San Diego Magazine's Happy Half Hour

“It’s not just a spirits company, but a way of life.” That’s what Fierce & Kind’s owners and founders, Cyndi Smith and Basem Harb, say when talking about the ethos behind their company. In addition to peddling high-quality vodka and bourbon, Fierce & Kind donates a whopping 25 percent of net profits to charity. To learn more, we asked them to come on Happy Half Hour. Smith and Harb, former tech entrepreneurs, stopped by the SDM office one Friday with bottles in tow. Fierce & Kind’s American bourbon is aged two years and five months, clocks in at 86 proof, and drinks almost like a Scotch: It’s smooth, accessible. The cloyingly sweet aspect present in other bourbons is missing. This is intentional, Harb says. “I’m a Scotch drinker,” he tells us. He wanted to emulate some of the sippable qualities of Scotch, including its peatiness and vanilla notes. The bourbon is made with heirloom corn and other grains, adding complex flavor profiles that are missing from single-grain Scotch whiskeys. And bourbon