Surrounded by the grapevines of nearly 40 different wineries, Finger Lakes Distilling sits high above Seneca Lake in upstate New York's wine country. The architecture of the 5,000 square foot distillery complete with a 15-foot-tall canoe-shaped chandelier and made using reclaimed lumber was inspired by some of Scotland's most prestigious distilleries. Just outside their distillery in Burdett, New York, Brian and Thomas McKenzie Finger Lakes' founders (they swear they are unrelated) are inspecting the holding tanks which store the corn, rye and malted barley used to make McKenzie Bourbon Whiskey. The corn and rye bins, nicknamed Corn-elia and Rye-ella, store grains sourced from local farmers in upstate New York, while the malted barley bin, nicknamed Malt-ilda, stores barley sourced from Canada. After sourcing the grains, the McKenzies grind and mill a mash comprised of 70% corn, 20% rye and 10% malted barley. The mash is then fermented for approximately three days before being distilled inside a 350-gallon, two-ton Holstein copper pot still imported from Germany. Following distillation, the bourbon is aged at 100 proof inside 10-gallon, newly charred American oak casks for approximately 18 months. After aging in the American oak casks, the bourbon is double-barreled, or finished, in used Chardonnay casks sourced from one of the many wineries that surround Finger Lakes Distilling. The Chardonnay casks impart a rich, buttery flavor to the bourbon, and round out its notes of toffee, apricot and cinnamon. "As far as distilling spirits there's nothing more fun than making whiskey," says Brian McKenzie. "There are so many steps to the production from mashing to distillation to the blending stage there so many variables that can affect the flavors. Being a craft distiller, that's what's exciting about it." 

1792 Small Batch Bourbon is sophisticated and complex. A distinctly different bourbon created with precise craftsmanship. Made from our signature "high rye" recipe and the marriage of select barrels carefully chosen by our Master Distiller. 1792 Bourbon has an expressive and elegant flavor profile. Unmistakable spice mingles with sweet caramel and vanilla to create a bourbon that is incomparably brash and bold, yet smooth and balanced. Elevating whiskey to exceptional new heights, 1792 Bourbon is celebrated by connoisseurs worldwide.

Elijah Pepper began distilling whiskey at the dawn of the American Revolution and during the War of 1812, he built the first log cabin distillery in Versailles, Kentucky. Eventually, he passed the family business on to his son, Oscar, and then on to his grandson, James E. Pepper. Colonel James E. Pepper was one of Kentucky's first Bourbon aristocrats he raced thoroughbreds in the Kentucky Derby, traveled in a private rail car and made famous the Old Fashioned cocktail. "Pepper Whisky is an old fashioned whisky, made in the old time way from a formula used for more than 100 years by three generations of the Pepper family," wrote James, in an advertisement dated August 22, 1887. "We claim not only to make the oldest but absolutely the purest and best brand of whisky made in America, and we invite comparison with any whisky of any age." In 1958, after the whiskey industry fell on hard times, the James E. Pepper Distillery was forced to close its doors. During its tenure, Pepper Whiskey, or "Old 1776 Whiskey" as it became it known, was a favorite of Presidents Andrew Jackson and Ulysses S. Grant, and was preferred by Daniel Webster, a leading American statesman and senator from Massachusetts. "Before re-launching this iconic brand," says Amir Peay, "we did extensive research and spent years collecting and analyzing full, preserved bottles of original Pepper Whiskey." Peay even acquired a letter written by Pepper himself, detailing the exact mashbill and recipe used to create Old 1776. "We wanted to pay homage to Pepper's legacy and do our best to recreate the original Pepper Whiskey something that was part of American history," he says. James E. Pepper 1776 Straight Bourbon Whiskey is made from a mash of approximately 62% corn and malted barley, and 38% rye. After distillation, the bourbon is aged for a minimum of four years in new, American oak casks. As a result, it has slightly sweet hints of vanilla, toffee and caramel, that subtly compliment notes of baking spices, spicy rye and oak. James E. Pepper 1776 Bourbon Whiskey earned Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2013. "We used the same traditional methods that Pepper championed in order to restore these whiskies," says Peay. 

For the Willett family, distilling craft whiskey is a family tradition. During Reconstruction, John David Willett the family patriarch began distilling whiskey at the Moore, Willett & Frenke Distillery, which was situated just outside of Louisville, Kentucky. In 1898, his son, A. Lambert Willett who was 15 years old at the time began following in his father's footsteps. Three decades later, Lambert, together with his son, Thompson, purchased a farm on the outskirts of Bardstown, Kentucky, and began construction of the Willett Distilling Company. While the Willett Distilling Company eventually changed its name to Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, the family tradition lives on Even Kulsveen, the current owner of KBD, is Thompson Willett's son-in-law. In keeping with family tradition, Pure Kentucky XO Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey is an authentic Kentucky straight bourbon. Aged for about twelve years ("XO" meaning "extra old"), Pure Kentucky is bottled at an unusually robust proof of 107, yet is remarkably smooth and drinkable. The bourbon has an intense aroma of sweet vanilla, cedar and oak. The aroma yields to notes of spicy rye, vanilla and maple syrup, with hints of cherry. The slightly salty finish is long and smooth, with continued vanilla notes. Pure Kentucky won the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and is highly recommended by F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal. With its combination of age, taste and proof making it an unparalleled value, Pure Kentucky XO Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey is one of the best kept secrets on the whiskey market.

Situated in Seattle's Capitol Hill Neighborhood, Oola Distillery was founded by Kirby Kallas-Lewis as "a labor of love, intellectual curiosity and commitment to the neighborhood." "All our grains are sourced from two organic farms in Eastern Washington," says Kirby. In addition, the use of wheat in the bourbon's mashbill "allows me to hold back on the corn and add more rye. This results in a more complex, balanced and less overly sweet bourbon."Once the ingredients arrive at the distillery, they are milled and mashed before being distilled through Kirby's copper-pot still. Following distillation, the bourbon is matured in small, American white oak casks that are subjected to large temperature swings of up to 50-70 each day. "The idea is to extract a lot of the influence from the barrel early on in the aging process." After this initial beauty rest, the bourbon is transferred to 53-gallon, American white oak casks that boast an alligator char. The alligator char allows the whiskey to penetrate the wood, which hails from the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, up to a inch. There, the bourbon rests for an additional three to four years. "These casks are then combined to marry together subtle flavors that compliment each other usually two barrels are married together, but sometimes 3 or 4 work best to get to the optimum flavor profile before bottling."Once the barrels have been blended, the bourbon is bottled without the use of chill filtration. "We want the full richness of the nose and flavor profile to stay as intact as possible," says Kirby. Oola Waitsburg Bourbon has a spicy aroma, with touches of cinnamon, ginger and black peppercorn that give way to notes of caramel, vanilla, olives, dill pickles and chutney on the palate. The finish is warm and balanced, with hints of honey and oak spices complementing each other. The bourbon was "highly recommended" by the Beverage Testing Institute, and has a "pleasingly long and mellow finish," according to the Capitol Hill Times. In addition, it earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2013 and the Silver Medal at the Beverage Testing Institute Competition in 2012. Pick up a bottle today!

Michter’s US1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is made from a carefully selected mashbill that features the highest quality American corn. It is then matured to the peak of perfection. Truly “small batch” each batch of our US1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is batched in a holding tank sized to fit a maximum of twenty full barrels, leaving no margin for “blending out” imperfection and thus necessitating excellence from every barrel. Reflecting the spirit of the Bluegrass State, Michter’s US1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is nuanced, mellow and earthy. Michter’s US1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is also available with personalized Fort Nelson Select labeling at Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery.

TASTING NOTES

Rich caramel with balanced vanilla, stone fruit notes, smoky depth, with an oak finish

Tasting Notes

Nose : Distinctly confidant liquorice-bourbon notes with near perfect bitter-sweet balance; burnt honeycomb and toffee also abound;

Taste : Outstanding richness and sheen to the enormous barley-oak sweetness; again there is a big bourbony cut to the cloth with all the liquorice and molassed sugar normally associated; but the barley adds that extra dimension;

Finish : Long, wonderfully layered oak offering variations of a sweet dry theme; a touch silky with some cream toffee at the death;

WHISKEY TYPE

WHEATED BOURBON

ABV

46% 92 PROOF

750ml

MASH BILL

70% CORN
ORIGIN: CALIFORNIA

25% WHEAT
ORIGIN: CALIFORNIA

5% MALTED BARLEY
ORIGIN: WYOMING

FLAVOR PROFILE

TOASTED VANILLA, ALMOND,
TOFFEE BRITTLE, AND COFFEE

FOOD PAIRING

ROASTED CHICKEN, DUCK FAT POTATOES
FENNEL & GREEN APPLE SALAD

In the 18th century, a Swiss Mennonite farmer by the name of John Shenk settled his family near Pennsylvania's Blue Mountain Valley. Within a few years, Shenk was harvesting more grains that he could sell, and so he began distilling the excess grains into whiskey. Shenk's distillery, which was eventually named Michter's Distillery, became the United States' first distilling company. Just two decades after Shenk opened the doors to his distillery, General George Washington began purchasing Michter's Distillery Whiskey in order to fortify his men as they camped through a long and brutal winter at Valley Forge. Michter's Distillery, as the saying goes, was the whiskey that warmed the American Revolution. The passage of Prohibition in 1919 forced Michter's Distillery, along with nearly every other distillery in the United States, to close. In the early 1990's however, Joseph J. Magliocco teamed up with Richard Newman in an effort to resurrect the brand. "When we set up our whiskey program for Michter's Distillery," says Magliocco, "Dick and I wanted to get back to the "cost be damned' roots and produce the finest whiskey possible. Our goal was to show that whiskey made in the United States could be the equal of great whiskey made anywhere in the world." Michter's Distillery 10 Year Old Bourbon is the brainchild of master distiller Willie Pratt. Pratt, a maturation perfectionist with over forty years of distilling experience, is known as "Dr. No" since he often refuses to bottle aging barrels of whiskey. According to Pratt, whiskey that is aged for over a decade hits a "fork in the road," and can either become incredible or unpalatable. "One of the barrels we sampled was unbelievably woody," Magliocco says. "And we reject that, we literally sewer it. Willie had another barrel that tasted delicious, but the consistency was like molasses, and we obviously couldn't sell that." Michter's Distillery 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon is a sourced bourbon that Pratt realized had hit its peak. The single barrel bourbon has a dark caramel color, along with an aroma of espresso, toffee and whipped cream. Notes of spices predominate on the palate, and are complemented by touches of lemon, grapefruit, molasses and vanilla. The finish is medium-long, with touches of tobacco, old leather and figs. Michter's Distillery 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon was named the "Best American Whiskey" by Food & Wine Magazine.

In 1837, Henry McKenna emigrated from Ireland to the United States. After spending nearly two decades as a farmer in Kentucky, McKenna founded an eponymous distillery in 1855. At the time, McKenna focused on the production of wheat whiskey (the only crop he was harvesting at the time) and was able to distill enough whiskey to fill one barrel each day. As word of McKenna's high-quality whiskey spread, McKenna was able to triple his distillation capacity, and began experimenting with the production of bourbon. Following his death in 1893, McKenna's three sons Daniel, Stafford and James began operating the business. Today, Henry McKenna Single Barrel 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey honors the rich family tradition and pioneering spirit of the McKenna family. The bourbon, which is made from a mash of primarily corn, is the only extra-aged bottled-in-bond single barrel bourbon available today. Pursuant to the Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897 (27 C.F.R. 5.21), any spirit labeled as "Bonded" or "Bottled-in-Bond" must be the product of one distiller at one distillery during one distillation season. In addition, the Act requires that bonded spirits be aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government supervision for at least four years and bottled at 100 proof. Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey is matured for a minimum of forty Kentucky seasons (ten years) before each bottle is filled and labeled with its batch and bottle number. As a result of its extra-long maturation period, the bourbon has an aroma of warm spices, smoke and burnt caramel. The aroma gives way to notes of chewy leather, chilli peppers and habanero, which are complemented by subtle touches of dried fruits, vanilla and cinnamon. The finish is warm and lush, with bold notes of roasted corn, cloves and woody spices. Since each bottle of McKenna's Single Barrel Bourbon is bottled from a single cask rather than being crafted from a batch of casks, however, each bottle is slightly different and entirely interesting. Henry McKenna 10 Year Old Bourbon was named one of the top 12 spirits ever tasted by Proof66 and was called "magnificent" by Jim Murray, author of the Whisky Bible. In addition, the bourbon earned a score of 90-95 points from Wine Enthusiast. 

For the Willett family, distilling craft whiskey is a family tradition. During Reconstruction, John David Willett the family patriarch began distilling whiskey at the Moore, Willett & Frenke Distillery, which was situated just outside of Louisville, Kentucky. In 1898, his son, A. Lambert Willett who was 15 years old at the time began following in his father's footsteps. Three decades later, Lambert, together with his son, Thompson, purchased a farm on the outskirts of Bardstown, Kentucky, and began construction of the Willett Distilling Company. While the Willett Distilling Company eventually changed its name to Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, the family tradition lives on Even Kulsveen, the current owner of KBD, is Thompson Willett's son-in-law. In keeping with family tradition, Kentucky Vintage Bourbon is an authentic Kentucky straight whiskey. Bottled at a robust 90 proof, the bourbon has a golden chestnut color, along with an aroma of oranges, lemons, clovers and honey. Notes of ginger, caramel apples, roasted nuts and creamy vanilla dominate the palate, and give way to a finish accented by hints of almonds and black pepper. Kentucky Vintage Bourbon won the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and earned four stars from F. Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal. With its combination of age, taste and proof making it an unparalleled value, Kentucky Vintage Bourbon is one of the best kept secrets on the whiskey market.

Following the defeat of the British at the Battle of Yorktown during the American Revolutionary War in 1781, the territory west of the Appalachian mountains became known as Kentucky County. At the time, the territory was considered part of Virginia, and was overseen by a military governor named John J. Bowman. In order to encourage westward expansion, Virginia issued pioneers who agreed to settle in Kentucky County "corn writs," which granted the pioneers 60 acres of land if they agreed to settle in Kentucky and start farming corn. Within a decade, some 2,000 farmers had settled in Kentucky and were growing corn in an effort to validate their claim to the land. Following the end of the American Civil War, Johnny Drum returned to his native state of Kentucky. Like many pioneers who had settled the state before him, Drum purchased a farm among the rolling bluegrass fields of Kentucky, and staked his claim to a beautiful, limestone spring. After harvesting more corn than he could sell, Drum distilled the excess grains into bourbon. Today, Johnny Drum Private Stock Kentucky Bourbon celebrates the passion and legacy of Johnny Drum. Johnny Drum Private Stock Kentucky Bourbon has an aroma of spicy cinnamon, ginger, oak and caramel. Notes of roasted peanuts, warm cinnamon and vanilla dominate the palate, and are complemented by touches of oak and honey. The finish is smooth yet bold, with lingering spices nestled against hints of citrus and chocolate. Johnny Drum Private Stock earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and was called one of the "best hidden gem whiskies on the market, "by Drink Spirits.

Born in 1952, Old Bardstown was an American Thoroughbred racehorse named after the city of Bardstown, Kentucky. Bred and raced by Calumet Farms, the horse twice won Florida's Tropical Handicap at the Tropical Park Race Track as well as the Widener Handicap at the Hialeah Park Race Track. In 31 career starts, Bardstown had 18 first place finishes, 7 second place finishes and 1 third place finish. By the time he retired at the age of 8, Old Bardstown was one of the top racing horses of his time. Old Bardstown Estate Bottled Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey pays homage to the legacy of the American Thoroughbred. The bourbon is made from a mash of primarily corn, which is milled and mashed before being fermented with Kentucky limestone water. Following fermentation, the wash is distilled before the bourbon is matured for ten years in new, American oak casks. Then, the bourbon is brought to 101 proof before being bottled. Old Bardstown Estate Bottled Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey has an auburn-red color, along with an intense aroma of sherry, mint, eucalyptus and copper, somewhat reminiscent of single malt scotch. Notes of nutmeg, caramel, tobacco and chewy leather dominate the palate, and are complemented by hints of malted barley, cherry, and earthy minerals. The finish is medium-long, with touches of fresh herbs, oak and spice. The bourbon earned a score of 95 points from Jim Murray's Whisky Bible, and the Silver Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2012. 

In 1936 Thompson Willett founded Willett Distillery. Today, the tradition continues. The Willett family legacy lives on in Willett Pot Still Reserve. 

Awards 

San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2008: Gold Medal for taste, and the Double Gold Medal for design.

Aged: 8 & 10 Year

Tasting Notes

Nose: Vanilla lemon cake.

Palate: Balance of caramel, vanilla, spices and citrus. 

After inheriting the family recipe in the late 1980s, Tom Bulleit set out to make his own version of the Bulleit Bourbon. "We have a distilling tradition in the family," says Bulleit. "It seems kind of odd that one would have a family recipe for bourbon, but in our part of Kentucky everyone has one." Today they produce a range of four Bourbons and one Rye Whiskey that have received numerous awards, and have become the Spirits of choice for cocktail drinkers around the world. Bulleit Ten Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is made from a mash of corn, rye and malted barley. After the grains are harvested, they are mashed and fermented with a unique strain of family yeast. Following fermentation, the wash is distilled through a copper-still before being matured in charred, American oak casks for a minimum of ten years. "I may be biased, but I think Bulleit Bourbon is incredible at its traditional age of five to eight years," says Bulleit. "But it was exciting to see what happened to a select number of barrels aged a little longer. The result was a special expression of our family's bourbon that exceeded our expectations and we knew we had to bottle it and share it with our loyal fans." Bulliet Ten Year Old Bourbon has a dark caramel color, along with an aroma of toasted oak, rich caramel and sweet fruits. The notes of woody spices, cloves and oak give way to hints of dried fruits, light vanilla and spicy rye on the palate, and lead to a long, slightly sweet finish. The bourbon earned a score of 92 points from the Beverage Testing Institute in 2013, and a score of 91 points from Wine Enthusiast. In addition, Forbes Magazine called it "one of the best bourbons." "There's a difference between aging and maturity, and we'll never bottle bourbon until it's ready to reach the customer," says Bulleit.

Founded in 1982 by German-born J?rg Rupf, St. George Spirits is one of the oldest craft distilleries in the United States. The distillery, housed in an old World War II airplane hangar on a former naval base on the edge of San Francisco, is home to Lance Winters, nuclear engineer, mad scientist and St. George's master distiller, and Dave Smith, St. George's chief blender. Winters and Smith, who are widely-known for experimenting with different types of spirits, have a laboratory dominated by a 10-liter test still, which sits adjacent to the glass beakers and graduated cylinders that cover every inch of their counterspace. Next to the dusty chalkboards caked with equations for the conversion of sugar to alcohol and intricate diagrams of molecular structures are bottles of experimental whiskies, vodkas and even an aging balsamic vinegar (it's 14 years old already). After 30 years of producing their own spirits, St. George Spirits has developed a wicked hobby barrel thieving. Breaking & Entering Bourbon is the product of Winters and Smith going deep into the rickhouses of Kentucky's most venerable bourbon distilleries and selecting 300-plus barrels of bourbon to bring back to California. After sampling each individual barrel (which took three months alone) and experimenting with different blends, Winters and Smith settled on a recipe made up of 80 different barrels, each ranging in age from five to seven years. The result is a criminally delicious bourbon with notes of maple, banana, brown sugar and cinnamon. "We like to think of our spirits as parties in a bottle, and the label is the invitation," says Winters.

Angel’s Envy Kentucky Straight Bourbon is finished in port wine casks for an award-winning spirit. We guide each batch’s conditioning, blending our handcrafted bourbon in small batches of 8 to 12 barrels at a time.

It’s typically aged for up to 6 years. While we lose about 5% of the spirit each year to evaporation, or “the Angel’s Share,” what’s left behind after we’re done is truly worthy of envy.

Once it’s deemed ready, we finish our bourbon in ruby port wine casks, which adds subtly distinct flavor nuances that enhance the whiskey without challenging it. Our port finishing process lasts between three to six months, depending on taste.

We use 60-gallon ruby port barrels made from French oak and imported directly from Portugal. This creates a whiskey of unprecedented smoothness, sweetness and balance.

Appearance: Gold color laced with reddish amber hues, nearly copper in tone

Nose: You’ll detect notes of subtle vanilla, raisins, maple syrup and toasted nuts

PALATE: Vanilla, ripe fruit, maple syrup, toast and bitter chocolate

FINISH: Clean and lingering sweetness with a hint of Madeira that slowly fades