by admin | May 25, 2022 | IN THE NEWS
“The Famous Old Brand” Toasts New Partnership and the Launch of its Limited-Edition Island Rooster Rum Barrel Rye
BARDSTOWN, Ky. (May 25, 2022) – Chicken Cock Whiskey, the famous old brand since 1856, is kicking the “Summer of the Rooster” into high gear on May 29 during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The partnership marks Chicken Cock’s NASCAR debut alongside driver Cole Custer and the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing.
The No. 41 car will be emblazoned with Chicken Cock’s “Summer of the Rooster” inspired branding to reinforce the recent limited-edition release of Island Rooster Rum finished Rye Whiskey. Launched earlier this month, and inspired by a trip to the Caribbean, where roosters announce the coming day, the new expression starts with Chicken Cock’s Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey and is finished in Caribbean rum casks for at least six months. Island Rooster was bottled at 95 proof (47.5% ABV) in an apothecary-style embossed bottle featuring a premium metal cup cap – perfect for pouring while outside this summer.
“We’re thrilled to introduce the Chicken Cock brand and our latest Island Rooster limited-edition whiskey to NASCAR fans at the Charlotte race over Memorial Day weekend. It’s the unofficial kickoff of summer,” said Matti Anttila, founder of Grain & Barrel Spirits, which owns Chicken Cock. “This summer, Chicken Cock is taking traditional indoor whiskey drinking occasions outside and we can’t think of a more exciting way to showcase this bold, confident, and expressive take on our iconic Chicken Cock rooster.”
Custer added, “I can’t think of a better way to kick off the ‘Summer of the Rooster’ than to showcase the storied history and rich tradition of Chicken Cock Whiskey this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.”
About Chicken Cock Whiskey
Originally established in Paris, Kentucky in 1856, Chicken Cock – known as “The Famous Old Brand” – was forced to move production up to Canada during Prohibition. The Canadian Rye whiskey produced during that period was then smuggled back into the U.S. in tin cans, earning the brand the nickname, “the whiskey in a tin can.” After Prohibition, Chicken Cock enjoyed a resurgent couple of decades before a distillery fire just after World War II put it out of business. In 2012, Anttila rediscovered the brand and set out to resurrect it to its Prohibition-era glory alongside Master Distiller Gregg Snyder. Since that time, the team has introduced a flagship KY Straight Bourbon and KY Straight Rye Whiskey, made in partnership with Bardstown Bourbon Company as part of its collaborative distilling program, along with several other highly sought after limited-releases, including the new Island Rooster Rum Barrel Rye, starts with Chicken Cock’s Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey and is finished in Caribbean rum casks for at least six months.
About Grain & Barrel Spirits
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Grain & Barrel Spirits develops and scales craft spirits that connect the best artisans to consumers worldwide. One of the company’s core brands is Dixie Vodka, the leading premium homegrown vodka produced in the Southeast and the Official Vodka of NASCAR; one of the fastest-growing craft brands in the United States, Dixie won the prestigious 2019 and 2020 and 2021 “Rising Star” Growth Brands Awards from Beverage Dynamics magazine. Other brands in the Grain & Barrel portfolio include Virgil Kane Lowcountry Whiskey; High Goal Luxury Gin, a small batch, ultra-premium gin produced in Charleston; and Elvis Whiskeys, a duo of Elvis Presley-inspired whiskeys. Grain & Barrel has been named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America three years in a row and is a proud member of 1% For The Planet.
About Stewart Haas Racing
Stewart-Haas Racing is the title-winning NASCAR team co-owned by three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation – the largest CNC machine tool builder in North America. The Kannapolis, North Carolina-based organization has won two NASCAR Cup Series titles, one NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and more than 90 NASCAR races, including such crown-jewel events as the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500.
For more information, please visit us online at StewartHaasRacing.com and on social at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.
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by admin | May 24, 2022 | IN THE NEWS
12oz Cans Available for Purchase Beginning June 1 in NY, CA, FL, CT and Online
Miami Beach, FL (May 24, 2022) – Cool Cat, a refreshing line of low-calorie wine spritzer cocktails, will introduce limited-edition PRIDE-theme packaging to commemorate June as National LGBTQ+ PRIDE Month. Beginning June 1, the rainbow-themed 4-packs of 12oz cans will be available for purchase in select on- and off-premise accounts in New York, California, Florida, Connecticut, and online at drinkcoolcat.com.
“As a proud, openly gay minority, I created Cool Cat with diversity, equity, and inclusion in mind, which guides us every single day,” said co-founder and CEO Rocco Venneri. “That said, I’m thrilled to introduce a PRIDE-themed can this June that shines a spotlight on the LGBTQ+ community in support and recognition of National PRIDE Month.”
In addition to the limited-edition cans, Cool Cat will donate $10,000 to The Center in New York, which provides vital programs and services for the local LGBTQ+ community, including advocacy, health and wellness programs, arts and entertainment and cultural events, recovery, parenthood, and family support.
Named “Best Spritzer” by Liquor.com, Cool Cat is available in four flavors – Original (Elderflower Mint Lime), Citrus, Berry, and Grapefruit. The naturally flavored spritzers feature a base of California white wine and are gluten free. At 6.9% ABV, just 140 calories and two grams of carbohydrates per 12-ounce can, Cool Cat offers a better for you alternative to many other alcoholic beverages.
Cool Cat tastes great right out of the can, but can also be poured over ice or used to create specialty cocktails. The spritzers are ideal while on the go – they’re portable; recyclable; park, beach and festival friendly; and provide more bang for the buck than a traditional bottle of wine. The suggested retail price for a 4-pack of 12oz cans (355ml) is $15.99, equivalent to almost two full bottles of wine.
For more information and to purchase Cool Cat, visit drinkcoolcat.com and reservebar.com.
About Cool Cat
Cool Cat is a gay founded, led, and operated beverage lifestyle company established in 2018 in Chelsea, NYC. Launched in April 2020, Cool Cat Wine Spritzers are distributed in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Cool Cat is currently based out of Miami, FL. Discover the brand online at drinkcoolcat.com and follow the brand @drinkcoolcat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok and Spotify.
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by admin | May 23, 2022 | IN THE NEWS
The Pinnacle of the BCS Seagrass Series Features 20-Year Rye Whiskey Finished in Martinique Rum, Malmsey Madeira, and Apricot Brandy Casks
Louisville, KY (May 23, 2022) – Barrell Craft Spirits® (BCS), the award-winning independent blender of unique aged, cask-strength sourced whiskey and rum, will introduce BCS Gold Label Seagrass, the pinnacle of the BCS Seagrass Series, which also includes Barrell Seagrass and the limited-release BCS Gray Label Seagrass.
Available for pre-sale beginning today at BarrellBourbon.com, BCS Gold Label Seagrass features ultra-rare 20-year rye whiskey, meticulously sourced and finished in Martinique rum, Malmsey Madeira, and apricot brandy casks. The expression was distilled in Canada, and then crafted and bottled in Kentucky at cask strength, 128.12 proof (64.06% ABV).
“Gold Label Seagrass epitomizes our team’s expertise in global sourcing and blending, both in whiskey and finishing materials,” said BCS Founder Joe Beatrice. “This exceptional whiskey is remarkably flavorful, showcasing the best of the Seagrass profile in a whiskey that can only be made this complex and nuanced with time in the barrel.”
Founded in 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky, BCS selects and blends products that explore different distillation methods, barrels and aging environments, and bottles them at cask strength. BCS’s extensive stocks of high-quality casks mean they can craft extraordinary blends that maximize the nuances of each ingredient. Creative finishes, a liberated approach to blending, and a deep-seated commitment to releasing each whiskey at cask strength and without chill filtration guides every product release.
The BCS award-winning line of products, which includes batches, ongoing releases and limited releases, is currently sold in 48 states throughout the U.S. Beginning in mid-June, BCS Gold Label Seagrass will be available at select retailers and online via the BCS website at barrellbourbon.com. The suggested retail price for a 750ml bottle is $499.99.
For more information, follow Barrell Craft Spirits® on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram or visit barrellbourbon.com.
Barrell Craft Spirits®
Barrell Craft Spirits® is an independent blender of unique aged, cask-strength sourced whiskey and rum spirits, that is recognized for its blending expertise. The company selects and blends products that explore different distillation methods, barrels and aging environments, and bottles them at cask strength.
Barrell Craft Spirits®, Barrell®, Barrell Bourbon® and Barrell Rye® are registered trademarks owned by Barrell Craft Spirits LLC.
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by admin | May 18, 2022 | IN THE NEWS
One-of-a-Kind Limited-Release Four-Grain Bourbon Whiskey Available for Purchase on Monday, May 30 at 1:00pm CST
Austin, TX (May 18, 2022) – Still Austin Whiskey Co., a homegrown distillery in the heart of South Austin, today unveiled its latest “Distillery Reserve Series” expression – a four-grain bourbon whiskey – which will be available for purchase beginning on Monday, May 30 at 1:00pm CST via the Still Austin website, www.stillaustin.com. This is not a random lottery drawing. Orders will be fulfilled on a first come, first served basis. Bottles must be picked up at the Still Austin Distillery on either June 3 or 4.
The whiskey was handmade from grain-to-glass at the distillery and is a product of only two barrels (425 bottles) that’s distilled from a lively combination of 68% white corn, 15% Rye, 13% wheat, and 4% malted barley. It was then aged for at least three years and bottled at cask strength at 114.1 proof (57.05% ABV). This subtle spirit greets you with spicy scents of black pepper, followed by buttery and nut-infused notes of sweet corn, apricot, mint and freshly cut grass. The creamy mouthfeel offers up flavors of honey, tobacco, coconut, lavender and toasted biscuits, finishing off with a tannic aftereffect of leather and sweet apples.
For this one-of-a kind release, Still Austin enlisted the incomparable team at Ft. Lonesome to create a beautifully detailed, handmade fabric label with a removable patch. The result: four stunning chain-stitched labels, depicting the Still Austin bird in flight over the Texas Hill Country during four varied seasons or times of day. This woman-led Central Texas outfit—a labor of love in the truest sense—has almost single-handedly revived the erstwhile craft of chain-stitching in Texas. Ft. Lonesome’s dazzling, innovative designs have drawn national attention by marrying traditional embroidery craft with a clever, postmodern-cowgirl perspective.
“This special limited-edition four-grain bourbon whiskey weaves together exceptional beauty both inside and out,” said John Schrepel, Head Distiller. “As far as we know, we’re the first distillery to produce anything like this.”
Grain-to-Glass Philosophy
Still Austin is an independent craft whiskey distillery founded in 2015, focusing on a true grain-to-glass concept that produces the highest quality whiskey by perfecting every part of the process and using local resources and sustainable practices. The team is committed to carrying out each part of the process in-house. That means never sourcing whiskey from another distillery, and instead always hand-making everything from scratch, and managing everything in-house – milling, mashing, fermenting, distilling, barreling and bottling.
The distilling team is led by Head Distiller John Schrepel, Master Blender Nancy Fraley and veteran Master Distiller Mike Delevante, one of the most experienced and respected distillers in North America who designed the Still Austin distillery to make the highest quality of bourbon. That includes a 42-foot custom-made column, “Nancy,” (and her sister copper-pot still, “The Queen”) which give the distillers serious creative license to create unique new flavors and spirits. For more information, please visit www.stillaustin.com
About Still Austin Whiskey Co.
Founded in 2015 by three Austin families, Still Austin Whiskey Co. is a true grain-to-glass Distillery, located at 440 East St. Elmo Road in the heart of Austin, Texas. All spirits are hand crafted using grains grown by Texas farmers. Still Austin’s collection of spirits includes Still Austin’s flagship Straight Bourbon Whiskey, High-Rye Bourbon Whiskey, and Still Rye Gin. Still Austin places a high value on sustainability, with a focus on cutting carbon emissions through local sourcing, increasing the biodiversity of the region through heritage grains, returning spent grains to local ranchers to feed their animals, and operating a distillery that is designed for energy efficiency and water conservation.
About Ft. Lonesome
Fort Lonesome exists within the physical boundaries of Austin, Texas. It is, however, more accurately constrained only by the ever-expanding dialogue between a small handful of curious luddites, collectively dragging the shrapnel of a forgotten craft into alignment with our contemporary era. While the invention of digitally deployed embroidery relegated most hand-cranked chainstitch embroidery machines to the basements and attics of pragmatic technicians, one erstwhile machine in Texas captured the imagination of a trained oil painter with a fixation on western wear. The resulting deus ex machina summoned forth from the ether a harmonious collection of individual artists, curious to tap the potential of these forgotten machines; meanwhile fortuitously concocting a collective visual whole vastly greater than the sum of its autonomous parts. Since, Fort Lonesome has blossomed into an evolving ecosystem, focusing primarily on maintaining a dedication to the continuum between art and fashion with a strong focus on heirloom quality and unexpected imagery. Lovingly, the Fort carries forth the torch of the Rodeo Tailor, aiming to midwife the legacy of the craft into its rightful place as an iconic evergreen opportunity to innovate, narrate and adorn. We love you.
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by admin | May 8, 2022 | IN THE NEWS
Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Caribbean Rum Barrels
BARDSTOWN, Ky. (May 9, 2022) – Chicken Cock, the famous old brand since 1856, is kicking off the “Summer of the Rooster” with a bold new limited-edition release of Island Rooster Rum Barrel Rye. The new expression starts with Chicken Cock’s Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey and is finished in Caribbean rum casks for at least six months. Island Rooster has a 95% rye and 5% malted barley mash bill, which is bottled at 95 proof (47.5% ABV) in an apothecary-style embossed bottle featuring a premium metal cup cap – perfect for pouring while outside this summer.
Island Rooster was inspired by a trip to the Caribbean, where roosters announce the coming day. With this new release, Chicken Cock is announcing its “Summer of the Rooster” program where the brand will showcase its bold, confident, and expressive take on the iconic Chicken Cock rooster.
“Summer is the ideal season for Chicken Cock to take traditional indoor whiskey drinking occasions outside and Island Rooster’s rum barrel finish makes this a whiskey you’ll want to throw in your pack as you head outdoors,” said Matti Anttila, founder of Grain & Barrel Spirits, which owns Chicken Cock.
Tasting Notes
- Appearance: beautiful, rich dark Amber in color
- Aroma: an elegant array of spices, pepper, with a hint of rye grassiness and sweet molasses softly touched with oak overtones
- Flavor: a tremendous complexity of spices, vanilla, butterscotch and pepper, beautifully complimented with just enough rum sweetness
- Finish: very long and enjoyable, with the rye characteristics predominant but wonderfully enhanced with a touch of sweet, and an amazing buttery mouthfeel
Chicken Cock Island Rooster Rum Barrel Rye was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Production was limited to only 25 barrels. Island Rooster is available for the suggested retail price of $199.99 per 750ml bottle online on Chicken Cock’s website, via Reserve Bar, or at fine retailers in CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, KY, MA, NY, SC, TN, TX, and WI.
About Chicken Cock Whiskey
Originally established in Paris, Kentucky in 1856, Chicken Cock – known as “The Famous Old Brand” – was forced to move production up to Canada during Prohibition. The Canadian Rye whiskey produced during that period was then smuggled back into the U.S. in tin cans, earning the brand the nickname, “the whiskey in a tin can.” After Prohibition, Chicken Cock enjoyed a resurgent couple of decades before a distillery fire just after World War II put it out of business. In 2012, Anttila rediscovered the brand and set out to resurrect it to its Prohibition-era glory alongside Master Distiller Gregg Snyder. Since that time, the team has introduced a flagship KY Straight Bourbon and KY Straight Rye Whiskey, made in partnership with Bardstown Bourbon Company as part of its collaborative distilling program, along with several other highly sought after limited-releases.
About Grain & Barrel Spirits
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Grain & Barrel Spirits develops and scales craft spirits that connect the best artisans to consumers worldwide. One of the company’s core brands is Dixie Vodka, the leading premium homegrown vodka produced in the Southeast and the Official Vodka of NASCAR; one of the fastest-growing craft brands in the United States, Dixie won the prestigious 2019 and 2020 and 2021 “Rising Star” Growth Brands Awards from Beverage Dynamics magazine. Other brands in the Grain & Barrel portfolio include Virgil Kane Lowcountry Whiskey; High Goal Luxury Gin, a small batch, ultra-premium gin produced in Charleston; and Elvis Whiskeys, a duo of Elvis Presley-inspired whiskeys. Grain & Barrel has been named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America three years in a row and is a proud member of 1% For The Planet.
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