There's no distillation or dealcoholisation here. Ritual builds its Whiskey Alternative from scratch using natural extracts, with vanilla, American oak, and caramelised sugar forming the backbone, and xanthan gum giving the liquid a bit more weight in the glass. The nose is vanilla and toffee with toasted oak underneath and a faint smokiness. On the palate, stone fruit and caramel sit alongside dry oak tannin that reads fairly convincingly like aged spirit. Capsicum introduces warmth that builds slowly and mimics the sensation of alcohol heat reasonably well without dominating the other flavours. The finish is dry and moderate, with vanilla and oak lingering and the warmth fading cleanly. It holds up in an Old Fashioned or Manhattan, where the bitter and sweet elements of the cocktail have plenty to work with. In simpler serves the lack of fermented character is more noticeable.