Embark on a celestial adventure as the twinkling stars light your path across a North American desert to the magnificent Sangre De Cristo Mountains, where the enchanting city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, awaits. Nestled in the foothills of the Northern Rio Grande Valley at the southern tip of the majestic Rocky Mountains, Santa Fe sits at an elevation of over 7,000 feet, proudly claiming the title of America’s highest capital city and the third highest city in the nation.
Santa Fe is home to a hidden gem, As Above, So Below Distillery, manifested by distiller and founder Caley Shoemaker. Shoemaker began her career in craft spirits in 2009 at Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey. As she advanced, she immersed herself in all aspects of the spirits production process, including grain selection, fermentation, distillation, maturation, blending, and bottling. Shoemaker became passionate about creating spirits from distinctive ingredients and the captivating changes that take place during fermentation, distillation, and barrel maturation.
In 2014, Shoemaker transitioned from Stranahan’s to oversee the construction of Hangar 1 Distillery’s new distillery and brand home. During her tenure there, she held the esteemed positions of head distiller and general manager until 2020.
During her time at Hangar 1, Shoemaker excelled at creating one-of-a-kind spirits to showcase a rich tapestry of botanicals and innovative distilling methods. She collaborated with farmers, winemakers, coopers, and scientists from all corners of the country to craft exceptional spirits, such as Fog Point vodka, which is distilled from wine and meticulously cut with water collected from the famous fog of San Francisco. Now based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Shoemaker is realizing her dream of crafting spirits in this remarkable location alongside her husband and business partner, Jeff Gust, at their venture As Above, So Below. Her passion for infusing spirits with a genuine sense of place reflects her dedication to sharing the beauty of Santa Fe through her unique, distilled creations.
As Above, So Below makes five distinct spirits that evoke the region’s atmosphere, emotion, geography, and spirit by utilizing uncommon and local botanicals. Of course, among them is whiskey.
The Astrologist is a unique bourbon in As Above, So Below’s line of spirits. Shoemaker shares the complex story of the first release in their line of whiskies. “I started making this whiskey at Hangar 1; it was an R&D project. The idea was to create small batches of potential new spirits. It had to be for a long time, so it was tough for me to come from whiskey making and make complex vodkas that people would want to sip straight and express my creativity. So, when I got the green light to begin working on whiskey, I was excited. I have always been an American single lalt lady and love working with barley, which is at the root of everything we do at As Above, So Below. I love the profile it lends to distilled spirits, whether presented in a nuanced way in vodka or complementing classic oak notes in whiskey. I enjoy experimenting with different types and roasts of barley from various farmers and maltsters, especially since the craft beer boom has created a market with many unique presentations. We have been distilling an American single malt here since day one, so that is coming soon.”
Shoemaker continues, “But I did step outside of barley for a minute and created a high-rye bourbon. I worked with a great winemaker, Colleen Fitzgerald, of Pine Ridge Winery in Napa Valley, California, while developing Fog Point vodka for Hangar 1. So, I knew I wanted to play with some different barrel finishes for the bourbon. We bought some of their Stag’s Leap Cabernet, which is a really classic-styled Cabernet. We intended to finish it for maybe a year or two. And then the powers that be at Hangar 1 felt that perhaps whiskey wasn’t a product that they wanted to invest in.”
Shortly after Shoemaker left Hangar 1 to launch her brand, the bourbon project fell off her radar, and she was unsure what would ever become of it. Then, about a year ago, a former colleague from Stranahan’s contacted Shoemaker and informed her that during a recent inventory check, they had found the barrels of the bourbon she had made. They asked if Shoemaker would like to buy the barrels. Without hesitation, she said yes. At this point, the bourbon had been aging for six years, bringing it to a total of ten years in oak. They named it Astrologist.
“The bourbon has a beautiful color and a rich depth of flavors, yet the end profile is soft and not overly tannic. It has layers of flavors that evolve through the palate.” Shoemaker attributes the end result of the bourbon to the French oak and doubts that had the bourbon been aged for that long in just American oak, it would not have had the characteristics that make it so unique, and she may have had to use it to blend
since she fears it would have been over-oaked. Once she began tasting the barrels, she knew that the bourbon was perfect to be bottled as it was. It was a magical, happy accident.
“It’s a limited release since only a certain amount of barrels were laid down for what was initially just a research project, but it’s a great way to ring the bell and let whiskey enthusiasts know that our next whiskey is coming out soon,” says Shoemaker. Discussing American single malt whiskey more in-depth, Shoemaker shares her excitement for the single malts coming out of the Southwest region of the US, and is excited to pick up the torch and continue to release single malt expressions that share the atmosphere and flavors of the region. “Whiskey Del Bac has done such a great job of expressing a unique style with their single malt, and Santa Fe Spirits with their Colkegan Single Malt has also showcased the uniqueness of our region, so I think it’s a great time for us to be making these individually expressive whiskeys that are distinctly Southwest.”
As for future releases from As Above, So Below, Caley says she will always create botanical spirits in addition to whiskey, which was her first love. When asked about the future of Astrologist, Shoemaker shares that this expression will remain a part of their lineup. “We plan to continue making Astrologist. When these 1,300 bottles are gone, we will release different versions of Astrologist. This one is our Pluto and Aquarius edition. I want to work on some really fun experiments, like a pot still rye finished in unique oak, and keep the Astrologist as a unique and surprising release every time. As craft distillers, we can push the boundaries and continue to be creative. I am excited to watch how the scene evolves around the country as we continue to develop regional styles, like creating our styles of gin, for example. It’s an exciting time to be a fan of American spirits.”
