Popular Eastern Iowa Winery Soaks Up A National Honor for 2022

'Tis the season! Just in time for the holidays, and a lot of extra drinking, a local Eastern Iowa winery has just made a national publication list of the Top 8 Spirits of 2022.

According to the highly-respected publication Wine Enthusiast, the experts in drinking,

All reviews have been blind tasted by our team of professional reviewers. Wine Enthusiast does not accept payment for ratings and reviews in our Buying Guides.

Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery,  based in Swisher, Iowa took the # 3 ranking for its "Quintessential Signature Blend". Here's how it's described on the Cedar Ridge website:

Handcrafted from 100% pure malted barley. Aged in American Oak and uniquely cask finished. Then meticulously married and matured using techniques honed over ten generations. With upfront deep stone fruit balanced by a subtle peat finish, this single malt sets the American Standard with a taste that’s perfectly RICH & COMPLEX.

Is anyone else suddenly thirsty? The Quintessential did have some "stiff" competition for this award, as you'll see

Cedar Ridge's third-place ranking came with a score of 95 points. In their review, Wine Enthusiast touted the Quintessential's "light gold hue and bright, enticing pineapple, pear, and vanilla aromas".

The palate echoes those fruit tones, wrapped in a veil of peat smoke, finishing mouthwatering, lively, and bright. This American single malt is finished in various sherry, brandy, rum, and wine casks, “meticulously married and matured

Admittedly, I'm not what you call a bourbon or whiskey guy by any means. I normally stick to my beer and fru-fru cocktails, but you know, booze does make a great gift idea, too. You can check out the many products this award-winning local company has to offer by hitting up their website. A bottle of this stuff will set you back $60.

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Jeff Quint founded Cedar Ridge in 2005. The Quint family has been farming and distilling in Iowa for generations, and Cedar Ridge was Iowa’s first licensed distillery since Prohibition. In 2010, Cedar Ridge produced Iowa’s first bourbon whiskey.

You can view the full list of Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 spirits here.