LOUISVILLE, KY, October 7th, 2021- Four Gate Whiskey prides itself on its innovative, outside-the-box approach to barrel-finishing Straight Bourbon and Straight Rye Whiskey. To celebrate that, the company is proud to announce its latest release, The Bluegrass Trilogy. This release consists of three different bottles, labeled batches 15.1, 15.2, and 15.3 respectively.
The release began as a blend of three different Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskeys that was then finished in Dark Rum casks from the Florida Keys.
Not content to simply release it as-is, Chief Blending Officer Bill Straub was searching for something new to do with the resulting whiskey.
“We really wanted to do something non-standard with it,” said Straub. “Bob and I want to give our fans and consumers new things, and we just weren’t ready to roll that whiskey out.”
Chief Barrel Officer Bob D’Antoni got to work. He secured a shipment of Australian Tawny Port and Apera Sherry casks through Kelvin Cooperage and the wheels started turning.
“With three different distillates,” said D’Antoni, “we were already working under the ‘Bluegrass Trilogy’ name for the batch. We thought, “why not give them three different presentations?’”
Four Gate Whiskey Company took half the rum-finished blend and finished it in the Tawny Port casks, and the other half went into the Apera Sherry casks. Once both of those were ready, a portion of each resulting whiskey was then blended together, creating a third expression.
“This is a really fun way for us to show how barrel finishing really changes a whiskey,” Added Straub. “You can definitely taste the underlying blend in all three, but there are definite differences as well in the finished bottles. Every time we line up all three to taste, we come away with a different favorite.”
The 6-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon was distilled with a mashbill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. The 9-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon was distilled with a mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. The 12-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon mashbill is 74% corn, 18% rye and 8% malted barley.
The Bluegrass Trilogy I, Batch 15.1:
Kentucky Straight bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tawny Port and Dark Rum Casks
918 Bottles, 124.6 Proof
The Bluegrass Trilogy II, Batch 15.2:
Kentucky Straight bourbon Whiskey Finished in Apera Sherry and Dark Rum Casks
957 Bottles, 124.9 Proof
The Bluegrass Trilogy III, Batch 15.3:
Kentucky Straight bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tawny Port, Apera Sherry, and Dark Rum Casks
937 Bottles, 124.7 Proof
To further celebrate this unique release, Four Gate Whiskey Company offered a very limited number of three-bottle sets to distributors for pre-sale to retailers prior to its release. The sets are packaged in a hand-crafted wood case made by Brad Raynor of Raynor Shine Designs in Everett, WA. Each set contains all three expressions with matching bottle numbers. The SRP for the 3-bottle collectors’ set is $750.
Those unable to get their hands on the collectors’ set can buy the bottles individually at retailers in Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Georgia, and Louisiana, and online through Seelbachs.com, Bourbonoutfitter.com, and Caskers.com at an SRP of $199 each.
Four Gate Whiskey Company started in 2018 with the goal of releasing several unique batches of whiskey products each year. With its first product launch of 11-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Sherry-Rum casks in April 2019, the team is excited to unveil the other small batch products with unique finishes in years to come. Learn more at fourgatewhiskey.com, like us on Facebook.com and follow us on Twitter @four_gate and Instagram @fourgatewhiskey.
Kelvin Cooperage, founded in Glasgow, Scotland in 1963 and now based in Louisville, KY, is a full-service family-owned cooperage supplying new and used barrels to wine, spirits, and beer producers around the world. For more information, visit Kelvincooperage.com
