and then transported in bulk to storage vessels for dilution. But, the Meticulous crew chooses to micro-batch the heads into one gallon glass jugs. Each is tested for quality, and only then is the liquid combined and ready for dilution.
The water used in dilution is important – anything not pure and crisp will understandably alter the taste of the spirit. David toured the continent of Europe tasting water, and ended up with a spring water from a national park in Trentino, Italy. Water is shipped to him in 1L bottles, making their process much more arduous (and heavy!).
Gorgeous bottle & label.
Let’s talk about the Meticulous bottles. The bottling line comes from Italy, and is a bit unique in that it allows for both corks and screw caps. David spent a year concepting the bottles and the labels. The vodka, gin, and rums are all in a differently-shaped, US-produced bottles, and none are designed to fit in a bar well. The well is the hidden area where bars typically keep the lower-priced liquors, those they use in batched cocktails or in happy hour drinks – often cylindrical bottles easy to grab. David wants his spirits to stand out – he wants customers to be able to see and admire the bottles. The labels are embossed with a raised metal seal made of copper and brass; with the goal to engage your tactile senses just as much as the flavors and botanicals within.
So, does all the “elegant inefficiency”, make a gin worth drinking, and recommending? Spoiler alert! It’s good. And complex. It’s classified as a London Dry, which usually means you can easily taste the juniper. This gin is deceptively light on the nose with no obvious juniper. Upon tasting, the front end is light and citrusy with rose, lime, and bitter orange; turning to sweetness (the official tasting notes reference Fruit Loops!) and then the juniper arrives in the middle. On the back end, there is an earthiness and nice heat that provides a lovely tingle that lasts in the mouth. I think this gin could please many – there’s no juniper “punch” but it sneaks up on you; and it’s both light and lasting, which could make it quite fun in cocktails.
As a bonus, I sampled the vodka and the two rums (both delicious, not the sugar bombs I’m used to); and four of the not-yet diluted seasonal gins to come. Although still quite hot, two are wildly inventive, and two will be widely received. I’ll be first in line for all four.
The test tubes running across the wall are filled with the botanicals used in Meticulous Spirits
One of my favorite things David said was, “If you can’t drink it neat, we won’t put it in a bottle.” That’s a sign of someone who is laser-focused on quality and 100% believes in their product. And after my tasting, I think he’s got reason to be proud. I can’t wait to see this craft production company get recognized for their new spirits.
Cheers!
