Author: BourbonBlog News

CAO tells BourbonBlog.com they’ve always had a rebellious streak (think MX2, CX2, LX2), and the brand’s maverick approach to blending is taking another leap forward through its latest expression: CAO BX3.

BX3 is a new collection of cigars that harnesses “three times the Brazilian tobaccos” in one robust blend.

Focusing on the primary growing regions of Northeastern Brazil, CAO BX3 is made with sweet and aromatic Mata Fina and hearty, vibrant Arapiraca tobaccos that are used as wrapper, binder, and filler in an exciting, four-country blend from Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Honduras.

CAO BX3 will be a full-time line, available in all channels. The three-frontmark collection is packed in boxes containing 20 cigars and will begin shipping in the first week in July.

PRICING:

BX3 Robusto (5” x 52) — SRP per cigar $8.99
BX3 Toro (6” x 54) — SRP per cigar $9.49
BX3 Gordo (6” x 60) — SRP per cigar $10.49

Handcrafted in Nicaragua at STG Estelí, CAO BX3’s is enrobed in a Brazilian Mata Fina wrapper, has a Brazilian Arapiraca binder and a blend of rich and robust filler tobaccos from Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Honduras.

CIGAR NOTES:

The tobaccos create a medium-bodied smoke, that’s rich in character and deeply enjoyable with notes of espresso, dark chocolate, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, and white pepper.

Ed Lahmann, CAO’s senior brand manager tells us, “To us, BX3 is everything a Brazilian-centric smoke should be. It’s memorable, savory and
thought-provoking and it complements our portfolio beautifully.”

The post CAO Debuts BX3 Cigar Collection first appeared on BourbonBlog.

Chattanooga Whiskey tells BourbonBlog.com they’ve released their Bottled in Bond Vintage Series: Spring 2018 Vintage. The series is exclusively crafted at their Riverfront Distillery in  Chattanooga, Tenneneese, is a single-season, vintage-dated expression of their Tennessee High Malt style.

Bottled in Bond: Spring 2018 Vintage will be available at the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery and across TN, GA, FL, TX, IL, IN, SC, LA, KY, AL, and CO at a suggested retail price of $52.99 for a 750ml bottle.

Of course, to be labeled Bottled in Bond, bourbon must be the product of one distillation season, one distiller, and from one distillery. Legally, it must be aged in a federally bonded warehouse for at least four years and bottled at 100 proof.

Barreled January through June 2018, Chattanooga Whiskey’s Spring 2018 Vintage is crafted from a selection of four unique high malt bourbon mash bills – all made within the same distilling season – and each composed of at least 25% specialty malted grains. A result is an innovative approach to one of the industry’s most time-honored quality standards.

“Our Spring 2018 blend includes a small percentage of a new recipe to the series: R18016. Made with approximately 20% minimally dried ‘green’ malt in its mash bill, this delicate recipe added a lovely, light complexity to the blend,” Grant McCracken, Head Distiller tells us.

The post Chattanooga Whiskey Bottled in Bond Bourbon Whiskey: Spring 2018 Vintage first appeared on BourbonBlog.

 

The iconic lifestyle brand Playboy is releasing a Bourbon Whiskey?

Actually, we could say we are a bit surprised this hasn’t already happened. Will you be buying a bottle? Tell us in the comment section below.

Playboy Group Inc. – the media-turned-lifestyle brand – tells BourbonBlog.com they are releasing what the Bourbon called Rare Hare 1953, an ultra-premium 17-year aged straight bourbon finished in XXO French Cognac Casks.  The origin of Bourbon and the length of time in Cognac casks is currently not known.

Priced at $589 for a 750 ml bottle at 111 proof, it is a limited edition offering with only 1,953 bottles to be released for the U.S. and select markets in Asia and Europe.

While you may ask if it is worth the price tag, they also tell us that each commemorative, number box comes with a near-field communication (NFC) chip giving inaugural 1953 owners access to the Rare Hare Society offering exclusive luxury travel experiences, intimate events, private barrel releases, and more. What

The name of the Bourbon partially from Playboy’s inaugural magazine issue was December 1953, with  Marilyn Monroe on the cover (see an image of the cover below). 

Rare Hare 1953 marks the inaugural whiskey offering from Playboy Spirits, a joint venture of PLBY Group and Spirit Investment Partners (SIP), the Rare Hare brand expects to offer a portfolio of ultra-premium spirits in select markets around the world beginning with the U.S., Europe, and the Asia Pacific.

Playboy Spirits first teased its new spirits brand in late 2021 with the limited release of Codigo 1530 Playboy Rare Hare Añejo Tequila an ultra-premium extra añejo tequila in collaboration with Código 1530.

“Playboy is excited to enter into the $500 billion-plus global spirits category in collaboration with SIP and artisan distillers from around the world,” Jared Dougherty, President of Strategic Partnerships at PLBY Group tells BourbonBlog.com. “We are curating a truly exceptional collection of rare and unique spirits. Each product is produced with extraordinary craftsmanship and sophistication, from the beautiful bottle to the spirits inside.”

“Passion and sophistication are the foundation of the Rare Hare brand and our spirits collection,” said Marc Bushala, Chief Executive Officer of Spirit Investment Partners. “The ‘1953 Anniversary Edition’ is an incredible bourbon unlike any other and worthy of being the inaugural whiskey release for Rare Hare.”

The Bourbon whiskey is available le select retail locations or online at rareharespirits.com.

The post Playboy’s First Bourbon Whiskey: Rare Hare 1953 first appeared on BourbonBlog.

We would say it was our favorite holiday as June 14th is National Bourbon Day, but we celebrate Bourbon whiskey every day on BourbonBlog.com.

And we’ve been honored to be covering the stories for you and celebrating with you now for over a decade and a half now.

To celebrate the official “National Bourbon Day 2022,” Bourbon Expert Tom Fischer did a live tasting with COIT Spirits Founder Gerry Rowland as he joined us from Bar Convent Brooklyn 2022 to taste their COIT Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey Four Grain Recipe. You can watch it now the link above or on this link

Also, as you enjoy Bourbon along with us throughout your adventures, we invite you to follow us on the below and also check our virtual Bourbon tastings and in-person Bourbon tastings.

YouTube

Twitter

Faceobok

Bourbon Podcast

Instagram

Photo of Tom Fischer by Connie Kurtew, Kurtew Photography. 

The post National Bourbon Day 2022 first appeared on BourbonBlog.

Not long ago, we told you about Mr Black Coffee Liqueur’s limited edition aged in used WhistlePig  Rye Whiskey Barrels.

Now, Mr. Black, tells BourbonBlog.com they are launching their Rum Barrel Coffee Liqueur, a limited-edition collaboration with fellow Australian distiller Bundaberg Rum.

To bring this blend of coffee liquor and award-winning rum to life, the spirit was rested for three months in European and American Oak casks, previously containing Bundaberg flagship rums.

The two, artisan Aussie distilleries have joined together that celebrate the heritage of coffee and sugar cane with flavors of roasted coffee and deep, dark chocolate, and spices.

With a total run of 2,400 bottles, it is exclusively available at mrblack.co. for $59.99.

 

“I was like the proverbial kid in a candy store raiding the warehouse of a 140-year-old rum distillery in search of special casks for this project,” Tom Baker, Mr Black Founder tells us.

“We also convinced them to give us two barrels of their top-shelf “Master Distillers Edition” — which coincidentally had won World’s Best Rum back in 2018. Extraordinary stuff — we used it all in the final blend. The fruit and spice notes of aged rum just sing with Mr Black and the end result is an extraordinarily decadent blend of coffee and rum, that still has our characteristic Mr Black balance and refinement. A real treat.”

 

The post Mr Black Rum Barrel Coffee Liqueur Limited Edition: Bundaberg Rum Partnership first appeared on BourbonBlog.

As BourbonBlog.com continues to host virtual Bourbon tastings and also in-person tasting events as well, we are thrilled to see a distillery built in the Metaverse to celebrate an expansion of Angel’s Envy!

From June 14, 2022, National Bourbon Day, through June 20, 2022, Bourbon fans can visit the Angel’s Envy Meta Distillery virtual pop-up for a gamified bourbon-making experience, an interactive cocktail quest, POAP token, NFT wearable giveaways, and more.

It is all to honor the new $8.2 million Brand Home expansion in the real world adds 13,000 square feet and doubles the annual guest capacity to welcome an additional 64,000 guests each year at Angel’s Envy Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky

The Angel’s Envy Distillery expansion also creates the following:

• Five new tasting rooms,
• Approximately 20 new jobs in Louisville
• Larger retail area
• Additional bar space, event space,
• Full catering kitchen
• A designated room for Angel’s Envy  “Bottle Your Own” experience, which will now offer guests the chance to fill their own bottles of a distillery-exclusive Single Barrel offering.

With the launch of the Ange’s Envy Meta Distillery, the super-premium bourbon brand becomes the first in the Bacardi portfolio of brands to create a Brand Home in the metaverse.

Users of legal age) are taken on a series of gamified experiences such as a mash bill challenge, cask personalization in the barreling room, and an ingredient quest to create cocktails.

They can also plant virtual white oak trees around the distillery, correlating to trees planted in real life through Angel’s Envy “Toast the Trees” initiative – a program created in 2014 to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy white oak tree population to preserve the future of bourbon.

Angel’s Envy worked with Joseph & Joseph, Contagious, and Sullivan & Cozart on the design and build for the expansion; construction began in late 2020.

The post Angel’s Envy: First-Ever Virtual Distillery in Decentraland Celebrates the $8.2 Million Expansion in Louisville, Kentucky first appeared on BourbonBlog.

Started by father and son entrepreneurs Rick and Ricky Johnson, 15 Stars is a tribute to more than 225 years of Kentucky bourbon craftsmanship and pays homage to Kentucky, America’s 15th state.

BourbonBlog.com’s Tom Fischer will interview Rick and Ricky Johnson on Tuesday, June 7 at 8 pm on this link above or available here.

Only available for now in Kentucky, the first release is called Timeless Reserve and is a marriage of Kentucky bourbons aged 14 years and older.

Future releases will use low barrel entry and proofing techniques along with using strains of corn, a black corn, and a patriotic mix of red, white and blue corn, for future releases being distilled and warehoused in Bardstown, Kentucky.

15 STARS distills and bottles at Bardstown Bourbon Company in Bardstown, Kentucky.

This first release is distributed by Heritage Wine and Spirits, and is already available exclusively in Kentucky.  The Johnsons have collected Kentucky historical items known as the 15 STARS collection. The collection, which includes a variety of rare Kentucky-related artifacts, is currently housed online on this link.  but will be displayed at physical locations and tasting events in the future.

“Kentucky was once considered America’s “First West”, but it was so much more than just early pioneers. The Kentucky of 1795 was prosperous and growing with highly skilled craftspeople working their trades as silversmiths, furniture makers, artists, and distillers,” Rick Johnson tells BourbonBlog.com. “We want to honor these artisans with our brand and really give people a sense that like in those days, this whiskey comes from our hands to theirs.”

The post New 15 Stars Bourbon Whiskey Founded by Father and Son Entrepreneurs first appeared on BourbonBlog.

With the popularity of Tennessee whiskey and the growth of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, a group of industry leaders who started Company Distilling is sharing some news with BourbonBlog.com 

Company Distilling has become known for its Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished with maple wood. Since starting their brand in 2020,  They are an unlikely assemblage of friends with a history of building distilleries, including Kris Tatum, Heath Clark, Kevin Clayton, Corey Clayton, Nathan Osborne, Jenna Wagner, and Kevin Smith.

Company Distilling tells BourbonBlog.com the official Grand Opening weekend of their first newly-constructed distillery in Townsend, TN on July 8-10.

Throughout the weekend, they say guests can expect to experience live music, enjoy a cocktail, and tour the facility. The full product portfolio for Company Distilling will also be available to sample.

The grand opening weekend festivities will include a concert on Friday night at 7 PM featuring Southerland and a concert on Saturday night at 7 PM featuring The Coveralls.

This is the second location and first newly-constructed distillery for Company, located at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Townsend, TN.

“Our initial vision for Company Distilling was to be more than just a whiskey brand. We envisioned being a full portfolio spirits company, and we had a collective group experience that I thought brought different areas of expertise to the table. We were stronger together especially when we were thinking about doing more than just one thing,” Jeff Arnett, Master Distiller tells BoubonBlog.com, “I think one of the greatest things about where we are is the freedom that comes from being a small, nimble group of people controlling our own destiny.”

Kris Tatum, President, tells us. “We’re committed to living up to our promises. We have high expectations and a team that collectively has years of industry experience. Our uncommon bond and friendships drive us to continue to make quality spirits that bring people together.”

Company Distilling says they are proudly partnering with local businesses to provide guests with an exceptional distillery experience that is unique to Blount County. Maryville-based restaurant, Amici, will have a permanent menu at the distillery, allowing visitors to gather with friends and enjoy delicious food and fine spirits. The new restaurant space will be called “Amico,” which means “a friend” in Italian.

The grand opening weekend festivities will include a concert on Friday night at 7 PM featuring Southerland and a concert on Saturday night at 7 PM featuring The Coveralls.

The post Former Jack Daniels Master Distiller, Jeff Arnett, Company Distilling’s Grand Opening for Their First Newly Constructed Distillery first appeared on BourbonBlog.

Rabbit Hole Distillery of Louisville tells BourbonBlog.com they are launching their fourth Founder’s Collection release in June 2022. Called Nevallier, the limited-edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon was aged for 16 years, representing 15 years in new charred American oak barrels and a full year of finishing in new French Oak barrels crafted from the Nevers and Allier forests of France.

The two names of the forests combine to create the name, “Nevallier.”

In creating Nevallier, Kaveh Zamanian set out to explore how bourbon could be transformed by French Oak, and the result is a whiskey that is completely unique in relation to the other whiskeys he’s produced.

A total of 1,155 sequentially-numbered bottles of this cask-strength offering will be released in June, for a suggested retail price of $895 per 750 mL bottle, and bottled at 115.8 proof/ 57.9% ABV.

How Nevallier Was Made…

With Nevallier, Kaveh explores the sensory impact of French oak maturation on bourbon, calling upon terroir and time-honored winemaking techniques to create an expression of originality and singular taste. The limited-edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon was aged for 16 years, representing 15 years in new charred American oak barrels and a full year of finishing in new French Oak barrels sculpted by the virtuoso artisans of Tonnellerie Leroi, one of France’s most renowned cooperages.

Nevallier began with a selection of ten, rare Kentucky Straight high rye bourbon whiskeys chosen by Kaveh from the private collection he began curating before he founded Rabbit Hole.

Kaveh cloistered the charred American oak barrels for 15 years of vibrant seasonality in Kentucky, where the bourbon derived a distinctive flavor from the particular barrel in which it was aged. When blended, the whiskeys came to a stunning conclusion, with elevated layers of aroma, nuance and complexity.

Forest of origin played a pivotal role in the choice of oak that Kaveh selected for the barrels to be used in finishing. Given that the terroir and climate of a region affect the density of the wood’s grain and the manner in which the wood imparts its oak flavors, he ultimately selected oak from the Nevers and Allier forests of central France.

There, the woods are of medium-to-tight grain and release the region’s characteristic oak flavors slowly, while imparting what Rabbit Hole describes as a , “soft tannic structure that discerning winemakers have long favored.”

Rabbit Hole Founder’s Collection started in 2020 in a platform under which Kaveh Zamanian develops special expressions that showcase his creativity and commitment to the artistry of whiskey making. These one-of-a-kind releases are limited edition, cask-strength, and released bi-annually

The post Rabbit Hole Founder’s Collection: Nevallier Bourbon Whiskey first appeared on BourbonBlog.

 

BourbonBlog.com will be covering the 33rd Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala this Friday as we always include it as part of Kentucky Derby Coverage, so be watching here and our YouTube.com/BourbonBlog for highlights and interviews.

The gala is internationally recognized as the “premier” Kentucky Derby gala and counted among the “Ten Best Parties in the World” by Condé Nast, is has just told us the celebrity lineup on the red carpet for its 33rd annual gala.

The many celebrity guests will include:

Janet Jackson
Jason Aldean
Sam Hunt
Orlando Bloom
Justin Hartley
Darius Rucker
New Edition – Bobby Brown, Johnny Gill, Ronnie DeVoe, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ralph Tresvant
Richie Sambora
Blair Underwood
Morgan Wallen
Stephen Dorff
Joey Fatone
Travis Tritt
Taylor Dayne
Orianthi Panagaris
Lamar Jackson
Courtney Sixx
Sofia Pernas
Chase Rice
Judge Greg Mathis
Tanya Tucker
Tamar Braxton
Elle Smith – 2021 Miss USA
Larry Birkhead and Dannielynn Birkhead
Scott Haze
Duke Nicholson

About the Gala

The star-studded bash is held at the Louisville, Kentucky home of Patricia Barnstable Brown. “Our historic 33rd year will be extraordinary,” said Patricia. “We’re so glad to be back and to celebrate with all of our friends again!” Patricia tells BourbonBlog.com

The celebrity-packed gala, known for its musical extravaganza, has raised and donated approximately $17,000,000 to the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center at the University of Kentucky over the past thirteen years. Founded by twin sisters Patricia Barnstable Brown and Priscilla Barnstable, along with Patricia’s late husband Dr. David E. Brown, this year’s gala will be held on Friday, May 6, 2022 beginning at 8:00 pm.

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The post Celebrity List Released: 33rd Barnstable Brown Kentucky Derby Eve Gala first appeared on BourbonBlog.