by admin | Dec 6, 2021 | IN THE NEWS
Aged for 20 Years, New Expression and Commemorative Tin Honors “The Famous Old Brand’s” Prohibition-era History
BARDSTOWN, Ky. (Dec 6, 2021) – Grain & Barrel Spirits’ (“G&B”) has released a limited-edition Chicken Cock Cotton Club Canadian Rye Whiskey, which was aged for 20 years and bottled in a Prohibition-era Chicken Cock replica apothecary-style bottle at 100 proof (50% ABV). The mash bill contains 90% rye and 10% malted barley.
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.” It was around this time that Chicken Cock rose to fame as the featured house whiskey at The Cotton Club (located in Harlem at 142nd St. and Lenox Avenue), one of Prohibition’s most legendary speakeasies. Here the brand was ceremoniously opened table-side where Duke Ellington and his orchestra regularly performed on the Cotton Club’s stage. In an excerpt from ‘Music is my Mistress,’ Ellington said, “during the prohibition period, you could always buy good whiskey from somebody in the Cotton Club. They used to have what they called Chicken Cock. It was a bottle in a can, and the can was sealed. It cost something like ten to fourteen dollars a pint.” ($140+ today).
“This luxury spirit and commemorative tin honor Chicken Cock’s Prohibition-era history and a period where the brand ventured north to carry on its tradition of bringing high quality whiskey to patrons across the country,” said Matti Anttila, founder of Grain & Barrel Spirits. “This rare straight rye whiskey signals a return to pre-prohibition times when the classic spirit was more prevalent, while also honoring the brand’s history and heritage. We even maintained the spelling of ‘whiskey’ versus ‘whisky’ on the original tin from Prohibition.”
Tasting Notes:
- Appearance: aged 20 years in a used bourbon barrel, the whiskey glistens with a soft, yellowish-brown hue
- Aroma: sweet candy combined with slight grassy rye, earthy notes, hints of citrus/orange peel, spice and white pepper
- Flavor: a wonderful combination of vanilla, spice and sweet molasses, nicely complimented with mild overtones of pepper, citrus and toasted oak
- Finish: a long finish with a wonderful balance of pepper, spice and sweetness, that lingers with a buttery mouthfeel
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 whose résumé includes distilling, cooperage, and executive positions with Brown-Forman, Austin Nichols, as well as board positions with the Associated Cooperage Industries of America, Kentucky Distillers’ Association, and others. 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.
Chicken Cock Cotton Club Canadian Rye Whiskey (1,595 6-pack cases) is available for the suggested retail price of $499.99 per 750ml bottle online via Passion Spirits, Flaviar, Caskers, and Cask Cartel and soon nationally via special allocation.
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 Chicken Cock Whiskey, an historically significant whiskey brand established in Paris, Kentucky, in 1856; 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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by admin | Nov 30, 2021 | IN THE NEWS
100% Rye Whiskey Finished in French Cognac Barrels Available for Purchase on Monday, December 6 at 12:00pm
Austin, TX (November 30, 2021) – Still Austin Whiskey Co., a homegrown distillery situated in the heart of South Austin, will launch its latest “Distillery Reserve Series” expression on Monday, December 6 beginning at 12:00pm: a 100% Rye Whiskey finished in French Cognac barrels.
The rye whiskey was handmade from grain-to-glass at the distillery, aged for 33 months in new charred American Oak barrels, finished for six months in French Cognac barrels and bottled at 108.6 proof (54.3% ABV). Featuring grains grown by Texas farmers, the whiskey opens with aromas of pear, vanilla, orange peel, honey, and fig, followed by hints of butterscotch, honeycomb, and white grape. The creamy and nutty palate offers up notes of whipped cream and apricot jam, alongside rye spice and further echoes of French butter pears. The silky taste tapers off with an easy, round finish and lingering impressions of sugar cookies.
For the label, the team paired the distiller’s art with the work of Zuzu Perkal, an Austin-based visual artist and muralist. Zuzu is a self-taught contemporary visual artist and muralist committed to the exploration, experimentation and unconventionality of blurring the lines between fine and street art. She spray painted every individual bottle by hand, allowing her dynamic vision to echo the spirit inside.
“This Distillery Reserve Series release combines two of our most exciting ventures: our 100% Texas rye whiskey and French cognac cask finishing,” said John Schrepel, Head Distiller. “The aging process resulted in a smooth and complex spirit with a fruit-forward nose layered with hints of spice that’s perfect for the holidays.”
When & Where to Buy
Whiskey lovers will have the chance to purchase a 750ml bottle by visiting StillAustin.com on Monday, December 6, beginning at 12:00pm. Bottles will be sold on a first come, first served basis for $120 plus tax. All bottles must be picked up at the Still Austin distillery (440 E. St Elmo Road Unit F) beginning on Friday, December 10 at 12:00pm.
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. The team also uses Texas weather to its advantage. The region’s high heat, humidity and rapidly shifting temperatures encourage spirits to move rapidly in and out of the oak barrels and mature relatively quickly—but, if this process is left unchecked, it can also cause the bourbon to have heavy oak flavor or harsh tannic qualities. To prevent this, Still Austin uses a meticulous six-month slow water reduction technique focused on flavor and balance, which gives the alcohol a softness on the palate and brings more “mature” notes, like vanilla and caramel, to the forefront.
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 the Artist
With the coalescence of unrestrained imagination, vigorous dedication, and inevitable trial and error, Zuzu Perkal has cultivated a distinct style and process. By pursuing multiple style disciplines, all of her work exemplifies dynamic movements, vibrant colors, and contemporary design, which lay the foundation for an engaged and energetic viewer. Zuzu graduated from one of the nation’s top rated Advertising Portfolio Programs at the University of Texas at Austin in 2010. After years of working at various creative agencies and organizations, she became a full-time visual artist and muralist. Zuzu is on the Board of Directors for the HOPE Campaign, a nonprofit 501(c3) supporting visual artists and musicians through community programming and projects.
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by admin | Nov 30, 2021 | IN THE NEWS
Special Release Showcases a Blend of 16 and 17-Year-Old Straight Bourbons
Louisville, KY (November 30, 2021) – Barrell Craft Spirits® (BCS), the award-winning independent blender and bottler of unique aged, cask-strength sourced whiskey and rum, today introduced its BCS Gold Label Bourbon, a blend of 16 and 17-year-old straight bourbons, which were distilled in Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
Barrels for this release were selected from four different collections: cherry bomb barrels with a rich mouthfeel, nutty oak-forward barrels, high proof and high complexity barrels, and barrels with pronounced milk chocolate notes. The last group underwent a secondary maturation in toasted virgin American oak casks before being added to this intricate and seductive blend.
“The BCS Gold Label Bourbon is extraordinarily unique because the rare stocks that were acquired underwent a secondary blending and maturation,” said BCS Founder Joe Beatrice. “This expression epitomizes how our team expertly elevates barrels of whiskey into an extraordinarily complex blend which maximizes the nuances of each ingredient.”
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.
In addition to BCS Gold Label, Barrell Craft Spirits® offers several other special releases that allow its creativity to flourish including: Barrell Dovetail, which was awarded the “Chairman’s Trophy” at the 2020 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, Barrell Armida, Barrell Seagrass, American Vatted Malt, and the Infinite Barrel Project.
BCS Gold Label was bottled at 113.54 proof (56.77% ABV) and is now available at select retailers within the brand’s current 48 U.S. markets and online via the BCS website at www.barrellbourbon.com. The suggested retail price for a 750ml bottle, which includes a red gift box, is $499.99.
For more information, follow Barrell Craft Spirits® on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram or visit www.barrellbourbon.com.
Barrell Craft Spirits®
Barrell Craft Spirits® is an independent blender and bottler 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. Every batch and single barrel is produced as a limited release and has a distinct flavor profile.
Barrell Craft Spirits®, Barrell®, Barrell Bourbon® and Barrell Rye® are registered trademarks owned by Barrell Craft Spirits LLC.
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by admin | Nov 17, 2021 | IN THE NEWS
Critically Acclaimed Expression Now Available Online, Throughout Texas & at the Still Austin Distillery
Austin, TX (November 17, 2021) – Earlier this year, Still Austin Whiskey Co. launched a limited-release Cask Strength Bourbon which sold out in a matter of weeks. Due to popular demand, the homegrown grain-to-glass distillery today announced that the expression will become a permanent fixture in its portfolio. It’s now available for purchase online, in on- and off-premise establishments throughout Texas, and at the Still Austin Tasting Room.
“We were blown away by the volume of demand for Cask Strength and how quickly it sold out,” said Brandon Joldersma, Chief Operating Officer, Still Austin Whiskey Co. “We planned for another limited-release this Fall, but quickly changed course when we saw how well whiskey lovers responded to this expression. So, we decided to give the people what they want and make Cask Strength a permanent part of our portfolio.”
Made from 100% Texas grains, the expression contains the same mash bill as the company’s flagship straight bourbon whiskey – 70% Non-GMO white corn, 25% Elbon rye and 5% wildfire malted barley. To create this robust bourbon, the team asked Master Blender Nancy Fraley to search through their barrels of Straight Bourbon and select the most complex and full-flavored ones—those that were begging to be blended and released at “barrel proof,” meaning the whiskey was bottled at the same proof at which it was aged. The resulting spirit is a masterpiece of complex, dark flavors with a deep spice finish. The suggested retail price for a 750ml bottle is $60.
At 118 proof (59% ABV), the Cask Strength Bourbon is a “deeper, darker, more robust version of its beloved 98.4 proof fruit-forward sibling (aka The Musician), offering a nose of brandied cherries with fresh muddled mint, old fashioned blackberry cobbler with biscuit crust, and cinnamon toast in brown butter,” according to Fraley. “The palate offers notes of grilled peaches drizzled with balsamic vinegar, butterscotch pecan pie, and dark brown sugar, followed by warming waves of rye spice, nutmeg, and clove.”
The artwork on the label, created by internationally acclaimed artist and native Texan Marc Burckhardt, is a slightly modified version of the Straight Bourbon artwork, a series which portrays “archetypical” Austinites. Each provides a sense of the people who have influenced and inspired the team, while paying homage to the Texas terroir. While the Cask Strength bottle also features The Musician, the black starry night sky is meant to reflect the mysterious nature of the stronger, “darker” whiskey inside the bottle.
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 Still Austin 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 distillery to make the highest quality whiskey. 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, 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 the flagship Straight Bourbon Whiskey (aka “The Musician”), Cask Strength Bourbon, and American Gin (aka “The Naturalist”). 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.
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by admin | Nov 17, 2021 | IN THE NEWS
Retailers Will Carry All Four Wine Spritzer Flavors Beginning in November
Miami Beach, FL (November 17, 2021) – Cool Cat, a refreshing line of low-calorie wine spritzers, is now available in California following a distribution deal with BevMo! and Gopuff. The state’s largest alcohol retailer has agreed to carry all four Cool Cat wine spritzers – Original (Elderflower Mint Lime), Citrus, Berry and Grapefruit, in its 100+ stores statewide.
In late 2020, BevMo! was acquired by Gopuff, the go-to-solution for delivery of immediate everyday needs, and earlier this year, Cool Cat was selected by Gopuff for the inaugural class of its “Put Me On” Small Business Accelerator Program in partnership with NBA All-Star Chris Paul. The program brings together industry leaders and experts to support entrepreneurs from historically underrepresented groups giving them the tools, insights and distribution to grow their businesses.
The announcement comes at a time when the flavored wine category (spritzers, sangria and wine cocktails) is surging – up 90% in 2020, to 32 million cases versus 2019. While all four spritzers are available for purchase online at www.drinkcoolcat.com and in select on-and off-premise locations in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New York and New Jersey, this marks the brand’s first distribution deal in the Western U.S.
“We’re building a lifestyle beverage brand inclusive of all genders, ethnicities, and sexual orientations, bringing together like-minded individuals who share similar values and experiences,” said co-founder and CEO Rocco Venneri. “As a minority business owner, I was delighted to see Gopuff and its partner NBA All-Star Chris Paul stepping up to help underrepresented businesses. We’re thrilled to be part of the ‘Put Me On’ program and to be working with them to make Cool Cat available to more people.”
Named “Best Spritzer of 2021” by Liquor.com and awarded a Gold Medal by The Fifty Best, the naturally flavored spritzers feature a base of California Pinot Grigio, cane sugar, and are naturally gluten free. At 6.9% ABV they are a better alternative to many other alcoholic beverages, containing just 150 calories and two carbohydrates per 12-ounce can.
Cool Cat tastes great right out of the can, but can also be poured over ice or used to create specialty cocktails. The brand is a mainstay at hot spots in New York and Miami like The Standard Hotels, Beaker & Gray and The Sylvester.
The spritzers are also 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.
To find a store near you, visit https://drinkcoolcat.com/pages/find-us.
For more information, follow the brand @drinkcoolcat on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Spotify, or visit www.drinkcoolcat.com.
About Cool Cat
Cool Cat is a minority founded, led, and operated lifestyle company established in 2018 in Chelsea, NYC. Launched in April 2020, Cool Cat Wine Spritzers are currently distributed in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and New York. Discover the brand online at drinkcoolcat.com or on Instagram and Facebook @drinkoolcat.
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