Matchbook Distilling Co. "Sorted Fortune (Musk Melon Spirit)"

"Sorted Fortune is like the idealistic thesis of Matchbook Distilling Co. Musk melons from local Treiber Farms had grown with incredible aromatics but terrible texture -- not great for eating but perfect for beverage making. There were about 250 lbs -- we pressed them in Dolce, our wine press.

One of our clients was making a batch of bitter that day, utilizing the peels of boxes of fresh citrus -- but nothing planned for the fruit. So into the winepress it went. And the musk melons and citrus co-fermented into alcohol in glass demijons. A week or so later, we added them into the still.

We had whey from White Mustache that had come in some months back -- we had fermented and distilled it, and put it to rest for a later day. Into the still that went. We had made a rosolio with our Sauvignon Blanc eau-de-vie and fresh, super aromatic damask roses. Into the still that went. And speaking of roses, it was beach rose season! So we went to the beach and harvested a 5 gallon bucket worth of fresh beach roses. A peak summer smell. Into the still that went.

Our buddy Greg of Hoppy Acres messaged us about fresh hop leaves. We grabbed a garbage bag full of them and tossed those in the still. And finally, Juniper branches from an organic farm just across The Sound.

A collection of summer things.. a reflection of summer bounty.. a symbiotic relationship with the farms..

Fortune, sorted."