Author: Tito Belvedere

Maker’s Mark Announces Rye Bourbon, First New Mashbill Ever

maker's

Thank you for joining The Bourbon Review and Tito Belvedere for April Fools’ Day! We’ll see you next year—if not sooner.  Maker’s Mark distillery, famous for their red winter wheated whiskey, announced this morning that for the first time since their founding more than six decades ago, they’ll be releasing bourbon whiskey made with a […]

The post Maker’s Mark Announces Rye Bourbon, First New Mashbill Ever first appeared on The Bourbon Review.

maker's

Thank you for joining The Bourbon Review and Tito Belvedere for April Fools’ Day! We’ll see you next year—if not sooner. 

Maker’s Mark distillery, famous for their red winter wheated whiskey, announced this morning that for the first time since their founding more than six decades ago, they’ll be releasing bourbon whiskey made with a second, rye mashbill.

Maker’s Mark Rye Bourbon breaks a precedent of more than half a century, and the new bottling, aged the same way as the wheat recipe, will be distinguishable only by the green wax atop the bottle.

“All these years we’ve been so focused on wheat—the whole time there was a whole other grain out there for flavoring bourbon,” explained Bill Samuels, patriarch of the brand. “We started playing with it about a decade ago, and after it aged for a few years, I said, well there might be something here.”

In contrast with the smooth, slightly crisp profile of the wheated Maker’s Mark bourbon, Maker’s Mark Rye Bourbon will be a sharp, spicy bourbon meant to hurt a little on the palate.

“I like that kick you get. It’s definitely different than what we’ve ever done before.”

The distillery has apparently done secretive market tests to examine whether the bartending world is ready for a rye bourbon, and according to Samuels, they see a huge opportunity. “We’re already looking at cutting back on this easy-drinking stuff and turning out some of this punchier, more aggressive recipe for the next few years,” explained Samuels.

Maker’s Mark Rye is available today, April 1, on limited shelves for $49.99.

For the latest in Bourbon foolery, visit www.thebourbonreview.com.

The post Maker’s Mark Announces Rye Bourbon, First New Mashbill Ever first appeared on The Bourbon Review.

Maker’s Mark Announces Rye Bourbon, First New Mashbill Ever

Maker's

NOTE: Done in celebration of April 1st😉 Cheers and lets have a laugh together! Maker’s Mark distillery, famous for their red winter wheated whiskey, announced this morning that for the first time since their founding more than six decades ago, they’ll be releasing bourbon whiskey made with a second, rye mashbill. Maker’s Mark Rye Bourbon […]

The post Maker’s Mark Announces Rye Bourbon, First New Mashbill Ever first appeared on The Bourbon Review.

Maker's

NOTE: Done in celebration of April 1st😉 Cheers and lets have a laugh together!

Maker’s Mark distillery, famous for their red winter wheated whiskey, announced this morning that for the first time since their founding more than six decades ago, they’ll be releasing bourbon whiskey made with a second, rye mashbill.

Maker’s Mark Rye Bourbon breaks a precedent of more than half a century, and the new bottling, aged the same way as the wheat recipe, will be distinguishable only by the green wax atop the bottle.

“All these years we’ve been so focused on wheat—the whole time there was a whole other grain out there for flavoring bourbon,” explained Bill Samuels, patriarch of the brand. “We started playing with it about a decade ago, and after it aged for a few years, I said, well there might be something here.”

In contrast with the smooth, slightly crisp profile of the wheated Maker’s Mark bourbon, Maker’s Mark Rye Bourbon will be a sharp, spicy bourbon meant to hurt a little on the palate.

“I like that kick you get. It’s definitely different than what we’ve ever done before.”

The distillery has apparently done secretive market tests to examine whether the bartending world is ready for a rye bourbon, and according to Samuels, they see a huge opportunity. “We’re already looking at cutting back on this easy-drinking stuff and turning out some of this punchier, more aggressive recipe for the next few years,” explained Samuels.

Maker’s Mark Rye is allegedly available April 1, on limited shelves for $49.99.

For actual info, please visit www.makersmark.com

The post Maker’s Mark Announces Rye Bourbon, First New Mashbill Ever first appeared on The Bourbon Review.

Old Forester’s Jackie Zykan is Taking a Bold Stance on Single Barrels “We Want Them Off the Market”

Thanks to new initiatives from one of the world’s largest whiskey producers, the time for lonely “going solo” barrels is coming to an end: Old Forester is pushing a new initiative with the goal of eliminating all single barrels. The campaign is designed to combat the increasing number of barrels of whiskey identified as single […]

The post Old Forester’s Jackie Zykan is Taking a Bold Stance on Single Barrels “We Want Them Off the Market” appeared first on The Bourbon Review.

Thanks to new initiatives from one of the world’s largest whiskey producers, the time for lonely “going solo” barrels is coming to an end: Old Forester is pushing a new initiative with the goal of eliminating all single barrels.

The campaign is designed to combat the increasing number of barrels of whiskey identified as single and currently “on the market.” 

Old Forester and parent company Brown-Forman have set a goal of eliminating the problem of barrels without partners by 2024. 

Old Forester Master Taster Jackie Zykan, who is leading the charge, said in a statement, “In recent years we’ve seen an unhinged rise in the number of barrels that are seeking love and companionship, but simply are unable to find it. Barrels deserve to find their special someone, too, and we want to help.” 

Zykan, who has worked with Old Forester for nearly a decade now, says she’s seen too much heartbreak, and too many missed connections in her time at the distillery. She says the single barrel programs cause whiskey to experience feelings of isolation, and that over time this can lead to drops in the whiskeys’ mental health, quality of life, and proof.”

“You look at these barrels every day, and you think, why are we standing in the way? Don’t they deserve to be with someone?”

As the first stage of their initiative, Old Forester has begun rejecting all requests for single barrels—a decision they say is permanent. The distillery will “immediately discontinue” all products promoting a whiskey on the basis of its marital status.

The initiative is expected to make a huge dent in the problem—Brown-Forman alone is responsible for thousands of barrels spending their last days alone, single, and being disgorged without their loved bungs by their side.

“It’s going to be fascinating to see how this affects the nature of the private selection,” explained Aaron Goldfarb, author of Hacking Whiskey. “Coupled barrel picks could change things forever.”

Goldfarb noted that, because a precedent has been set for partial single barrels, the possibility now exists that “Will we see partnered barrels bottled in multiple partnerships? Will previously single barrels end up as private select throuples? The opportunities are endless.”

For now, the initiative is limited to Brown-Forman’s American portfolio, but the whiskey producer has opened the concept up to competitors and has already set up a website to help connect single barrels from all over the globe.

The first phase—a barrel matchmaking site called Mash.com—launched today, April 1. 

Zykan calls it a website where barrels can post photos and things about themselves, and begin to meet other barrels who share similar interests. Those interests might include long warehousings, heat cycling, rotation, and long rolls on the beach.

Mash.com has, at the time of this writing, already received more than 50,000 sign-ups from barrels in English-speaking countries, and a French-language version will be available later this summer.

But critics expect that the soon-to-be-launched rival whiskey barrel dating app “Graindr” will appeal to younger barrels still maturing.

The post Old Forester’s Jackie Zykan is Taking a Bold Stance on Single Barrels “We Want Them Off the Market” appeared first on The Bourbon Review.

Michter’s Announces They Will Un-Release 2021 10-Year Bourbon

The Michter’s Brand has announced an unprecedented quality control move this week—one which will likely set new standards for decades to come. Following on the heels of last month’s news that this year’s supply of Michter’s 10-Year-Old Bourbon would not be released, Michter’s founder Joe Magliocco stated that, upon further reflection, the 2021 release of […]

The post Michter’s Announces They Will Un-Release 2021 10-Year Bourbon appeared first on The Bourbon Review.

The Michter’s Brand has announced an unprecedented quality control move this week—one which will likely set new standards for decades to come.

Following on the heels of last month’s news that this year’s supply of Michter’s 10-Year-Old Bourbon would not be released, Michter’s founder Joe Magliocco stated that, upon further reflection, the 2021 release of Michter’s coveted 10-Year Bourbon could have been “better than perfect” as well.

As a result, they’ve decided to un-release the entire 2021 supply. 

“We just keep raising our standards, and it turns out that last year’s release no longer meets or exceeds the high bar we’ve set,” explained Magliocco. “In order to preserve those standards, we’ve begun an aggressive on-the-ground campaign to retrieve and destroy all remaining bottles from that vintage.”

Magliocco and the Michter’s team have already been working on this titanic task. On Monday morning, he began his day by assisting the team in the by-hand process of melting away wax and emptying the contents of 10 Year bottles in a makeshift factory at the distillery’s Shively, KY distillery.

Whiskey cannot be simply poured down the drain and into the city’s wastewater system—at least, not in the volumes Michter’s is processing. But the more than 500 bottles disgorged this week represent a small piece of the total supply—many 10-Year bottles are well beyond the immediate reach of Michter’s, for now.

And some may stay that way. Making a promise to reclaim last year’s release is one thing, but tracking down those bottles is another altogether. Luckily, it seems that the team has already begun the necessary research to track every last bottle down.

Magliocco said that they’ve begun working with credit card companies and their distribution network to identify the owners of each and every bottle sold, to eventually track down everyone who bought one.”

“It’s upsetting,” he explained, “thinking of all the people who drank an exquisite bourbon when a magnificent one could have been in their glass. Excellent whiskey is not enough—I want to stop as many people from tasting it as possible.”

Though official details are pending, it appears that the likely process will be a buyback at the suggested retail price. Magliocco is confident that there are other products they can take to new heights. 

At the time of this writing, plans were underway to track down previous releases of Michter’s Celebration, and at least one release of 25-Year Bourbon from the past.

Magliocco wouldn’t comment on the brand’s various toasted and finished whiskeys at this time, though he admitted that his innovation team is working on reactor technology to strip only the influence of a single barrel from whiskeys going forward. This could mean the unthinkable, that in the future even Toasted Barrel Finish Products might be vulnerable to buybacks. 

“The technology is simple,” he explained. “The problem is, we’re still trying to figure out how to tell it which barrel to eliminate.”

As for the buyback program, it’s up and running. Starting today, April 1, anyone can bring their 10-Year and Celebration bottles to the downtown Louisville distillery to take advantage of the buyback. The distillery has also modified its bottle-fill experience on site: patrons can now choose whether they wish to fill their own bottle, or empty it.

The post Michter’s Announces They Will Un-Release 2021 10-Year Bourbon appeared first on The Bourbon Review.

Van Winkle Family to Release First Ever LIMITED EDITION VODKA This Month

In a surprising move, Buffalo Trace Distillery announced that the Van Winkle brand—known for the famous Pappy Van Winkle bourbon—will release a limited collection of “Van Winkle Vodka” this year, distilled from some of the rarest whiskey stock in the world.  This one-of-a-kind vodka, which will be sold in limited quantities annually, is triple distilled […]

The post Van Winkle Family to Release First Ever LIMITED EDITION VODKA This Month appeared first on The Bourbon Review.

In a surprising move, Buffalo Trace Distillery announced that the Van Winkle brand—known for the famous Pappy Van Winkle bourbon—will release a limited collection of “Van Winkle Vodka” this year, distilled from some of the rarest whiskey stock in the world. 

This one-of-a-kind vodka, which will be sold in limited quantities annually, is triple distilled from the existing stock of 23-year-old Van Winkle bourbon.

Buffalo Trace puts the aged liquid into the still, and runs it through the process again, then again, and then again for third and final haul in what is called the “stripping run.” 

“The third distillation is where the magic really happens in making the whiskey become vodka,” explains Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley, “The process takes out the color, flavor, and everything else that barrels work so hard to impart into alcohol to make the spirit less “clean.””

– Harlen Wheatley, Master Distiller at Buffalo Trace Distillery

“It’s so amazing and so much fun,” added Wheatley, “We’re able to undo 23 years of hard work by Mother Nature in less than a day.”

Rectifying or redistilling whiskey into a neutral spirit is a process typically employed to repurpose “bad” whiskey, but the innovative choice to use finely aged bourbon to make an exceptionally clean vodka is groundbreaking.

“It’s really incredible,” explained Drew Maysville, Sazerac’s Master Blender and Director of Quality, “you see this dark, mahogany liquid go into the process, and out it comes on the other side clear as glass—and there’s not even the slightest hint that it was ever whiskey.”

According to language from a press release sent out this morning, the company is focusing on high end bars and restaurants around the country with high-quality cocktail programs. The idea is to use Van Winkle Vodka as the basis for infusions, martinis, and upscale vodka sodas.

“Imagine having a cosmopolitan,” explained Maysville in a phone call, “but the vodka in your glass was in a barrel for nearly a quarter of a century, before getting distilled again, then again, then again.”

Questions have arisen about whether this new product will make an already-allocated whiskey that much harder (and more expensive) to find.

Asked about these concerns, Sazerac President and CEO Mark Brown shrugged. “How much worse can it get?”

Wheatley, who also produces a vodka brand at Buffalo Trace Distillery, said this innovative approach could lead to more reclaimed vodkas in the future. “It just makes sense. We’ve got so much whiskey lying around—why make vodka from scratch when this other stuff is halfway there?”

Wheatley Vodka has won a considerable number of medals over the last few years, and Sazerac sees an opportunity for innovation in these new approaches to vodka, and Wheatly explained that experimental batches using Stagg, Weller, and Blanton’s stock were already on the distillation schedule for this month. It’s unclear whether Blanton’s Vodka’s dump date will reflect the date before or after it hits the still again.

The post Van Winkle Family to Release First Ever LIMITED EDITION VODKA This Month appeared first on The Bourbon Review.