Stitzel-Weller Launches Its First New Bourbon Label in Extra Than 30 Years

Stitzel-Weller stays among the many most revered names in all of American whiskey. Ask any bourbon fanatic, they usually’ll gladly wax poetic concerning the place. Situated alongside the economic outskirts of Louisville, the distillery initially opened on Derby Day in 1935 and went on to fill barrels for manufacturers as legendary as Pappy Van Winkle and Willett. When it shuttered in 1992, demand for its dwindling inventory — which continues to age in cherished open-air warehouses — skyrocketed. 

Though the ability reopened as a vacationer attraction in 2014, there was no new label to supply regular entry to the decades-old liquid left at Stitzel-Weller… Till now. Right this moment marks the official launch of Stitzel Reserve, an ongoing collection of extra-rare, distillery-exclusive releases designed to honor and spotlight this iconic bourbon handle. 

The inaugural launch is a barrel-strength, 24-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon that may retail for $1,600. Solely 191 bottles will probably be obtainable in whole.  

Clocking in at a exact (and numerically pleasing) proof of 123.4, the primary quantity of Stitzel Reserve blends juice from 9 distinct barrels, all sourced from a single warehouse. These barrels have been hand-selected by grasp blender Nicole Austin, who spent over two years scouring the positioning for distinctive casks. 

“I needed [casks] that stood out for his or her liveliness and richness,” Austin tells Meals & Wine. “These weren’t simply oak-driven, however had actual fragrant dimension. On their very own, some lacked the complexity to assist being bottled as a single barrel, however collectively, they constructed one thing layered and compelling.”

To be clear, these have been vessels of liquid that spent most of their lives maturing at Stitzel-Weller. Bourbon produced on the defunct stills right here was invariably of the wheated fashion; wheat was the secondary ingredient behind corn. Guardian firm Diageo wouldn’t disclose the unique supply of Stitzel Reserve, nor its actual mash invoice, however did reveal that rye supplanted wheat within the recipe.

Based on tasting notes offered by the model, Stitzel Reserve 24-12 months-Previous options an intensely layered profile of cracked leather-based, saddle oil, and burnt sugar. 

This stage of complexity and dynamism defies typical knowledge on what a quarter-century-old bourbon should be. It’s a foregone conclusion by many within the whiskey world that bourbon of this age has handed its prime. In distinction to scotch, which matures in cooler temperatures — and in additional impartial oak — the intense warmth cycles in Kentucky and the depth of the charred virgin oak it rests in can result in over-extraction of oak after 20 years. To stop this end result, Austin surrendered herself to the meticulous and exhaustive strategy of sampling particular person barrels. 

“The method concerned actually squatting subsequent to barrels, chalk in hand, nosing them by high quality proper there on the spot,” she says. “No lab samples, simply intuition. I marked those that stood out, typically with a foolish coronary heart if I actually beloved them, so the group might kind them into applicable vessels. That hands-on method was the one strategy to discover what I used to be searching for: barrels that also had life, complexity, and fragrant richness regardless of their age.”

What’s subsequent within the collection? Effectively, earlier than 12 months’s finish, an excellent smaller allocation of liquid is ready to hit the market via an unique bourbon collector’s membership. After that, it’s solely as much as Austin what is going to roll out subsequent — and when. However these extra-aged bourbons are actually off to an excellent begin.