Any non-alcoholic bottle we review is compared to other non-alcoholic spirits. Therefore, our ratings system does not translate to alcoholic spirits. For example, an 8 out of 10 for a non-alcoholic bottle is not going to be a one-for-one replacement for an 8 out of 10 alcoholic spirit.
Lyre’s American Malt: The Story
It was in downtown Louisville where I had first heard of Lyre’s non-alcoholic spirits. My wife had ordered a mocktail from the menu. She gave it a try and I looked for her reaction, as mocktails can sometimes be cloyingly sweet, or some of the base ingredients might be too ‘imitation spirit’ to be well-balanced with character. Her eyebrows raised in astonishment.
“This is actually really good!” she said, as she went in for another sip.
After a time we got to chatting with the bartender that was serving us. Being the curious imbibers that we are, we asked if he had used any non-alcoholic spirit in the mocktail he had served us.
“Yeah, we usually use Lyre’s” he said.
I asked him to repeat himself because I had simply not heard of that and wanted to make sure I didn’t mishear him. Later that evening I pulled out my phone to see what he was referring to, and sure enough, I found it.
This is what got us thinking: Was it possible for us to have our favorite cocktails without the negative effects? Would it be the same or even remotely similar? We reeled as we considered the possibilities. We knew that Lyre’s had to be part of our ‘Which Non-alcoholic spirit makes the best Old Fashioned?’ test.
Here’s what we thought of the Lyre’s American Malt whiskey alternative.
Previous Bottle
What are your thoughts on this bottle?