New Flagship Expression Aged for Eight Years Meets Increased Consumer Demand for Double Oak Whiskey
BARDSTOWN, Ky. (March 27, 2023) – Chicken Cock Whiskey – one of America’s oldest whiskey brands – has released a Double Oak Kentucky Whiskey, which was aged for eight years. This special release was created in response to the increased consumer demand for Double Oak whiskey which, according to Nielsen[1], is growing +18% compared to the overall whiskey category growth of 1% year over year. Double Oak was bottled in a Prohibition-era Chicken Cock replica apothecary-style at 92 proof (46% ABV).
“You can’t have great whiskey without great wood and this expression is the perfect marriage of age and wood,” said Matti Anttila, founder of Grain & Barrel Spirits, which owns Chicken Cock Whiskey. “That’s why we aged our eight-year-old whiskey in American oak barrels twice. This process allows us to extract all the great flavor within the oak to create a robust and intriguing sipper that’s likely to not last long on the shelves.”
The history behind Double Oak goes back to the 2014 barrel shortage when cooperages couldn’t make barrels due to unusually heavy precipitation that impacted logging. Distilleries continued to make whiskey, but they were forced to put their whiskey in used barrels. Because one of the key requirements to being labeled a Kentucky Straight Bourbon is that the liquid must be aged in new white American oak barrels, Chicken Cock Whiskey Double Oak is the combination of two distinct barrel finishings – seven-year-old Kentucky Whiskey which was aged in used barrels and then transferred into new white American oak barrels, which were placed on the top floor of the rickhouse at Bardstown Bourbon Company during one of the hottest Kentucky summers on record, which is perfect for aging whiskey. After about 18 months in the new American oak barrels, the team bottled Chicken Cock Double Oak making it an eight-year-old Kentucky Whiskey.
Tasting Notes
- Appearance: chestnut brown
- Aroma: dark chocolate covered berries, toasted coconut shavings and caramel coffee
- Flavor: vanilla bean, waffle cone, steeped berries, and warm baking spices
- Finish: round and balanced with creamy undertones and hints of crème brulée and cinnamon flan
Chicken Cock Double Oak is available nationally at retail and online at www.chickencockwhiskey.com, Caskers and ReserveBar for the suggested retail price of $99.99 per 750ml bottle.
When Chicken Cock Whiskey Founder James A. Miller started making whiskey in Bourbon Co., Kentucky in the 1830s, bourbon wasn’t even bourbon yet. Seeing the increasing value of his liquid creation, Miller formally established Chicken Cock Whiskey (thought to be named after the rooster feathers he used to stir his drinks with) in 1856. Chicken Cock hit peak prestige when it was served as the house whiskey at the Cotton Club in Harlem, one of Prohibition’s most legendary speakeasies. In 2012, Matti Anttila rediscovered the brand and set out to resurrect it to its Prohibition-era glory. Today, Chicken Cock Whiskey’s Master Distiller Gregg Snyder oversees all parts of the whiskey-making process from bark to barrel, bourbon to bottle, and the whiskey is distilled at Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Collaborative Distilling Program facility. The brand currently has two flagship products, Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Kentucky Straight Rye, as well as a number of creative limited edition releases, like the recently launched Double Oak Whiskey and Chanticleer.
About Grain & Barrel Spirits
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Grain & Barrel Spirits is an innovative-driven global spirits portfolio that develops and scales authentic brands – connecting the best artisans with markets and consumers around the world. The company’s core brands include: Chicken Cock Whiskey, a historically significant whiskey brand established in Paris, Kentucky, in 1856; Tequila Eterno Verano, a range of ultra-premium tequilas made for adventurous souls; Dixie Vodka, the leading premium homegrown vodka produced in the Southeast, having won the prestigious 2019 and 2020 and 2021 “Rising Star” Growth Brands Awards from Beverage Dynamics magazine; High Goal Luxury Gin, a small batch, ultra-premium gin produced in Charleston; Elvis Whiskey, Elvis Presley-inspired whiskeys; and Virgil Kaine Lowcountry Whiskey. Grain & Barrel Spirits has been named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America three years in a row.
# # #
[1] Nielsen Latest 52 Weeks 10/29/22 Total US Liquor