Sips & Sites & Bites

There’s something brewing in Oxnard, California, and it’s not just the salty air and sun-bleached surfboards. Just inland, tucked behind the strawberry fields and quiet streets, Sespe Creek Distillery is stirring up the spirits world with its newest … and boldest … release yet: Warbringer Big Cockerel Aguardiente.

Think white whiskey with a smoky soul, and a story that digs deep into the dusty roots of California’s past.

Now, don’t let the name intimidate you (though yes, “Don’t Look It in the Eye” is both the tagline and a fair warning). Warbringer Big Cockerel isn’t your everyday white whiskey. In fact, it’s not really like anything else on the shelf. Crafted under the watchful eye of John Campbell … yes, that John Campbell, the Scotch whisky legend who helped shape Laphroaig … this aguardiente is the first spirit from his new post as Master Distiller and COO of Sespe Creek. And it’s not a cautious step; it’s a full sprint into the unknown.

So what is it, exactly?

Technically, it’s an aguardiente … a word that’s been passed between Spanish and Portuguese tongues for centuries, roughly translating to “fiery water.” In colonial Mexico and Gold Rush-era California, aguardiente referred to any strong local hooch you could distill from fruit, grain, or sugar. It was scrappy, rustic, and ever-changing, just like the West itself.

With Warbringer Big Cockerel, Sespe Creek leans hard into that legacy. This spirit is twice-distilled in copper pots from a wild mash bill of 60% mesquite-smoked corn, 15% fire-toasted corn, and 25% malted rye. The result? A clear whiskey that hits like a memory: earthy, smoked, and oddly comforting. It clocks in at 98 proof, but don’t expect a harsh burn … this bird struts in smooth.

Flavor-wise, it’s a whole backyard barbecue wrapped in an old California dream. The nose opens with toasted pumpkin seeds and a mesquite whisper. On the palate, things get velvety with notes of molé, grilled chicken skin, and mezcal-kissed sweet potatoes. And the finish? Dry, long, and a little wild … think smoked peanut brittle and sunbaked flan after a desert hike.

But Big Cockerel isn’t just a flavor bomb; it’s a story in a bottle. CEO Alfred English calls it a tribute to the California that history books tend to gloss over … the saloon-studded mining towns, the restless dreamers, the Scottish immigrants who arrived in droves during the Gold Rush. It’s a tip of the hat to the rough-edged past, delivered through the hands of a Scotsman reinventing himself far from Islay’s shores.

Retailing at $35 for a 750ml bottle, it’s priced like a weeknight pour but built like a fireside sipper. The first release is limited … just 2,000 cases … available in California shops and nationwide at WarbringerBourbon.com.

White whiskey isn’t new, but Warbringer Big Cockerel feels like a spirit with purpose. It’s raw, rooted, and totally unapologetic … a bold first chapter in whatever wild ride Sespe Creek and John Campbell are about to take us on.

Would you try a white whiskey with mesquite-smoked corn at its core? Let’s go!