Four Gate Whiskey Co – Spring 2023 Releases
Four Gate Whiskey Company has announced its latest very limited series featuring Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in exotic oak casks from Japan and Brazil & Batches 27 and 28 – A Special French Oak Rye Split Stave and The Kelvin Collaboration V.
The Majestic Wood series will launch with two initial offerings. Both start with a base whiskey of 7 year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
The first of the two is then finished in Japanese Mizunara Oak casks, while the second is finished in Brazilian Amburana Oak casks.
Japanese Mizunara Oak is a native tree of Japan. Unlike American White Oak, Mizunara Oak grows in smaller, twisted trunks that produce fewer straight staves.
This makes the wood rare and expensive for coopering.
In addition, its extremely high moisture content means the staves that are produced require considerably longer drying time before they can be used in a barrel.
Thus, Mizunara casks are highly coveted in the industry, and both rare and expensive. But the results are undeniable. The oak lends a sweet sandalwood note to the underlying whiskey creating something unique and flavorful.
Amburana is a tree native to Brazil. It has been popular in that region for making a rum-like spirit called cachaqa.
The wood itself adds notes of vanilla, baking spices like cloves and cinnamon along with sweet ginger notes to whiskey aged in barrel crafted from the tree.
These releases were bottled in very limited quantities, with only 1,673 bottles of Japanese Mizunara Oak produced at 117.4 proof. 2,070 bottles of the Brazilian Amburana Oak were produced at 115.1 proof. Both of the Majestic Wood Series release will debut with a suggested retail price of $249.
“We absolutely love working with new types of casks and trying out new finishes,” Said Chief Blending Officer Bill Straub, “These are so unique and just so flavorful. We have been waiting a while to start this series.
This won’t be the last of the Majestic Wood Series,” added Chief Barrel Officer Bob D’Antoni. “There will be more to come.”
Four Gate Whiskey – Split Stave – Batch 27
Batch 27 is a new limited release of their much-acclaimed Split Stave by Kelvin line featuring special barrels coopered exclusively for Four Gate Whiskey Company by the historic Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville, KY. These casks alternate between toasted and charred staves, imparting benefits of both double-oaking and toasting in the same finish.
For this release, Four Gate Whiskey Company selected choice barrels of 7-year Indiana Straight Rye Whiskey with a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. Kelvin Cooperage then used French Oak staves rather than traditional white oak and the result is perhaps the most refreshing whiskey Four Gate has produced to date, according to Chief Blending Officer, Bill Straub.
“It really came out as a spearmint bomb,” he said. “It’s light, sweet and is going to be a lot of folks’ go-to whiskey when the weather gets warm this summer.”
2,628 bottles were produced at 116 proof with a suggested retail price of $199.
Four Gate Whiskey – Kelvin Collaboration V – Batch 28
Batch 28 is the fifth iteration of the award-winning The Kelvin Collaboration, the company’s annual signature release. It is released each year shortly before the Kentucky Derby in early May. The company is always sure to put their best foot forward with this release.
“We always make sure to save our best whiskey and best finish barrels for this one,” said Chief Barrel officer, Bob D’Antoni. “We want to hit this release out of the park every single year and I’m telling you now, we did it again.”
The Kelvin Collaboration V is a blend of three Kentucky Straight Bourbons. A 7-year bourbon with a mash bill of 74% corn, 20% rye, and 5% malted barley, an 8-year of the same mash bill, and a 9-year with a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye and 12% Malted Barley. The whiskey was then finished in Australian Mariposa Sherry and Añejo Dark Rum casks. The resulting batch yielded 4,802 bottles at 117 proof with a suggested retail price of $199.
About Four Gate Whiskey Company
Four Gate Whiskey Company started in 2018 with the goal of releasing a limited number of 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 and fourgatewhiskey.com.
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