Sunday, June 12, 2022

Bourbon Barrel Blurbs Vol. 01, Ed. 03

Frey Ranch Distillery Releases New Single Barrel Rye Whiskey

FALLON, NV - Given the runaway success of its highly-acclaimed Straight Rye Whiskey, Frey Ranch Distillery announces the release of a limited-edition Single Barrel Rye. Bottled at barrel strength and featuring a mash bill consisting of 100 percent rye, the launch of Frey Ranch Single Barrel Rye keeps pace with current dark spirits trends, as more bourbon consumers add rye to their repertoire of whiskeys. In fact, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS.org), rye whiskey volumes increased 1,275 percent – growing to 1.2 billion cases from 2009 to 2018 – a time when the classic cocktail renaissance began to hit its stride.

 Aged in #4 char barrels and capped with #3 char heads, the new Single Barrel Rye has a mash bill of 100% Winter Cereal Rye – all grown and harvested on-site at Frey Ranch Distillery by Colby Frey. The whiskey maintains a smooth, complex flavor that sets it apart from the pepper-forward flavor profile found in many ryes. The nose provides intense, earthy notes of charred applewood, perfume and rye spice while the palate vacillates between candied berries, fig jam, fruit cake, leather, and marzipan. This versatility makes for a flavorful whiskey that can be enjoyed neat, over ice or in classic cocktails, such as a Manhattan, Sazerac or Vieux Carre.

With a suggested retail price of $99.00 for a 750 ml, Frey Ranch Single Barrel Rye will be available in September for the whiskey connoisseur and the whiskey curious consumer via Frey Ranch’s e-commerce site, as well as having a limited retail presence in Nevada this fall.

For More Information: https://freyranch.com/ 

                                                                                                                                           

Rock Star Guitarist John Petrucci Teams Up with Iron Smoke to Launch Rare Specialty Bourbon

Fairport, N.Y.— After selling out the first batch of “Rock the Barrel” bourbon in less than 18 hours, GRAMMY-award winning guitarist John Petrucci and internationally acclaimed craft bourbon whiskey distillers Iron Smoke bring you their newest batch in the “Rock the Barrel” lineup: “Rock the Barrel 2.”

“I am beyond excited for the launch of Rock The Barrel 2 and the opportunity to once again collaborate with owner Tommy Brunett, Skully and the amazing whiskey artisans over at Iron Smoke Distillery,” exclaims John Petrucci.

“Rock the Barrel 2” is a 93-proof bourbon whiskey, honoring the year John and his wife Rena were married. This smoother, easier to drink edition features a fresh flavor profile, new artwork elements, and the unique combination of John’s personal taste with Iron Smoke’s commitment to excellence.

Petrucci is a founding member of the GRAMMY award winning progressive metal band, Dream Theater, and is also a bourbon whiskeys aficionado. For this batch, Iron Smoke’s Master Distiller, Drew Westcott, focused on the original flavors John chose and nailed the lower proof for this savory bourbon blend.

“Drawing from our experience while creating the original RTB 120-proof limited run, Iron Smoke master distiller Drew Wescott has once again made one of the most amazing bourbons I have ever tasted, this time sitting at 93 proof making it the perfect whiskey for any occasion,” notes Petrucci.

Rock the Barrel 2 joins Iron Smoke’s collection of award-winning bourbon whiskeys. In 2018, Iron Smoke was rated a 95.5 in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible and in 2019 was listed in Forbes Magazine as one of the “10 Best Bourbons Beyond Kentucky.”

Each 750ml bottle, hand-signed by Petrucci, comes with a custom label and a tamper seal. Every order will receive a set of bamboo coasters emblazoned with the RTB 2 logo. In addition, every order will come with an invitation to join Tommy Brunett, CEO and Founder of Iron Smoke Distillery, and John Petrucci, in an exclusive virtual tasting session. The online price is $193 per bottle. Limit four (4) bottles per customer.

“Rock the Barrel” bourbon and t-shirts are also available for in-person purchase at Iron Smoke Distillery’s World-Famous Spirit Factory, Watering Room & Side Show in Fairport, New York.

For More Information: https://ironsmokedistillery.com/iron-smoke-rock-the-barrel/

                                                                                                                                           

Broad Branch Distillery releases Big Winston Bourbon Cognac Finished Single Barrel

Broad Branch announces the upcoming release of Big Winston Bourbon 5yr Cognac Finished Single Barrel, the first of many releases in Our Barrel Finished Series of whiskies. This exclusive barrel was filled with pot still whiskey from the distillery’s earliest bourbon runs, aged in new charred American oak, then finished in a Cognac Barrel for three months. Each bottle of the single-barrel limited release will only be available for purchase at the distillery’s tasting room in downtown Winston Salem.

Hand bottled at 101 proof and non-chill filtered, Big Winston 5yr Cognac Finished SB ramps up and morphs our base whiskey’s fruit elements while adding to the already rich mouthfeel of our bourbons. While the nose offers notes of burnt toffee and quince paste, the palate is reminiscent of a fruit tart drizzled in vanilla cream and rewards the drinker with a medium-long finish.

For More Information: https://www.broadbranchdistillery.com/

                                                                                                                                            

Iowa removes capacity cap on production

Iowa’s Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that removes the cap on the amount of alcohol Iowa distilleries may produce. The bill also lets smaller craft distilleries sell up to nine liters of alcohol to customers at their local locations. The larger distilleries have already been allowed to sell that amount to customers for some time.

“The bill does several things to enhance Iowa’s licensing and permitting processes for alcohol distributors. It creates Sunday sales parity for all retail license and alcohol permits and it simplifies the permitting process for non-profit organizations applying for licenses for events,” Reynolds said. “…Finally, the bill – which I love — will help quickly modernize the outdated process for applying for, renewing and paying for licenses.”

                                                                                                                                           

10 Best Wheated Bourbons Of All Time Ranked

Mashed.com a lifestyle website just ranked its Best Wheated Bourbons of all time.

The website put together a list ranked from decent to the absolute best.

10. Wyoming Whiskey Small Batch Bourbon

9. Jefferson’s Ocean Aged at Sea Wheated Mashbill Bourbon

8. Rebel Yell Single Barrel 10 Year Bourbon

7. Redemption Wheated Bourbon

6. Maker’s Mark French Oaked 46 Bourbon Whisky

5. 1792 Sweet Wheat Bourbon

4. W. L. Weller 12 Year Old Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey

3. Old Fitzgerald 11-Year-Old Bottled-in-Bond

2. Weller Antique 107

1. Pappy Van Winkle’s 15 Year Family Reserve

How does this compare to your list? Thoughts?

For More Information: Check out the article here,

                                                                                                                                           

Dixon Dedman unveils his next creation 2XO Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Dixon Dedman, one of the most prolific American whiskey blenders in the industry known for his award-winning high-proof, robust bourbon and rye blends, announces his highly anticipated next creation, 2XO Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

2XO (Two Times Oak) uses a unique blending practice where Dixon re-barrels his hand-selected aged whiskey into new charred oak barrels for intense wood notes and extraordinarily rich, complex flavors.


The 2XO Brand will consist of a series of small-batch blends and a series of single barrel releases. Each small batch blend will be different, bearing a distinctive name and symbol inspired by Dedman’s passion to innovate, collaborate, and create high-quality liquids with unique characteristics and profiles.

The first small batch blend in the 2XO series, The Phoenix Blend, will be released in November of this year in select markets and in limited quantities. The Phoenix Blend will be followed by two new, small-batch blend releases and single barrel releases in each consecutive year.

2XO Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey will be brought to market through Prestige Beverage Group, an industry-leading importer and brand innovator of award-winning wines and spirits. Together, Dixon Dedman and Prestige Beverage Group aim to offer the most unique, sought-after whiskey blends to spirits enthusiasts everywhere.

                                                                                                                                           

ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE 2022 Chairman's Trophy Results Announced

On June 8, 2022, the Ultimate Spirits Challenge (USC), since 2010 the world's most prestigious global spirits competition, released the results of the 2022 Challenge. USC 2022 proved to be the thirteenth consecutive year of record submissions. Entries arrived from more than 50 spirit-producing nations.

The judging, held through May and early June, determined 57 Chairman's Trophy winners, 274 Finalists, 446 Great Values, and 143 Tried & True Award winners. As always, USC was conducted at the custom-designed Ultimate Beverage Challenge (UBC) Evaluation Center, located in Hawthorne, NY

Below is a list of American whiskies receiving the USC 2022 Chairman's Trophy:

SubtypeProduct NamePriceScoreAwards
Bottled-in-Bond Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Spring 2022 Edition 17 Years Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon$230.00 97CT | T100
Bourbon Eagle Rare 17 Years Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon$99.99 98CT | T&T | T100
Bourbon/Single Barrel Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey$39.99 96CT | GV | T&T | T100
Rye Smooth Ambler Founders' Cask Strength Series Straight Rye Whiskey$54.99 98CT | T100
Tennessee Jack Daniel's 10 Years Old Tennessee Whiskey$70.00 96CT | T100
Wheat Bainbridge Battle Point Two Islands Islay Cask Straight Organic Wheat Whiskey$89.95 96CT | T100
American/Other Barrell Whiskey Private Release DJA1 Blend 1 Finished in a St. Agrestis Brooklyn Amaro Cask American Whiskey$109.99 95CT | T100
American/Single Malt Courage & Conviction Cuvee Single Cask, Cask No. 1266, American Single Malt Whiskey$149.99 98CT | T100

Chairman's Trophy (CT), Finalist (F)
Determined by a formula that includes the aggregate scoring of the judging panels, the scoring curve based upon the number of entries, and the overall categorical scoring average, the Chairman's Trophy is bestowed on the highest scoring entry per category. Finalist status, the products deemed to be in the running for the Chairman’s Trophy, are decided upon by the Judging Chairman based on their favorable results.

Great Value (GV)
Great Value indicates products with a favorable relationship between their price and final score.  

Tried & True Award (T&T)
Tried & True Award: products that were entered into USC for the two previous, consecutive years as well as the present year and have scored 90 or higher each time, are recognized for consistency of product quality with this award.

Top 100 Spirits (T100)
Top Spirits of this Challenge's year

A full list of American whiskey results will be shown in a future post.

                                                                                                                                           



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