Although we can — and certainly will — get behind a traditional bourbon whiskey, there’s a sense of excitement and wonder involved with trying a bottle that’s been crafted from the ground up with an outside-the-box approach and adroitness. Filmland Spirits is a new brand from Los Angeles with a passion for both whiskey and cinema, and the refreshing gall to combine them into a singular brand.
While many surprises can come out of writing a screenplay, you’d be curious to find that among those surprises are bottles of whiskey. Filmland Spirits has debuted with three new expressions: Moonlight Mayhem, Moonlight Mayhem Extended Cut, and Ryes of the Robot. The distillery’s crack team of creatives begins the process for each of its whiskeys by writing a movie script, understanding that movie’s characters, and constructing a pulp-styled poster similar to a ‘50s B movie that’s then placed on the cinema reel-inspired bottle. From there, the spirits are “produced on-location” in Kentucky.
Like some of the best cinematic masterpieces, the trio of expressions by Filmland Spirits subverts expectations. Centered on a ‘50s-era love story between a young man and his werewolf girlfriend, Moonlight Mayhem is a small batch straight bourbon with vanilla, caramel, and toffee on the palate. The Extended Cut is a cask-strength version of the bourbon, bottled at 115 proof. On the other hand, Ryes of the Robot is a small batch rye whiskey (95% rye in the mashbill) built on the premise of a female mixologist who must save the world from an evil genius and his army of robot bartenders. It has a complex profile filled with cinnamon, cloves, pepper, chocolate, and mint.
If you aren’t already sure how important ethos is when constructing a quality spirit from the ground up, then just take a look at the awards Filmland’s whiskeys have racked up already, earning two gold medals and a silver medal from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition this year. All three expressions are available now through the distillery’s website, with Moonlight Mayhem priced at $55, Ryes of the Robot at $60, and Extended Cut at $80.
