SPIRITS WORTH RAISING - Key Persons
Alexander Murray bottles single cask single malts in addition to blended whiskies with varying age statements. Steve Lipp, Alexander Murrays great-nephew has established an independent bottling company in his great uncles name. Based out of LA, Alexander Murray seeks out the finest spirits to blend and bottle.The label has a diverse line up of products ranging from their extensive Vintage Malt collection, the Monumental blended Scotch range (available in 18- and 30-year-old expressions), The Pollys Casks bottlings containing Tullibardine single malt finished in Firestone Walkers Double DPA beer casks, and finally their Bon Accord. Bon Accord was matured in ex-Bourbon oak casks yielding a beautiful golden hue, with sweet flavors, followed by a powerful finish.Pick up your bottle today!
In the early 18th century, the rolling hills of Vermonts landscape were dotted with numerous breweries and micro-distilleries. In 1852, however, yielding to the states temperance movement, Vermont banned alcohol and shuttered the states burgeoning craft spirits industry. Though alcohol was legalized again in 1933, Vermonts Prohibition movement cast a long shadow, and distilleries across the state remained dormant for decades.Today, on the banks of the Lamoille River in Hardwick, Vermont (population: 3,174), Caledonia Spirits remains rooted in the traditions of sustainability and Vermonts agriculture.Todd Hardie, Caledonia Spirits founder, spent over four decades as a beekeeper before deciding to incorporate his raw, organic Vermont honey into craft spirits. His first honey house, which required a $1,000 down payment and had a mortgage of $133 per month, was home to 180 colonies. Coincidentally, the land in northern Vermont where he kept his first bee houses straddles the Qubec border, and had been the site of a Prohibition-era speakeasy named Bucket of Blood.Barr Hill Vodka is crafted from raw, organic Vermont honey sourced from one of Hardies now 1,900 colonies. "Honey is incredibly expensive to harvest," Hardie notes, and harder still to ferment. "Even with a Bachelors of Science in agriculture, I didnt know that the way youre taking care of your bees and your people goes into every product every bottle,"he says. "With a strict science background, they dont teach you that, but its true. The consumer will know the difference between a good and a mediocre product."After cold fermenting the honey for approximately three weeks, Hardie, together with Ryan Christiansen, Caledonia Spirits master distiller, distills the wash through a 25-gallon custom-designed fractionating column still. After distillation, each bottle of Barr Hill Vodka is brought to proof and sealed with beeswax (what else did you expect?) cut from a huge hunk of luminous lemon-yellow wax from Singing Cedar Apiaries.Barr Hill Vodka has soft notes of honey and vanilla, with a smooth, clean finish and a unique, crisp texture. "The best fertilizer is always the footprint of a farmer," says Hardie. This vodka has his footprint all over it.Pick up a bottle today!
Owner Todd Hardie spent over four decades as a beekeeper before deciding to incorporate his raw, Vermont honey into craft spirits. His first honey house, which required a $1,000 down payment and had a mortgage of $133 per month, was home to 180 colonies. Today, on the banks of the Lamoille River in Hardwick, Vermont (population: 3,174), Caledonia Spirits remains rooted in the traditions of sustainability and Vermont agriculture.Barr Hill Gin is a London dry-style gin that, unlike other gins, uses only one botanical during distillation juniper.The rest of its complex, gentle flavor profile comes from the raw honey (made at one of Hardies now 1,900 colonies), which is added during a second distillation.The distillerys 25-gallon still is made from recycled stainless steel and is a testament to Hardies commitment to environmental sustainability. The bottles, which are filled and labeled by hand, are sealed with beeswax (what else did you expect?) cut from a huge hunk of luminous lemon-yellow wax from Singing Cedar Apiaries.Barr Hill Gin earned the Double Gold Medal at the 2012 New York International Spirits Competition. "The best fertilizer is always the footprint of a farmer,"Hardie says. This gin has his footprint all over it.Pick up this bottle today!
Batiste Rhum is the first and only single source and origin American Craft Rum using Rhum Agricole. Marketed as the "Earths Favorite Cocktail Rhum", Batiste Rhum is clean, sustainable and eco-positive and boasts a carbon negative production cycle.Batiste Rhum is the result of an exclusive development partnership between RABMG distillers of Marie-Galante ( The French Caribbean island administrated by Guadeloupe) and the SBSC rhummerie of Napa, CA.This unique partnership allows Batiste Rhum to offer exceptional rhums made in California using the award winning eco-positive Rhum Agricole distillate from Marie-GalanteBatiste Rhum Gold is based on their award-winning Silver Rhum. Batiste Rhum Gold is aged in Napa, CA for a minimum of 6 months in ex Tennessee rye whiskey barrels. This "beauty sleep" in the barrel imparts a subtle rye character onto the spirit, further mellowing this smooth rhum.Pick up your bottle today!
Batiste Rhum is the first and only single source and origin American Craft Rum using Rhum Agricole. Marketed as the "Earths Favorite Cocktail Rhum", Batiste Rhum is clean, sustainable and eco-positive and boasts a carbon negative production cycle.Batiste Rhum is result of an exclusive development partnership between RABMG distillers of Marie Galante ( The French Caribbean island administrated by Guadeloupe) and the SBSC rhummerie of Napa, CA. This unique partnership allows Batiste Rhum to offer exceptional rhums made in California using the award winning eco-positive rhum agricole distillate from Marie GalanteThis stunning Silver Rhum earned a bronze medal at the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, 89 points from Wine Enthusiast, 92 points from Tasting Panel and Cigar and Spirits Magazine as well as a gold medal at the 2019 Sunset Magazine International Spirits Competition. You can expect fragrant aromas of tropical fruit, vanilla and ginger followed by a clean, crisp finish.Pick up your bottle today!
"Bob Brinley started distilling rum on the island of St. Kitts in 1986, naming his company Shipwreck after an actual shipwreck of a British troop transport ship just off St. Kitts in 1782. The sinking of the ship most likely took place during a famous sea-battle when Admiral Rodney defeated the French under DeGrasse.In 2002, Brinleys son joined the family business. The Father-Son team now has 30 years experience making. Together they produce a full range of flavored delicious molasses-based rums, including their signature Spiced, Vanilla, Coconut, Mango, Coffee, and unique Coconut Cream varieties.Brinleys signature Gold Shipwreck Rum Spiced is molasses-based, forming an incredible depth of character and depth of flavor. Aged a full four years in new single-charred oak barrels, this rum has delicious, all natural notes of vanilla, nutmeg, orange zest, clove and exotic spice.Pick up your bottle today!"
The Captain Morgan brand was founded in 1944 when the Seagram Company first started producing rum under the name Captain Morgan Rum Company. Seagrams CEO Samuel Bronfman purchased the Long Pond distillery from the Jamaican government, along with the rights to a rum by a Kingston pharmacy that sourced its spirit from the very same distillery, then spiced, aged, and bottled it. In 1985 the distillery was sold along with the rights to Captain Morgan. The brand came into Diageos hands in 2001 and has remained under them since. Captain Morgan has been sold in the US since 1984. Adorned with the iconic artwork by award-winning artist Don Maitz, its one of the largest spirit brands on American soil and an instantly-recognizable classic. Distilled from sugar cane in continuous stills it is first aged for up to a year before the proprietary recipe of spices and flavors are added. Various indigenous Caribbean spices contribute to its distinct flavor profile. The lineup has expanded considerably with various additions ranging from Pineapple and Coconut Rum to Captain Morgan Apple Smash, a Private Stock offering, and several others. Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, naturally, remains their flagship offering.Captain Morgan Orange Vanilla Twist combines their classic rum with the addition of orange and vanilla for a refreshing and fruity 60-proof offering. Its a limited summertime edition that adds a sweet and fruity creaminess to the iconic spiced rum recipe and goes perfect with some ice or mixed with cola or ginger ale.Get ready for the summer with one of these limited-edition bottles today!
After serving in World War II, legend has it that Clyde May returned to his native Alabama to raise his eight children and tend to the farm that he had purchased before the war began. Like many farmers at the time, Clyde would distill the excess grains he harvested into corn whiskey "branch-farming," he liked to call it. From the 1950s to the 1980s, May managed to produce nearly 300 gallons of whiskey a week just southeast of Montgomery in a still that he had designed and built himself. While much of Mays whiskey was sold unaged, a portion of the whiskey he produced was aged in charred oak casks into which dried apples were dropped in order to enhance the flavor.Always distilling whiskey outside the law, May was arrested in 1973 and served an 18-month sentence at the Maxwell Air Force Base. "He sure had a reputation for making fine whiskey," said Thomas Allison, a former officer with the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Upon his release, May gave up his cell to the man who convicted him Attorney General John Mitchell, who was convicted in 1974 on charges relating to the Watergate scandal.After Mays death in 1990, his son, Kenny, took up the family business and began working with Kentucky Bourbon Distillers to produce a whiskey in honor of his father. Using his fathers recipe and water imported from Conecuh Ridge, May produced the first legal batch of Clyde Mays Conecuh Ridge Alabama Stlye Whiskey over a decade ago.Today, Clyde Mays Whiskey continues to be made from the same recipe that Kenneths father perfected nearly 50 years ago a mash of corn, rye and malted barley. Once the grains are distilled, they are aged in oak barrels for an average of five to six years. In April 2004, the State of Alabama designated Clyde Mays Conecuh Ridge Alabama Style Whiskey as the "official state spirit." The whiskey also earned the Gold Medal at the WSWA Tasting Competition and the MicroLiquor Spirits Awards in 2012. In addition, it was named one of the Top 50 Spirits of 2012 by Wine Enthusiast, which gave it a score of 93 points. Clyde Mays Whiskey has a soft, gentle flavor, and sweet notes of honey, caramel and apple that continue to pay homage to its namesake.Pick up an official state spirit today!
After serving in World War II, legend has it that Clyde May returned to his native Alabama to raise his eight children and tend to the farm that he had purchased before the war began. Like many farmers at the time, Clyde would distill the excess grains he harvested into corn whiskey "branch-farming," he liked to call it. From the 1950s to the 1980s, May managed to produce nearly 300 gallons of whiskey a week just southeast of Montgomery in a still that he had designed and built himself. While much of Mays whiskey was sold unaged, a portion of the whiskey he produced was aged in charred oak casks into which dried apples were dropped in order to enhance the flavor.Always distilling whiskey outside the law, May was arrested in 1973 and served an 18-month sentence at the Maxwell Air Force Base. "He sure had a reputation for making fine whiskey," said Thomas Allison, a former officer with the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Upon his release, May gave up his cell to the man who convicted him Attorney General John Mitchell, who was convicted in 1974 on charges relating to the Watergate scandal.After Mays death in 1990, his son, Kenny, took up the family business and began working with Kentucky Bourbon Distillers to produce a whiskey in honor of his father. Clyde Mays Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a five-year-old whiskey, aged in heavily alligator charred new American oak barrels, non-chilled filtered and bottled at 92 proof. With a mash bill of 78 percent corn, 12 percent rye, and 10 percent barley, Clyde Mays bourbon is a venture away from their traditional, coined and trade-marked Alabama Style whiskey, which has oven-dried apples added to barrels of new-make whiskey. This straight bourbon was first launched in September of 2016, on Clyde Mays birthday and during National Bourbon Heritage Month. The release received a Gold medal in the New York World Wine and Spirits Competition and a 93 rating in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge.Pick up a bottle of this bourbon today!
After a failed attempt to strike it rich during the California Gold Rush, Cyrus Noble returned to his native Ohio and took work at the Freiberg-Workum Distillery, situated near the Ohio River. After years of studying and hard-work, Noble was promoted to superintendent of the distillery and began perfecting the craft of distilling small-batch spirits.Noble not only enjoyed producing bourbon, he also enjoyed consuming it. While the exact circumstances remain unknown, rumor has it that, while intoxicated one day, Cyrus was experimenting with a new recipe for bourbon, when he slipped and fell into a vat of whiskey. In 1871, the distillery appropriately commissioned the new bourbon under his name. The smooth bourbon found its way into saloons across the Western frontier, and was enjoyed by both men and women who shared a common spirit of adventure, and possessed the ingenuity and wherewithal to help settle the booming west.Made from a mash of 75 percent corn, 17 percent rye and 8 percent malted barley, Cyrus Noble Bourbon Whiskey is born in Kentucky and aged for five to six years in American white oak barrels in San Francisco. With notes of caramel, hazelnut, and toffee, each bottle reflects the spirit and character of a hand-made, intimate whiskey.In 1899, when George Dewey was told of his promotion to Admiral of the United States Navy he is the only person in the history of the United States to have ever held that rank Dewey reached for two glasses and a bottle of Cyrus Noble and toasted to his success.Have a toast to your own success with a bottle of Cyrus Noble today!
Don Papa Rum was founded in 2011 by Stephen Carroll, a former Remy Cointreau executive. After visiting the sugar capital of Negros, while visiting the Philippines, Carroll became enchanted by the island and its "stories of an island that had everything; from the worlds finest sugarcane, beautiful beaches, mountains, and volcanoes even guerillas in the hills!" He became determined to switch up the Philippines less than stellar rum reputation, with a new imaginative, premium offering. The Philippines is ranked number three on the list of largest rum markets in the world, making it even more of a prime fit for former Remy exec.The brand is indubitably inspired by the Philippines. The name Don Papa is a nod to Dionisio Magbuelas, more popularly known has Papa Isio, a healer, shaman, seer, rebel, and leader of the babaylanes or shamans, who played a key part during the years prior to the onset of the Philippine Revolution in the 19th century. Don Papa is inspired by the essence of the leader that Magbuelas was; "A real and charismatic leader from the island of Negros, Philippines, whose legend was instrumental to the independence of the island during the Revolution of the 1890s" (Don Papa).Don Papa Rum is distilled in the fertile foothills of Mt. Kanlaon, an area where some of the finest sugarcane is milled producing rich, sweet molasses. The blending of Don Papa is sheer alchemy, done in collaboration with a master blender from Ginebra San Miguel. It is then aged for 7 years in American oak barrels yielding a pristine, small batch product.Heavy with notes of caramel and vanilla, this rum lends itself to the sweeter side, but nothing less should be expected from the Philippines first real sipping rum. Bottled with an eye-catching packaging featuring a trippy Alice in Wonderland meets island adventurer motif, this Don Papa rum is a truly intriguing release. Not to mention the creative genius that is the bottle itself. The bespoke, imaginative vial symbolizes the history of the Philippines, as a creative representation of the influences of colonialism. The bottle is from France, the cork from Portugal, the label from Italy, and the brand image was designed in New York by Stranger and Stranger. The label features Don Papa, adorned with a gecko. There are 49 other animals hidden in the label including the native tarsier, endemic to the southern Philippine islands of Bohol, Samar, and Leyte. This award winning design won a Gold medal for packaging at the 2013 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and product innovation of the year at the 2013 Paris Cocktail Spirits Show.Get your bottle of this inspiring rum today!
Owner Todd Hardie spent over four decades as a beekeeper before deciding to incorporate his raw, Vermont honey into craft spirits. His first honey house, which required a $1,000 down payment and had a mortgage of $133 per month, was home to 180 colonies. Today, on the banks of the Lamoille River in Hardwick, Vermont (population: 3,174), Caledonia Spirits remains rooted in the traditions of sustainability and Vermont agriculture.Barr Hill Gin is a London dry-style gin that, unlike other gins, uses only one botanical during distillation juniper.The rest of its complex, gentle flavor profile comes from the raw honey (made at one of Hardies now 1,900 colonies), which is added during a second distillation.The distillerys 25-gallon still is made from recycled stainless steel and is a testament to Hardies commitment to environmental sustainability. The bottles, which are filled and labeled by hand, are sealed with beeswax (what else did you expect?) cut from a huge hunk of luminous lemon-yellow wax from Singing Cedar Apiaries.Barr Hill Gin earned the Double Gold Medal at the 2012 New York International Spirits Competition. "The best fertilizer is always the footprint of a farmer,"Hardie says. This gin has his footprint all over it.Pick up this bottle today!
William "Bill" Foley II, the great-great-nephew of Texas Ranger, cattle herder and "father of the Texas Panhandle" Charles Goodnight, has followed in his pioneering uncles footsteps. A consummate entrepreneur, Foley is the ex-chairman of a Fortune 500 company, owner of a working cattle ranch and golf resort in Montana and founder of Foley Family Wines, where he began his foray into the wine and spirits industry.Taking full advantage of his creativity and connections (Foley spoke at length with Wild Turkey to find the perfect recipe for his whiskey), Foley has been working tirelessly over the past several years preparing to launch his newest product: Charles Goodnight Kentucky Straight Bourbon, a nod to his late ancestor. Charles Goodnight Kentucky Straight Bourbon is aged for roughly six years and bottled at a robust 100 proof. "My great-great-uncle was a tough guy and a big bourbon drinker," says Foley. "He wouldnt have wanted an 80-proof bourbon."Charles Goodnight Kentucky Straight Bourbon has rich aromas of oak and vanilla, leading to honey, birthday cake and cinnamon spice on the palate. The finish is long and smooth, accented with more oak and leather, reflective of Goodnights own, "tough as leather, smooth as velvet," mantra. Released just now in a small handful of states across the country, Caskers is offering the chance to buy Charles Goodnight Straight Bourbon for the first time ever. Pick up a bottle today before it sells out!