Behind the Bottle

The Ritual

Sean

Founder · No. 86

Jason

Co-Founder · Bar Network

I stopped wanting alcohol to be the price of the ritual.

The slow pour. The weight of a glass. The five minutes at the end of a long day that belong to no one else. I wanted something you'd reach for because it's good. Not because it's safe.

So we started building. 172 formulas later, this is it.

— Sean

What People Are Saying

First NA whiskey that didn't taste like apology water. I keep it in the same cabinet as the real stuff. My friends don't know the difference unless I tell them.

Marcus T. · Denver, CO

I poured it neat at 8pm and watched a movie with my wife instead of falling asleep on the couch at 9. Small thing. Big thing.

James K. · Chicago, IL

I'm not sober. I just don't want to drink every night. This is the thing I was looking for and couldn't find anywhere.

David R. · San Diego, CA

Took it to a dinner party. Nobody asked why I wasn't drinking. That's the highest compliment I can give.

Sarah M. · Austin, TX

172 Formulas

We failed 171 times before we got it right.

001–031

The sweet problem.

Every early build came out too sweet. We were leaning on natural extracts to fake depth — but depth doesn't fake. The first 31 formulas went down the drain.

032–141

Finding the weight.

A real whiskey has weight — tannins, texture, the way it sits on your palate. Tea-based extracts, wood infusions, a dozen botanicals. We scrapped a full production run in month eight. Right call.

172

This one.

Warm on arrival. Oak and vanilla without the sweetness. A finish that lingers dry. Formula 172 is the one we'd have stopped at if we'd been lucky enough to get here sooner.

Building in Public

26May 2026

Release

Founders' Cut goes to print.

Formula 172 is locked. Release II ships in six days. If you're on the list, you'll get the call first.

22May 2026

Distribution

Nine bars across San Diego.

Jason's been building this network for two years — The Hills, The Waterfront, Werewolf, Sycamore Den, and five more. It's starting to move on its own.

14May 2026

Community

A reader in Chicago changed how we think about this.

He wrote in to say the first night he tried No. 86, he sat with his wife on the back porch for an hour. He hadn't done that in a year. That email lives in a folder we keep.

Where We're Pouring

Nine bars across San Diego carrying No. 86. Walk in, ask for it by name.

The Hills Pub

La Mesa

The Waterfront Bar & Grill