Gordon & MacPhail’s new look Connoisseurs Choice leads portfolio relaunch 

Scotch whisky maturation expert, Gordon & MacPhail, has announced the relaunch of its portfolio of single malt Scotch whiskies to continue strengthening the reputation of the brand globally.

The 122-year-old, family-owned company is streamlining its existing portfolio into five distinct ranges: ‘Discovery’, ‘Distillery Labels’, ‘Connoisseurs Choice’, ‘Private Collection’, and ‘Generations’. Each range celebrates Gordon & MacPhail’s single-minded commitment to the art of Scotch whisky maturation.

The first range to relaunch, with a distinctive new look, will be ‘Connoisseurs Choice’, which marks its fiftieth anniversary this year.

Stephen Rankin is Director of Prestige and a fourth generation member of the Urquhart family, owners of Gordon & MacPhail. He said: “Gordon & MacPhail has a 122-year history of forging strong and lasting relationships with distillers across Scotland and our loyal consumers. With four generations of experience in the whisky industry, we have continually evolved, innovated, and grown.

“As we begin a new chapter, we are streamlining our portfolio to make it more accessible for our consumers, placing their desire for products with heritage, authenticity, and provenance at the heart of each range. We want to take malt whisky lovers on a journey that will help them explore beyond their usual whisky choices.

“Each whisky tells a story, not only about the distillery of origin and the casks maturing the spirit, but also about the time and patience devoted to nurturing each whisky to the pinnacle of its maturation potential. Many of the whiskies in our ranges have been tended by multiple generations of my family.”

The newly refreshed ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ was first pioneered in 1968 by George Urquhart, second generation of the family, at a time when very few whiskies were bottled as single malts.

Stephen continued: “When my grandfather launched ‘Connoisseurs Choice’, he was considered eccentric for taking such an innovative approach. This range provided an opportunity for whisky lovers to explore whiskies that had never previously been bottled as single malts. As a result, he is heralded as one of the pioneers of the single malt category.

“Our ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ range remains true to my grandfather’s vision and philosophy while placing a greater emphasis on small batch, single and multiple casks, bottled as vintages. We hope consumers will look forward to each limited release.”

The brand-new ‘Discovery’ range will follow in late spring; ‘Distillery Labels’ will launch in the summer, and new look ‘Private Collection’ range will be released in the autumn; the next ‘Generations’ unveiling is still to be revealed.

For more information about the new look ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ and streamlined portfolio, visit www.gordonandmacphail.com

#MaturationExpert

Notes:

‘Connoisseurs Choice’

• Launching spring 2018
• The range will start at approximately £70, $70, €70 and rise to approximately £500, $500, €500. Prices will vary in markets around the world due to taxes and duties.
• An exclusive range of small batch, non-chill-filtered, single and multiple cask bottlings
• Bottled as vintages
• Bottled at 46% (gold colourways), cask strength (grey colourways), or as a wood finish (red colourways)
• Unique label provides detailed information about each bottling – perfect for the whisky enthusiast
• 2018 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ range

Gordon & MacPhail

Gordon & MacPhail is a family-owned single malt Scotch whisky specialist based in Elgin, Scotland.

Since 1895, Gordon & MacPhail has sent carefully selected casks to distilleries throughout Scotland, filled them with new-make spirit, and matured them either at the distillery of origin or in the company’s own bonded warehouses in Elgin.

Today, Gordon & MacPhail is the curator of the world’s most diverse collection of single malt Scotch whiskies– a liquid library of flavour. Pursuing a singular path to become the master of whisky maturation, each generation of the Urquhart family strives to expand its knowledge and expertise to pass on to subsequent generations.

BUSHMILLS IRISH WHISKEY ANNOUNCES THE 2018 RELEASE OF ITS RARE SINGLE MALTS 

The world’s largest malt Irish whiskey brand releases 16 AND 21 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALTS*

2018 release sees increase in availability of 16 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT 

Bushmills, Co. Antrim, 12^th April 2018: Bushmills® Irish Whiskey today announced the long-awaited 2018 release of two rare, small batch single malt whiskeys. Both BUSHMILLS 16 & 21 Year Old Single MaltS are matured and finished in three different cask types to create uniquely rich flavours.

BUSHMILLS 16 & 21 Year Old Single MaltS have won a long list of international awards that recognise the immense artisanship that lies behind these exquisite whiskeys. As part of the  2018 release, the brand has announced an increase in availability of BUSHMILLS 16 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT by 100 per cent – a direct response to the 25% increase in demand of premium malts in the last year**.

Colum Egan, Master Distiller at Bushmills Irish Whiskey, said: “As the largest malt Irish whiskey brand in the world and one of the first distilleries to create a single malt whiskey, we are delighted to release these rare expressions for the ultra-premium end of the Irish whiskey category. With almost 40 years crafting our BUSHMILLS 16 & 21 Year Old Single MaltS, we know that only a combination of patience, dedication and experience in our craft has allowed us to maintain the same great consistency of flavour and taste over the years.”

BUSHMILLS 16 Year Old Single Malt has been aged for at least 16 years in a combination of bourbon casks and Oloroso sherry butts, before being vatted and married for nine months in large old port pipes. This careful ageing and finishing produces a smooth and sweet single malt that tastes mature beyond its years, with flavours of honeyed nutty maltiness, toasted wood and sweet port wine.

Even rarer is the remarkable BUSHMILLS 21 Year Old Single MALT, matured in American oak bourbon and old Oloroso sherry casks for at least 19 years. This premium whiskey spends two further years marrying in Madeira wine casks to produce a single malt of incredible depth, richness and complexity with notes of wood, raisin, toffee sweetness and soft spice and hints of vanilla, dark chocolate, mint and leather.

Colum Egan added: “This year, each bottle of BUSHMILLS 21 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT will have the year of bottling and its own individual number referenced on the bottle, making it even more collectable to those who purchase it.”

Bottled at 40% ABV, both limited editions will be available from specialist independent retailers and on-trade outlets only. 

Notes 

* IWSR Global Database 2017

** Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI) 2018

TASTING NOTES

Bushmills 16 Year Old

Nose: Honeyed almonds, vanilla oakiness and delicate port wine notes.

Palate: Unique complexity, honeyed nutty maltiness; toasted wood; sweet port wine flavours.

Finish: Deep, sweet wine and fruit.

Bushmills 21 Year Old

Nose: Honeyed malt, wood, raisins, dark chocolate and a hint of mint.

Palate: Wonderfully complex: mellow maltiness, wood, raisins, toffee sweetness, spice, vanilla and dark chocolate; hints of mint and leather.

Finish: Lingering, with a slightly dry maltiness, wood and raisins.

About Bushmills® Irish Whiskey

Bushmills® Irish Whiskey is crafted with care at The Old Bushmills Distillery in the village of Bushmills, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. As Ireland’s oldest working distillery – making triple distilled malt whiskey and producing both blended and single malt whiskey – our unmatched malt is at the heart of all Bushmills® Irish Whiskeys and creates a unique combination of smoothness and richness.

www.bushmills.com

About PROXIMO
PROXIMO is a global innovator of quality spirits that create excitement with every sip. Its unique portfolio of brands includes the world’s largest selling tequila, Jose Cuervo®, Bushmills® Irish Whiskey, The Kraken® Black Spiced Rum, TINCUP® American Whiskey and Boodles® British Gin.
www.proximospirits.com

PhD student aims to make future of whisky watertight 

World-leading Scotch whisky producer Chivas Brothers is forging ahead with research to help combat the effects of climate change on distillery water resources. Today, the business announced the appointment of Jessica Fennell, a PhD student at the University of Aberdeen, who will work with the firm to identify natural solutions to reduce and manage the impact of water scarcity and rising water temperatures during prolonged warm and dry periods.

Jessica Fennell

The Scotch whisky industry critically depends on a sustainable and good quality water supply; pure Scottish mineral water is one of three ingredients used in the malting, mashing and cooling processes and also when diluting the spirit to reduce its alcoholic strength to the desired level. It is hoped that through the research, Jessica along with Chivas Brothers’ environmental and sustainability team, will identify solutions to preserve this key ingredient, to the benefit of the entire Scotch whisky industry.

Throughout the project, 25-year-old Jessica, originally from Plymouth in Devon, will split her time between the University of Aberdeen and The Glenlivet distillery in Moray, where she will complete field research on the water catchment areas and undertake research and development of hydrological models. This will help to identify the best locations for Nature Based Solutions such as ponds or wetlands for infiltration, or tree planting for shading to manage water flow and temperatures for distilleries.

Jessica said: “I’m really looking forward to starting this PhD project. I’ve always considered myself as being environmentally conscious and believe it is vital for both researchers and those in the industry to work hand in hand to ensure we make good progress in safeguarding important resources, such as water, for the future.

“By working in the field at The Glenlivet distillery, I will be able to really understand how the water catchment works, and hopefully identify the steps distilleries may need to take to make sure they have enough cold water to continue production long into the future. In addition, through the support of the University of Aberdeen and the James Hutton Institute I will have access to the latest modelling and field equipment to help identify if and where these nature based solutions would be most efficient, thereby hopefully benefitting the industry in the long-term.”

In April 2017, Chivas Brothers along with the University of Aberdeen and James Hutton Institute, started the quest to find a suitable student to advance this important research. Out of ~40 applications, Jessica was chosen after impressing the team with her extensive knowledge, experience and passion for environmental sustainability. Chivas Brothers is providing £4,000 in grant funding to support the four-year Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) industrial studentship.

Chivas Brothers has marked water management as one of its strategic focuses within its environmental policy. This is inline with the vision of its parent company, Pernod Ricard, which has been a member of the United Nations CEO Water Mandate since 2010 reinforcing its commitment to the protection of the planet’s water resources.

Gordon Buist, Production Director at Chivas Brothers, said: “Jessica’s appointment marks an important step forward in pioneering this important research. During the project, Jessica will work alongside our experienced environmental and sustainability team to identify and test the effectiveness of novel solutions to manage water flow. This will include identifying the best locations to use these techniques, as these will be dependent on the type of soil, ground cover and land gradient. Our ambition is that this research will provide a solid foundation for further development in the future, and will take us – and the wider industry – one step closer to understanding and securing sustainable water resources in the long term.”

Dr. Josie Geris, Lecturer in Hydrology at the School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, and Jessica’s PhD supervisor added: “We are delighted to welcome Jessica to the University of Aberdeen. She’s an exceptional candidate and her enthusiasm for the project really shone through. We’re excited to see what her research will achieve.  She has vast experience in water management, which we’re confident will benefit Chivas Brothers and the wider Scotch whisky industry as we move forward with this exciting research project.”

Kneads must – whisky and donuts make for a sweet sensation at Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

Whisky aficionados who descend on one of the world’s leading whisky festivals have many hobbies and interests – and one will be sharing his love of donuts and drams at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2018.

The event ‘Here’s Johnny’ is more The Simpsons than The Shining, given donuts are Homer Simpson’s favourite food, and comes all the way from the USA, courtesy of Californian, Johnny Baldaray. He’s commissioned a specialist donut maker in Edinburgh to create some delicious delicacies to sample alongside half a dozen whiskies.

Visiting Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival three years ago, Johnny and his wife Erica developed a love for Speyside single malts, and with a number of whisky and food pairings in the programme, Johnny thought he’d have a go himself, matching the amber nectar to his favourite sweet treat. Back home in America he launched @whiskyanddonuts on social media and now has over 10,000 followers.

It may seem like an unlikely combination, and Johnny admits the concept came about almost by accident.

Johnny explains: “Shortly after our first trip to Scotland in 2015, we invited close friends over for dinner which included tastings of all the whiskies we brought back.  It just so happened that we had picked up a box of donuts from our favourite shop earlier that day, and as the whisky was poured, the donut box made its way to the table.

“Later that night we all shared new year’s resolutions, and mine was to create an Instagram account called @whiskyanddonuts and as they say, the rest is history.”

A return visit to Speyside in 2016 saw Johnny launch a dark chocolate donut at Tomintoul Distillery, with Old Ballantruan, the distiller’s peated range, arousing the curiosity of whisky fans – but he’s the first to admit that not everyone approves.

Johnny says: “Those in attendance during the Tomintoul tour did not hesitate in reaching for a few bites of the donuts.  Some enjoyed the combos more than others, but overall, it shook things up during the tasting in a fun way!

“We have experienced a small share of resistance within our Whisky and Donuts journey, social media allows people to feel invincible with their judgements, and frankly, we get a kick out of that!

“Even more interesting than the disapprovals, are the comments that say we paired the wrong donut!  Personally, I love and embrace the purists in whisky culture, I am far from an expert on the subject and often find inspiration from those who are so devoted to tradition and regiment.”

There are no hard and fast rules for tastings with Johnny who keeps an open book about the type of donuts and whiskies that can be paired as it is purely experimental – and always fun.

However, there are certain flavour combinations that clearly work, with bourbons/bourbon-based brands great with sweet chocolate, port/fruity whiskies tend to match fruit or jelly topped, while smoky/peaty drams work with nuts or custard.

With that said there is no real combination guide as everyone’s palate is different and the whole point is to be willing to mix things up.

Johnny adds: “I think it is too early in our process to say that there are guidelines.  All whiskies work. And more importantly, there is a donut out there for any whisky or the other way around! It may be biased to say that Speyside whiskies work very well, as we obviously hold the region closer to our heart than others but there are so many delicious little characteristics here, that the pairing process is that much more enjoyable.

 “We are especially excited to be teaming up with Deadly Donuts from Edinburgh. The pairing will include six whiskies with a small exclusively made donut to match.  We are in the final stages of the flavour line up, and can’t wait to share this one of a kind session to spark the conversations, laughter and fun.”

Due to interest back home, Johnny has already hosted various pairing sessions with donut shops in the USA and adds: “Craft donut shops are all over the States and many of them are creating amazing and wild pastries that are not only super delicious, but fun to photograph.

“The UK donut scene is not far behind, as we plan to visit a few shops before our arrival in Speyside.”

James Campbell, chairman of Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, says: “Our festival is full of surprises and every year we’re amazed by the innovative additions to the programme which takes in everything from traditional tours and tastings to curious events like pairing whisky and donuts. It goes to show the diversity of our offering, and we really do have something to appeal to all tastes.”

Tickets are still available for a number of the 500 plus events that make up this year’s programme across Speyside including the Here’s Johnny donut and whisky pairing at the Commercial Hotel, Dufftown, on Sunday, May 6. Lots of food-themed events feature in the 2018 programme, including individual quests to find the best whiskies to match bacon rolls, haggis and chocolate, whisky dinners with each course paired with a dram, the chance to sample whisky-flavoured ice cream or dine on steak topped with a malt whisky sauce.

The Festival runs from May 3 to 7 and features behind-the-scenes tours at internationally renowned distilleries not usually open to the public, whisky tasting masterclasses, whisky and food pairings. It has music, outdoors activities and heritage events, meaning the festival offers something for die-hard whisky fans to those who have never tried it before.

For further information and tickets visit www.spiritofspeyside.com. The Festival is also active on social media: facebook.com/WhiskyFestival and @spirit_speyside on Twitter and Instagram. Use the hashtag #dram18

Photographs: Johnny Baldaray brings a new flavour to Spirit of Speyside Whisky festival with his Whisky and Donuts pairing.

Diageo Introduces the Impeccably Crafted 2018 Special Releases Collection

Ten remarkable Scotch Whiskies will be released in limited quantities this autumn, as part of Diageo’s annual Special Releases collection. Eagerly anticipated worldwide by whisky enthusiasts, the limited edition natural cask strength bottlings are meticulously selected each year by the masterful blending team, to form a rare and sought after collection.

Attentively crafted and beautifully packaged, the collection encompasses some of the rarest and oldest whiskies from classic, lesser known and often closed distilleries. Each whisky within the range offers complex flavours of the highest quality, representing a fragment of Scotch Whisky history.

We can now confirm the following bottlings in the outstanding line-up of this year’s collection below, all selected by the skillful Diageo master blending team, for their flavour and historical intrigue:

CARSEBRIDGE 48 year old
ABV 43.2%
Region: Lowlands
Cask: Refill American Oak Hogsheads
No. of bottles: 1,000

CAOL ILA UNPEATED 15 year old
ABV 59.1%
Region: Islay
Cask: Refill & Rejuvenated American Oak Hogsheads and Ex-Bodega European Oak Butts
Limited quantities worldwide

CAOL ILA 35 year old
ABV 58.1%
Region: Islay
Cask: Refill American Oak Hogsheads & Refill European Oak Butts
No of bottles: 3,276

INCHGOWER 27 year old
ABV 55.3%
Region: Speyside
Cask: Refill American Oak Hogsheads
No of bottles: 8,544

LAGAVULIN 12 year old
ABV 57.8%
Region: Islay
Cask: Refill American Oak Hogsheads
Limited quantities available worldwide

OBAN 21 year old
ABV 57.9%
Region: Highlands
Cask: Refill European Oak Butts
Limited availability worldwide

PITTYVAICH 28 year old
ABV 52.1%
Region: Speyside
Cask: Refill American Oak Hogsheads
No of bottles: 4,680

THE SINGLETON OF GLEN ORD 14 year old
ABV 57.6%
Region: Highlands
Cask: Refill American Oak Hogsheads and Ex-Bodega European Oak butts followed by a unique maturation and marrying process
Limited quantities available worldwide

TALISKER 8 year old
ABV 59.4%
Region: Island
Cask: First fill Ex-Bourbon American Oak Hogsheads
Limited availability worldwide

Donald Colville, Diageo’s Global Malts Ambassador, said: “The Special Releases launch is a highlight in our whisky calendar year. It’s a collection that allows both knowledgeable whisky fans and those new to Scotch to hunt out truly unique limited editions. The range delivers memorable taste experiences unlike any other and the exceptional variety and quality of whiskies in this year’s collection will not disappoint.”

The final tenth bottling will be revealed later on in the year, kept as a surprise for the fans and enthusiasts of the collection. Each whisky in the 2018 Special Releases range is a limited edition,rare bottling. These whiskies have been crafted to be cherished and enjoyed responsibly.

For more Malts news please visit: www.malts.com

Distribution/Availability

Autumn 2018, from specialist retailers in Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa and selected Asian markets. Imagery and RRP will be available later in the year.

Additional Information

For the first time since the collection’s launch in 2001, Port Ellen and Brora will not be included in the range. Port Ellen and Brora are among the rarest Single Malt Whiskies still being released and will continue to be available for purchase as annual bottlings outside of the collection. This move follows the news of the re-opening of the Port Ellen & Brora distilleries.

About the Special Releases

During the late 1980s, the benchmark expressions of single malt whiskies from six single malt distilleries became well known under the CLASSIC MALTS name. Interest in older and rarer malt whiskies in general also grew during this period. One product of this was the RARE MALTS, a series of rarer releases begun in 1995, and which ended in 2005. There remained a demand for unusual, distinctive, often older, unrepeatable cask strength bottlings, usually of the CLASSIC MALTS. Such bottlings allowed collectors, connoisseurs and enthusiasts to enjoy and experience remaining older stocks, and/or unusual expressions of a distillery’s character – a treasure trove of priceless malts.

To satisfy this demand, the SPECIAL RELEASES series was born in 2001, and the annual collection – with familiar names and some surprises – has been eagerly awaited by enthusiasts ever since.

DIAGEO

Diageo is the world’s leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JεB, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com. Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

Glenmorangie’s Vintage Collection honours former still house’s final spirit

Whiskybase.com celebrates 1 Million whisky ratings

The leading whisky platform and community site hits 1 million whisky ratings. 

Netherlands: Sunday the 8th of April, Whiskybase.com, the leading whisky platform and community site, celebrates reaching 1 million whisky ratings. Whiskybase, which started as a website to keep track of whisky bottle information, has grown into the leading platform for information about whisky releases and ratings.

Menno Bijmolt, the founder of Whiskybase, on this milestone: “When starting the website, it was primarily just to keep track of whiskies I tasted and share this with other whisky drinkers. I couldn’t have imagined that so many people would be using the website and that we would gather 1 million ratings. Recently, we hit 100.000 unique bottles in Whiskybase and now we have 1 million ratings, it still feels unreal.”

There are some new exciting developments coming up that will make Whiskybase accessible for people who prefer to read in their own language. As people increasingly rely on these tasting notes for their whisky purchases, it goes without saying we will continue to focus on the quality of the information given by our members.

In the near future Whiskybase will offer automatically translated tasting notes using Artificial Inteligence technology and a guide that will help new whisky enthusiasts to leave proper ratings and tasting notes.

About Whiskybase: Whiskybase is a Dutch-based company consisting of an online and an a in Rotterdam; an event company that hosts a wide range of activities, including the yearly Whiskybase Gathering in Rotterdam; Archives, our independent bottler brand; and whiskybase.com, the leading whisky information website.

Top contenders for The 7th Scottish Independent Retail Awards 2018 are announced

Following the great success of the annual awards, we are delighted to announce The 7th Scottish Independent Retail Awards 2018, aiming to celebrate the hard work of the independent retail business in Scotland. Thousands of nominations were received from the public and the full list of finalists has now been compiled.

The black tie event will be held at The Crowne Plaza Glasgow on the 17th April 2018.

Carnegie Whisky Cellars, Dornoch is one of the finalists in the Off License of the Year category. Carnegie Whisky Cellars will find out if they have managed to win the competition and collect the trophy at the elegant ceremony being held in April.

The aim of The 7th Scottish Independent Retail Awards 2018 is to highlight the value of Independent Retailers to the communities and country they operate within; showcasing the diversity within the industry, recognising and rewarding the entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen which lies behind thriving independent retailers.

The Scottish Independent Retail Awards are all about local businesses for their local community. The awards look to give a platform to the local communities from which to voice their admiration and loyalty to their independent retailer of choice.

The glamorous event promises to be the biggest and most unforgettable night in this year’s events calendar. Numerous prestigious accolades will be awarded to the most deserving professionals and businesses, including Bespoke Retailer of the Year, Hair & Beauty Salon of the Year, Eatery of the Year and many more.

Nicole McEwan, Campaign Manager for Creative Oceanic, said: “We are delighted to see so many people getting involved in The 7th Scottish Independent Retail Awards. We have had a fantastic response from the public and we are looking forward to welcoming and acknowledging the most dedicated and successful individuals and establishments in a celebration of their tireless work. We would like to wish all the finalists the best of luck.”

Notes

• For further information on The 7th Scottish Independent Retail Awards please follow the link on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheScottishIndependentRetailAwards/

• If you share on Facebook, please tag our page and use the #scottish #independentretailawards

• For more information regarding the event contact Creative Oceanic on 0844 879 3256 or email events2@creativeoceanic.com

• Creative Oceanic, website www.creativeoceanic.com. For more information regarding the event or media related information please contact Creative Oceanic UK 08448793256, Republic Of Ireland 019020004 or email media@creativeoceanic.com

• Creative Oceanic are organisers of all aspects of the Awards from the event management through to the public and media relations aspects. We organise over 60 awards a year in Glasgow, Manchester, Leicester, Birmingham, London, Belfast, Dublin
and Canada.

Little Rock, AR – (April 4, 2018) –  Rock Town Distillery is pleased to announce it’s Arkansas Bourbon and it’s Four Grain Sour Mash Bourbon have been awarded a 93 and a 91 respectively by the prestigious 2018 Ultimate Spirits Challenge in New York. The full list can be found on the World Gin Award’s website by clicking this link:  Full Results

Rock Town’s ratings can be found here for the Bourbon and Four Grain Sour Mash.

“It’s great to get these marks from a competition at this level” said distillery founder and head distiller Phil Brandon.  “These are two different styles of bourbon and for both to score this high is a testament to our efforts”.  Rock Town’s Arkansas Bourbon is distilled from 82% Arkansas grown corn, 9% Arkansas grown wheat and 9% malted barley.  Rock Town’s Four Grain Sour Mash Bourbon is distilled from a mashbill consisting of 73% Arkansas Corn, 9% Arkansas Rye, 9% Arkansas Wheat and 9% malted barley.  The mash is soured by using part of the previous batches stillage to start the sour mash bourbon cook.  Both bourbon’s were aged in new charred oak barrels.

ABOUT ROCK TOWN DISTILLERY

Rock Town Distillery produces the award winning Arkansas Bourbon, Arkansas Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey, Arkansas Hickory Smoked Whiskey, Arkansas Rye Whiskey, Arkansas Lightning, and Rock Town Vodka which are distributed to 15 states and the United Kingdom, Canada and Taiwan. Winner of the 2015 US Micro Whisky of the Year Award in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.
Rock Town Distillery, Arkansas’ first legal distillery since prohibition, is located in downtown Little Rock at 1216 E 6th Street, Little Rock, AR 72202 and will be moving soon to 1201 Main Street in Little Rock.  The distillery is open for tours 7 days a week. To find out more please visit www.rocktowndistillery.com
About The Ultimate Spirits Challenge
Ultimate Beverage Challenge is the definitive spirits and wine evaluation company today. Its two world-class competitions: Ultimate Spirits Challenge and Ultimate Wine Challenge provide unparalleled value, providing results that are reliable and easily understandable in today’s marketplace, creating opportunities for the industry, and establishing the platinum standard that defines what beverage evaluation should be.

All products are rated on the 100-point scale by the spirits industry’s foremost experts. This year’s judges included USC Founder/Judging Chairman F. Paul Pacult, Eric Alperin, Jacques Bezuidenhout, Tad Carducci, Tim Cooper, Dale DeGroff, Meaghan Dorman, Tyler Hudgens, Tess Rose Lampert, Justin Lavenue, Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan, Joaquin Simo, Charlotte Voisey, and Jillian Vose..

Our mailing address is:

Rock Town Distillery

1216 E. Sixth Street

Little Rock, Arkansas 72202