Batch Nº. 1, our inaugural rye whiskey is ready. A marriage of three thirty-gallon barrels filled in April of 2023, our first batch will carry a three-year age designation, as well as the Empire Rye seal on release. For the last six months we have been slow-proofing these barrels from barrel-strength – 54.5% ABV – down to bottling strength of 46%, or 92 proof. We will bottle by hand later this month with our gravity-fed four-bottle filler. The bottle, label, and presentation box is a custom design by Polonsky & Friends, the same creative studio we worked with to create our branding and logo. With minimal embellishment, the bottle is designed to highlight the whiskey inside. Each bottle will be capped, hand-labeled, and numbered in sequence. One gallon yields roughly five standard 750ml bottles, and from these three barrels we expect 450 bottles in total.
Our custom bottle, label, and presentation box, designed by New York City-based creative studio Polonsky & Friends. Photography by John Gruen.
As for the whiskey, Batch No. 1 is from our original mash bill of 40% malted rye, 40% raw rye, and 20% malted barley. A deep amber-gold in color, it is an expressive and balanced whiskey that drinks beautifully at only three years old; with notes of orange, clove, vanilla and pronounced rye spice it is delightful in a glass neat or with a small cube of ice. In a cocktail it makes a distinctive and complex Manhattan (we are especially fond of the pairing with Klocke Estate’s Brevis Sweet Red Vermouth), while the citrus and spice notes make it a compelling substitute for gin in a Negroni (manifesting the Negroni’s brooding cousin, a classic Boulevardier).
Pre-orders for this inaugural release will be available through our website starting Friday, May 8th. Bottles will be available for pickup at the distillery and direct shipping to addresses within New York State beginning June 6th.
