Local spirits producers launch newline of quality liquors

The next time you’re craving a vodka soda or gin and tonic, there’s an easy and affordable way to support a new San Antonio spirits producer while you sip.

Chris Ware and West Stone, both formerly affiliated with Seersucker Gin, branched out to launch their own label, Ranch Brand Wine & Spirits, early in the COVID-19 outbreak. I recently attended a tasting event the two held at Alamo City Liquor and walked away not only impressed with their offerings, but with a couple bottles to stock my home bar as well.

Their vodka is made from yellow corn grown just outside San Antonio in Lytle. Ware and Stone have contracted the distilling process for their recipe to

Alamo Distilling — a move they say allows them to keep production costs down and offer the market a quality product at an affordable price. The end result is a buttery smooth vodka with just enough sweetness that’s perfect for any mixed drink — and a steal at about $10 for a 1-liter bottle.

That vodka becomes an even more interesting gin for a couple dollars more. Ranch Gin has all the juniper and citrus you’d expect from a Plymouth-style gin with angelica root, grains of paradise, cardamom and other spices giving it a unique profile. For the money, there’s no way this bottle won’t become my house gin for the foreseeable future.

Ranch does offer a line of three bourbons aged for up to eight years and priced from roughly $35 to $90 depending on time in the barrel. The spirits are distilled outside San Antonio, but barreled and bottled here. Ware and Stone also launched a brand called Derel Spirits, which aims to provide bars with a quality local vodka and rum to use in well drinks at a lower price than they’d find from larger national brands.

Ware hopes those savings can help bar owners fighting to keep their businesses alive as the coronavirus continues to impact the city’s food and beverage industry.

Look for Ranch and Derel products at Alamo City Liquor locations across the San Antonio area. More at Facebook: @ranchbrandspirits and alamocityliquor.com.

Paul Stephen / Staff ChrisWare andWest Stone launched Ranch BrandWine & Spirits and Derel Spirits during the COVID-19 outbreak in part to provide bars with affordable liquors.