The release is a blend of single malts first aged in Cedar Ridge ex-bourbon barrels and finished in the following casks: first-fill Amontillado Sherry: Cedar Ridge Wine, a Madeira inspired wine made at Cedar Ridge; New French Oak, New American Oak, Char #3 and Peated Malt finished in a Ruby Port Cask. It is bottled at 1214.9 proof.

“The vision for this release was a whiskey evoking the rich experience of a cigar,” said Cedar Ridge Distillery Master Blender Murphy Quint. “It features bold notes of tobacco, a subtle hint of smoke, a balanced character and a lengthy finish.”

“While each cask plays an important role in the blend, the peated malt delivers an important feature,” he adds. “Its smoky influence, though subtle due to being blended with non-peated single malts, lingers long on the finish, a transition that emerges after the initial notes of sherry and Madeira have faded. This was a key element to the project, achieving a finish that lingers pleasantly, much like the subtle hint of smoke you might experience long after savoring a cigar. This is a whiskey I’ve envisioned for a long time, and I thoroughly enjoyed putting it together.”

Named for Quint, previous QuintEssential releases included The QuintEssential Pete & Sherri and The QuintEssential Portside.

Cedar Ridge’s The QuintEssential: The Untitled Cigar Malt Project retails for $99.99.

The post Cedar Ridge Lights Up Cigar-Inspired Expression appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.

On Thursday (January 16), Templeton Rye is dispersing newsboys to distribute The Templeton Rye Reader (see below), which contains information about Templeton and its origins as well as the 100th anniversary of prohibition.

New York bars like Rye House, District Local and Morandi invite consumers to enjoy Templeton cocktail specials from Thursday through Sunday (January 19) to celebrate as if it was the day before America went legally dry.

What started as a few folks of Templeton, Iowa cooking rye whiskey in the early 1920s turned into a city-wide operation that got nearly everybody involved in one way or another. Almost all of the 350+ defiant Templeton residents chose to become outlaws — producing a high-caliber and much sought-after whiskey known as Templeton Rye, or “The Good Stuff” to those in the know, and soon, word got out.

Once the country went dry on January 17th, 1920, it wasn’t long before Templeton Rye made its way aboard cattle cars destined for the famed Chicago stockyards and beyond. “The Good Stuff” found favor in notorious speakeasies across the nation, and shortly after that, Templeton was supplying bootleggers with kegs of their much sought-after rye whiskey.

The post Templeton Rye Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Prohibition appeared first on The Whiskey Lifestyle.