Restoration Rye Whiskey

CASTLE & KEY ENTER THE SCENE

We visited Castle & Key Distillery in March of this year. The last dregs of winter wind blew over a distillery drenched in history, and now, they come full circle towards towards their whiskey-centric heritage.

What is it?

It' s the historic Castle & Key ' s very first whiskey release. While their bourbon is still aging, we get a taste of things to come out of the distillery ' s historic facility.

The bottles are over 4 years old, having been bottled in 2016. Castle & Key kept tightlipped on this release until recently, and it reflects the restoration efforts the distillery has painstakingly undertaken to balance innovation with preservation of history and heritage.

They are creating a " sensory profile " with each of the batches used to blend their release, each with its own unique profile to create a blended rye with its own flair.

Kentucky Rye Whiskey Mash Bill: 17% Yellow Corn, 63% Rye, 20% Malted Barley

Aged for over 4 years and blended between two batches:

Batch 1: 60 Barrels @ 103p

Batch 2: 57 Barrels @ 99p

But, who is Castle & Key? Why is their distillery considered a historic stop? And why do they have such an incredible focus on history and restoration anyways?

Great questions. Let' s take a quick walk through the history of this distillery, and discuss why a whiskey release once more after all these years is such a cool thing.

In 1887, Colonel E.H. Taylor (yes, that E.H. Taylor) built a unique distillery in Millville, Kentucky. The distillery was influenced heavily by European architecture he grew a fondness for while abroad, as opposed to the many American style distillery operations that peppered the Kentucky countryside.

People traveled from all around to see this castle placed in the quiet countryside, and there it produced all manner of spirits while the Colonel entertained guests at the Springhouse or in the walkable sunken garden that still are homed here at the Castle & Key distillery.

In 1920, prohibition hit the distillery hard, forcing it to cease production and shut down.

It was there, shuttered off to the world until 2012, when Will Arvin fell in love with photos of the distillery and focused on the potential that it held and was more than up to the task of restoring the dilapidated property. And, after teaming up with Wes Murray, they began the arduous task of building a new brand on the legacy their predecessors left behind.

In 2014, the restoration work began and soon the distillery was up and running, built from the skeleton of a historic landmark.

Now, the distillery is open to tours for history buffs, and now whiskey lovers, to get their fill.

To walk through the same warehouses and halls that Colonel E.H. Taylor must have walked through, and stand in the gardens and springhouse that he entertained at is a really cool feeling. It gives you a sense of scale and taste for some of these prominent figures.

Now, the whiskey that is being released lend even more of that historic feel for whiskey enthusiasts that might have loved the history, but been disappointed at the lack of available whiskey.

Now, you don't have to choose. You can enjoy both the history itself, and now a pour that is both a symbol of what was, and all the things to come.