Valentine’s day is all about love and couples so I’ve put together pairs of spirits I love from each of the main spirits categories. These are not, one for him or her, as I don’t believe in imposing flavour on anyone. These are simply pairs of the best examples of spirits I’ve tasted recently, and if you needed to replace your other halves favourite spirit in time for Valentine’s Day, then I don’t think you’d go wrong with any of these.
The Best Tequila For Valentine’s Day
Mijenta Blanco
There is tequila I used to drink in my youth, mainly with salt and lemon, late in a bar whilst in Edinburgh at university, and this is about as far removed from that style of Tequila as you can get. It is elegant and vibrant with fruity flavours and delicate agave notes running all the way through the palate. Made from 100% Blue Weber agave and bottled with no filtration, Mijenta supports whale conservation and partners with The Ocean Foundation. They also use local glass, and the labels are created using agave waste. There is a feel-good factor to this lovely tequila, just as it makes you feel good whilst drinking it.
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find it Here: UK £54.95 // US $49.99
Volcan De Mi Tierra Blanco
Created with a blend of Blue Agave from both the highlands and lowland of Jalisco, the agave is grown in the shadow of the volcano, hence the name. The volcano erupted over 200,000 years ago and created rich volcanic soils which are perfect for growing agave. This Tequila has lots of complexity and is great for sipping, using in a Paloma, and it makes a mean Margarita as well.
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find it Here: £44.74 // US $48.99
The Best Gin For Valentine’s Day
Mermaid Pink Gin
This pink gin is unlike many others. It is vibrant and not too sweet. It still has the Mermaid Gin at its heart, and the fruity extra flavour comes from an infusion of strawberries grown on the Isle of Wight, where this distillery is found. The strawberries mix well with the original botanicals, and it makes a brilliant G&T, especially if topped with strawberries! The pink hew is just enough to let you know this is a pink gin and therefore to expect lots of fruitiness.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 38%
Find it Here: £37.99
Kyrö Pink Gin
Made in Finland, the team at Kyro has attempted to make a pink gin for everyone. Well, I’m not sure about that, all I do know is that this is my favourite pink gin ever! If it’s others as well, then that just goes to show they’ve been pretty successful. Made with foraged strawberries, rhubarb and lingonberries, there is a creaminess to the gin, and it tastes very fresh and not artificial at all. I’m sure this would be great in cocktails, but above all, it makes a very refreshing G&T.
Size: 500ml
ABV: 38.2%
Find it Here: £29.95
The Best Vodka For Valentine’s Day
Dima’s Vodka Ukrainian Three Grain
This vodka not only tastes brilliant but is doing something to put right some of the wrong in the world. £5 from every sale gets donated to Ukraine to help the war effort. Back to the vodka, it’s made from three grains giving a lovely depth of fruity earthy flavours and is brilliant chilled a little with a little pickle - just how it’s drunk in its home country. It also makes excellent cocktails, not just in flavour, but the vodka has a creamy mouthfeel which helps everything slip down nicely. As they say in Ukraine: Budmo!
Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find it Here: £35
X Muse
Made in Scotland from a blend of two heritage varieties of barley, Maris Otter and Plumage Archer, this vodka has huge complexity of flavour and great texture. X Muse, pronounced Tenth Muse, reflects the sum of its parts, blended together as the tenth muse was a sum of all other nine in mythology. Not just an interesting story, it’s one of the best vodkas I’ve tasted in recent times.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find it Here: £55.74
The Best Whisky For Valentine’s Day
Glen Moray Port Finish
Glen Moray creates the best value single malt whisky by far, and this expression is no different. This port finish is part of the Glen Moray Classic range and has had an eight-month finish in a port cask. This not only gives delicate red fruit flavours alongside those classic orchard fruits and honey, but a slightly pink tinge. Well, it is Valentine’s day.
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find it Here: UK £26.90 // US $34.99
GlenAllachie 11
GlenAllachie is becoming known for its use of different oak finishes and maturations, and here we have a whisky first matured in American ex-bourbon casks for nine years, and then finished in ruby port casks. There are lots of caramel, honey, and vanilla notes, but also red berries and some hedgerow fruit as well. There is a rich hew of pink, and this whisky goes to show that as long as the casks are good, single malt doesn’t have to be old to be very good.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 48%
Find it Here: £81.15
The Best Brandy/Cognac For Valentine’s Day
Rémy Martin 1738 Accord Royal
Back in 1738 it was illegal to plant new vines on your land, until Louis XV gave permission to Rémy Martin. This was the Accord Royal of 1738 of which this cognac gets its name. There are lots of complex citrus fruits, with orange being predominant, and caramel and a touch of spice. Smooth and very easy to sip on a winter’s evening, it also makes a good long cocktail too. Add a little ginger ale, a dash of lime and a sprig of rosemary, and all you’ll need is the sun to top it off.
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find it Here: UK £52.50 // US $69.99
Hennessy XO
This is the Cognac that started the XO movement. The name was given to the Cognac by Maurice Hennessy in the 1800s. First bottled for friends and family in 1870, it uses a blend of more than 100 eaux-de-vie from Petite and Grand Champagne regions of Cognac as well as Fins Bois and Borderies. It is a deep brooding cognac with lots of dark chocolate and orange flavours. Perfect with a cigar, but as I found out on my last visit to Hennessy, brilliant in the heat of the day in a fishbowl glass and plenty of ice. Magnificent.
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find it Here: £164.99 // US $199.99
The Best Rum For Valentine’s Day
Ron Abuelo XII Two Oaks
Matured in two different types of oak cask, this rum from Panama is rich and smoky, but has a sweetness running through the whole palate making it smooth and deeply drinkable. Aged for over a decade in ex-bourbon casks, it was then transferred into heavily charred virgin American oak giving the rum its smoky deep character.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find it Here: £46.95
Duppy Share 40%
This rum is created from blends of Jamaican and Barbadian rums. The former gives lots of fruity flavours and the caramel, baked banana flavours are typical of Barbados. The rums are up to five years old and the resulting rum is smooth with lots of tropical sweetness working well by itself or in any rum cocktail, especially a daiquiri. The name is taken from the Jamaican spirits called Duppies which stole rum across the Caribbean.
Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find it Here: £26
Words by Colin Hampden-White
If you’re looking for more Valentine’s/Galantine’s Day inspiration then why not check out our Beautiful Pink Gins guide or perhaps Sparkling Wine is more up your street?