Kentucky 74

What makes this one interesting is the order of operations. Spiritless starts with a high-proof neutral grain spirit, combines it with American oak, then uses heat and pressure to pull the oak character out in hours instead of the years a barrel would need. The alcohol comes out at the end through what the distillery calls reverse distillation, and the ethanol they strip gets folded into the next batch rather than thrown away. The result reads like bourbon in the places that count. Caramel, vanilla and oak, with a little pepper heat on the finish so it doesn't land flat. A 2oz pour is 15 calories with a single gram of sugar, and a 700ml bottle gives you about 12 of them. Unlike most spirit alternatives it's built to hold up neat or over ice, though an old fashioned or a whiskey sour suits it best. It took Best Non-Alcoholic Spirit at the second L.A. Spirits Awards.