B.R. Distilling Company Launches Limited-Release Blue Note™ Special Reserve

B.R. Distilling Company Launches Limited-Release Blue Note™ Special Reserve

Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Finished in 10 Different Casks is the Latest Expression in the Company’s Cask Finished Series

Memphis, TN (February 10, 2025) – Blue Note Bourbon™, the award-winning whiskey portfolio which is artfully crafted to honor the rich blues music that is synonymous with Memphis, has launched its second-annual Special Reserve Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

Crafted in Memphis, the limited-release is a blend of 10 casks from Kentucky and Tennessee – cognac, madeira, sherry, port, triple sec, madeira, apricot brandy, amontillado, vanilla cognac and vino de Naranja – ranging in age from four to 19 years with varying mashbills. The new expression was bottled at 116.3 proof (58.15% ABV), unfiltered.

Special Reserve Tasting Notes

  • Nose: Bright fruit, cherry, peach, leather, oak and vanilla
  • Palate: Creamy and light, oak, vanilla, roasted nuts, dark chocolate, and citrus
  • Finish: Light warmth with a chewy, slightly dry texture that lingers

In addition to last year’s Special Reserve, Blue Note has introduced several other highly awarded limited-release offerings, which include Premium Small Batch, Single Barrel Reserve, 17-year, and most recently a Honey Rye and Honey Bourbon Cask.

“Having launched several wildly successful limited releases in recent years, whiskey enthusiasts have come to expect these types of unique offerings from Blue Note,” said Chris Crosbie, Vice President, Sales, B.R. Distilling Company. “This year’s Special Reserve is both exceptional and uncommon having been crafted from 10 unique types of casks.”

Approximately 2,000 bottles of Blue Note Special Reserve are now available for purchase online at BlueNoteBourbon.com and in 20 U.S. states (as listed below). The suggested retail price for a 750ml bottle is $225.

Blue Note’s whiskey portfolio is distilled in partnership with Bardstown Bourbon Company (parent company of Green River Distilling) and then aged just north of downtown Memphis where the Mississippi and Wolf Rivers collide. The long summers filled with infamous Memphis heat and cooler evenings forces the whiskey deep into the oak, creating an unmistakably rich flavor that’s bold yet smooth.

In addition to the aforementioned limited releases, award-winning flagship Blue Note portfolio includes Juke Joint ($34.99), Crossroads ($44.99), Uncut ($49.99), and Straight Rye Whiskey ($34.99). At the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Juke Joint and Crossroads were awarded Platinum medals, a rare honor meaning that each expression has received Double Gold medals for three consecutive years. 

Production Facility & Tasting Room

Blue Note’s 110,000 square foot production facilities, located on Royal Avenue just North of downtown Memphis, are open from Monday through Friday from 10am – 4:00pm CST and include a unique and intimate tasting room. Guided tours are available on Thursdays and Fridays for $10 plus tax & fees. Guests can add a Tasting Flight Experience for an additional $5. For more information and to book a guided, behind-the-scenes tour, visit www.bluenotebourbon.com. Please follow Blue Note on Facebook and Instagram.

About B.R. Distilling Company

Founded in 2014 in Memphis, TN, B.R. Distilling Company is the oldest licensed distillery in Memphis, TN, and producer of world-famous Blue Note Bourbon. Currently, the company produces four flagship expressions, along with regular limited releases, which are distributed across 20 U.S. states, including AL, AR, CO, CT, FL, GA, KS, KY, LA, MA, MI, MS, MO, NY, NJ, OK, RI, SC, TN, and TX, and online at BlueNoteBourbon.com via Bevstack, which can be shipped to: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, TX, VA, WA and WI. Take note. Sip responsibly.

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Altamar Brands Collaborates with Chris Benchetler to Sponsor Upcoming Mountains of the Moon Experience

Altamar Brands Collaborates with Chris Benchetler to Sponsor Upcoming Mountains of the Moon Experience

Company Will Also Release Limited-Edition Package and Label Design Created by Benchetler for its High n’ Wicked Whiskeys and Lágrimas Tequilas

Corona del Mar, CA (February 4, 2025)Altamar Brands Founder and CEO W. L. Lyons Brown today announced a collaboration with artist, filmmaker, and pro skier Chris Benchetler and the company’s High n’ Wicked Whiskey brand in support of Mr. Benchetler’s Mountains of the Moon, an immersive experience coming out in fall 2025.

Earlier today, Benchetler unveiled the first episode in the “Ship of Fools” series, which offers backstage-access to the creativity, chaos, and ingenuity that is going into the making of Mountains of the Moon. The series is a raw and unfiltered look into the creative process featuring the cast, crew, and characters as they collaborate on this ambitious project. Subsequent episodes will drop each Tuesday for 32 weeks leading into Mountains of the Moon’s release.

“Chris’ skills as an athlete, a painter, a sculptor, and a filmmaker are beyond me to fairly describe in words. It is one hell of a compelling package,” said Brown. “We are grateful that he has an appetite to express his art in our medium. The combination of his expression with the art of our distillates will enhance the rare and collectible nature of our brands.”

“I’m thrilled to have such incredible support from partners like Lyons and Altamar Brands on this special project, which stays true to the authentic and experimental spirit that always came with it,” said Benchetler. “Pushing my creativity into the unknown inspires me as an artist, much in the same way Lyons and his team relentlessly pursue distinctive distillates for the incredible High n’ Wicked whiskeys.”

The partnership will also feature limited-edition packaging created by Benchetler for the distilled spirits company’s High n’ Wicked Whiskeys and Lágrimas Single Estate Tequilas. These will be sold online and in select U.S. markets later this year.

Brown and Benchetler previously collaborated on a private project for the Alterra Group, the owners and managers of Mammoth Mountain and IKON Pass, in which Altamar created a High n’ Wicked single barrel bourbon decorated with Benchetler’s work (pictured above). See more on that in the promotional video called ‘The Spark.’

About Altamar Brands LLC

Founded in 2005 by W. L. Lyons Brown, III, Altamar Brands is a small, entrepreneurial outfit founded to develop and import esoteric, artisanal spirits brands that offer unique and distinctive production stories in their respective categories. They include: Elvelo Tequila, Foursquare Rum, High n’ Wicked Whiskeys, Kubler Absinthe, Lágrimas del Valle Tequila, Probitas Rum, Right Gin, and R.L. Seale’s Barbados Rum.

Brown founded High n’ Wicked in 2019. The firm’s mission is to present premium whiskeys that honor traditional methods of delivering complex flavors. High n’ Wicked produces two flagship offerings – a straight bourbon whiskey and straight rye whiskey – in addition to singular limited releases featuring cask strength, single barrel, and double wood finishes.

Lágrimas demonstrates that the centuries old concept of “terroir” exists in agave fields as well as in the vineyards of France. It celebrates the distinctive characteristics of single ranches of agave grown at different altitudes in different micro-climates in different regions of Mexico. Produced in collaboration with third generation Master Distiller “Chava” Rosales Trejo, at Cascahuin, each bottling carries a familiar profile but will be distinctly unique in flavor and aroma based on its terroir. Most brands aim to create a consistent taste profile, Lágrimas embraces the uniqueness of each individual ranch and delivers a diversity of character. Its expressions are available throughout the U.S. and online.

For more information, please visit https://altamarbrands.com/

With Cocktailing, Quality Bests Quantity.

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Altamar Brands Launches Latest Ranch of Lágrimas del Valle Tequila in the U.S.

Altamar Brands Launches Latest Ranch of Lágrimas del Valle Tequila in the U.S.

“La Loma” Plata and Reposado Expressions are a Celebration of Terroir

Corona del Mar, CA (February 3, 2025) – Lágrimas del Valle, the award-winning tequila which celebrates “terroir,” has launched its newest ranch, “La Loma” (The Hill). The Plata and Reposado expressions represent the fourth field harvested for the brand and the first to come from the state of Michoacán.

Lágrimas del Valle is produced in collaboration with Tequila Cascahuin (NOM 1123) and current Master Distiller Salvador “Chava” Rosales Trejo. Their distilling tradition dates back three generations to 1904 in El Arenal, Jalisco, Mexico, in the heart of the “Valley” of Tequila. Each bottling carries a familiar profile but will be distinctly unique in both flavor and aroma.

Lágrimas begins by selecting the best single ranch of Blue Weber Agave available – looking for ripeness, but also for signs of complexities of flavor. The agaves are then loaded into their small 12-16-ton steam powered masonry ovens. Cascahuin utilizes a unique intermittent cooking method for eight hours per day, then stopping until the following day, and repeating over the course of four days. This allows for deep layers of flavor to be developed. The cooked agaves are then removed from the ovens, and their “agua miel” (honey waters) extracted. 70% of the agaves are crushed utilizing a roller mill and then fermented in stainless steel tanks, while the other 30% are crushed using a Tahona, and fermented in open air wooden tanks.

“Lágrimas demonstrates that terroir exists in agave fields as it exists in the vineyards of Burgundy,” said Brandon Cummins, Director of Education. “While many brands aim to create a consistent profile year over year, Lágrimas embraces the uniqueness of each individual ranch and produces in such a way as to emphasize that distinct character. We do this intentionally, to demonstrate the rich complexity of the Blue Weber Agave.”

La Loma Tasting Notes:

  • Plata showcases an agave forward presence, with hints of citrus peel, ripe melon, roasted pine nuts, and clover – with a creamy and rich palate, bright citrus notes, subtle minerality and rich agave throughout.
  • Reposado is rested for just three months in ex-Bourbon barrels. The vintage showcases notes of tangerine, canela, and lemongrass, all around a core of roasted agave, anise, salted caramel, and cantaloupe.

Previous Lágrimas del Valle releases include:

  • Palo Verde (2022)
    • Top 100 Spirits of 2022, Wine Enthusiast, 94 points (Plata)
    • Best Sipping Tequilas of 2024, Men’s Journal (Plata)
  • El Chiqueño (2022)
    • “This is what tequila is supposed to taste like” -Doug Price, Agave Social Club Podcast
  • El Sabino (2023)
    • 30 Best Tequilas for 2024, Vinepair, 96 points (Plata)
    • Top 100 Spirits of 2024, Wine Enthusiast, 94 points (Reposado)

Lágrimas del Valle “La Loma” Plata and Reposado tequilas are double-distilled, blended, and bottled at 92 proof (46% ABV). Each bottle notes the vintage date of harvest, name of the single ranch, as well as details pertaining to its elevation, location, and distinctive characteristics. Both expressions are available throughout the U.S. and online for the suggested retail price of $59.99 and $64.99, respectively.

For more information, please visit https://altamarbrands.com/brands/lagrimastequila/

 About Altamar Brands LLC

Founded in 2005 by W. L. Lyons Brown, III, Altamar Brands is a small, entrepreneurial outfit founded to develop and import esoteric, artisanal spirits brands that offer unique and distinctive production stories in their respective categories. They include: High n’ Wicked Whiskeys, Foursquare Exceptional Cask Selections Rums, Probitas Rum, R.L. Seale’s 12-Year-Aged Barbados Rum, Elvelo Tequila, Kubler Absinthe, Right Gin and Lágrimas del Valle Tequila.

For more information, please visit https://altamarbrands.com/

With Cocktailing, Quality Bests Quantity.

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