(Winemag) - California is best known for its wine, but it also has a burgeoning whiskey culture. In fact, its newest bottlings include a handful that stake a claim for a new “California-style” whiskey.

When Los Angeles producer CALI Distillery released its lightly spiced whiskey, it declared, “we have reimagined whiskey as a California spirit.” Griffo Distillery, in Petaluma, uses open-air fermentation to encourage wild yeast to flourish to add local terroir to its Stony Point bottling.

Elsewhere in Sonoma, Graton Distilling Co.’s Redwood Empire American Whiskey is made with a small portion of a two-year-old rye, rested in wine and Port barrels. Here are eight California-made whiskeys worth a pour right now.