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Release Notes
A carefully crafted panorama of grassy dry grain, moist earth and burlap sacks, along with zingy pepper, blossoming floral vanilla, fragrant leather and tobacco leaves. Spicy Rye.
CanadianWhisky.org
100% rye: an oddity. 100% rye from Canada, blended with Colorado-sourced water, and bottled in Sonoma, California - a real oddity.
Technically a Canadian whisky, this big rye is named after Old West lawman William "Bat" Masterson - a man who, somehow, has returned from the grave he entered in 1921 in order to put his signature on these bottles. The distillery, 35 Maple Street, is owned by Sonoma's famed Sebastiani family. This is their first foray into whiskey.
Drinkhacker
3rd Party Tasting Notes
The third recently released 100% rye whiskey sourced from Canada, with the others being WhistlePig (50%, $70) and Jefferson's (47%, $40). (The one you purchase might depend on which one you can find, as they are all quite limited.) This one sells at a premium to the other two, but shows polish and is nicely rounded. Layers of sweetness (honeyed fruit, caramel, nutty toffee, maple syrup), toasted oak, cinnamon, evergreen, nutmeg, and a dusting of cocoa. Very distinctive!
Rating: 88/100
Rating: 88/100
John Hansell, Whisky Advocate Blog
Nose: A broad range of aromas beginning with dry grain, rye grain, linseed oil and the earthiness of damp Prairie soil. Faintly floral notes that blossom slowly into sweet-scented perfume dissolve in the sweet complex aromas of gunny sacs, saddle leather and fragrant dry tobacco leaves. Very clean defined aromas are reminiscent of a hayloft, with straw, dry grass and grain dust. Along with the floral tones, vanilla pods add a sweetness, punctuated here and there with hints of raspberries. Overall the nose is dominated by the earthy aromas of canvas, wet clay, dry grain along with Chinese herbs. There is a lot of nose here if you give it time.
Palate: Continues the earthy tones of the nose along with loads of very floral vanilla notes. Hot pepper balances neatly against sweetish spicy ginger backed by other sweetish tones including toffee, red licorice, black licorice and a slight generic fruitiness. Dry grain along with blue clay, putty, and hot tobacco reinforce the earthiness. A very complex palate beautifully integrates a range of flavours. The linseed oil of the nose reprises on the palate as artist's oil paint, but despite this oiliness the oak can be just slightly, though pleasantly, drying leading into a grapefruit pithiness with hints of lime that clean away an array of flavours and refresh the palate for another sip.
Finish: A long finish fades slowly on floral perfume, citric pith, and lasting reminiscences of earth.
Empty Glass: Dry grain and burlap sacs.
Palate: Continues the earthy tones of the nose along with loads of very floral vanilla notes. Hot pepper balances neatly against sweetish spicy ginger backed by other sweetish tones including toffee, red licorice, black licorice and a slight generic fruitiness. Dry grain along with blue clay, putty, and hot tobacco reinforce the earthiness. A very complex palate beautifully integrates a range of flavours. The linseed oil of the nose reprises on the palate as artist's oil paint, but despite this oiliness the oak can be just slightly, though pleasantly, drying leading into a grapefruit pithiness with hints of lime that clean away an array of flavours and refresh the palate for another sip.
Finish: A long finish fades slowly on floral perfume, citric pith, and lasting reminiscences of earth.
Empty Glass: Dry grain and burlap sacs.
CanadianWhisky.org
The nose is strongly vegetal and briny with pickle juice, maybe capers. The palate follows through with a goodly amount of spice and even some Worcestshire Sauce followed by some floral perfumy, soapy notes. This is very similar to the independently bottled WhistlePig, also a ten year, 100% rye Canadian by an independent bottler.
Rating: B+
Rating: B+
Sku, LA Whisky Society
The nose is immediately huge, full of caramel, citrus, and wood notes. On the palate, even bigger: Incredibly sweet, and delightfully spicy: Cinnamon and allspice, fresh orange (not peel), with a tinge of something akin to a Moroccan spice blend lacing things up. The finish brings the essence of raisins and a drying touch, but it's a little overwhelming in its sweetness. This kind of sugar isn't something you often see in a rye - particularly a 100% rye - but for the most part it works. I'd love to see just a touch more balance (a la WhistlePig) in the end, but even for a bit of a sugar bomb, it's awfully well made.
Drink Hacker
The Bottler: 35 Maple Street
| Established: 2010 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: 35 Maple Street,Sonoma, CA 95476, USA |
| → website |
35 Maple Street is the spirits division of The Other Guys (TOG), a cutting edge wine company headquartered in Sonoma, CA. Its president, August Sebastiani, is a fourth-generation member of one of California"s oldest wine families, which has been a leader in the California wine industry since August"s great-grandfather, Samuele Sebastiani, opened his eponymous winery almost 110 years ago. With the motto "Laid-back guys, stand-out wines," TOG focuses on producing top-quality wines and spirits at reasonable price points. Among its most popular wine labels are Plungerhead and Hey Mambo. www.togwines.com or www.facebook.com/togwines .
"While TOG is best known for quality wines, our 35 Maple Street division is enabling us to find a niche in the growing cocktail movement," Sebastiani explained. "We"ve seen tremendous growth in the high-end specialty spirits market through cocktail lounges and the underground speakeasy scene. Such establishments allow us to sell and promote our spirits in a manner quite similar to wine: let the quality of the product speak for itself."
from Market Watch, The Other Guys
The Distillery: Alberta Distillers, Ltd.
| Established: 1946 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: 1521, 34 Avenue SE, Calgary, AB T2G 1V9, Canada |
| → website |
"We always knew Alberta Premium was a good whisky but with the recent awards and the resurgence of cocktails such as Manhattans, Sazeracs and Sidecars, it now feels like the rest of the world is taking notice. We hope that the Alberta Premium will continue to stand apart from other Canadian whiskies as the true 100% rye whisky," says Kozak.
Alberta Distillers Limited provides liqueur and related products. It offers rye whisky and vodka. The company was founded in 1946 and is based in Calgary, Canada. Alberta Distillers Limited operates as a subsidiary of Beam, Inc. Beam acquired Alberta Distillers in 1987 as part of Beam"s acquisition of National Distilleries who had acquired Albert Distillers back in 1964.
Alberta Premium Canadian Whisky Canadian whisky is widely known as rye whisky; however, the majority of Canadian whiskies contain just 5-10% rye-based alcohol. Why? Rye, because of the inherent nature of the grain, is very sticky, resulting in problems with viscosity. Corn, on the other hand, with its starchy content, is cheaper and more economical to run.
Alberta Distillers produces the best-selling 100% rye whisky in the world: Alberta Premium. Explains manager Jeff Kozak, "The staff at ADL takes a special pride in producing Alberta Premium. There is a sense of accomplishment that we are doing something different by producing 100% rye whisky. If it was easy - everybody else would be doing it."
For more than 60 years, Alberta Distillers has been situated on 40 acres in the heart of Calgary and today is the oldest distillery in Western Canada. The distillery employs 120 workers, produces 70,000 litres per day, and has more than 400,000 barrels on site. The plant continues to buy rye directly from farmers in Alberta, just as they did in 1946, putting over $6 million back in the pockets of local Alberta farmers.
Bottling four whiskies and two vodkas, Alberta Distillers also produces Canadian whisky for bottling by Beam Global Spirits & Wines in the U.S., and exports the product in bulk to over 30 countries, including South Africa, Malaysia, the UK, Japan, Sweden and France.
Alberta Distillers Limited has an intriguing history, beginning with the partnership of two captivating businessmen. George C. Reifel was born into a family which owned distilleries and breweries across Canada and in Asia. The family home, "Casa Mia," is considered Vancouver"s most famous heritage house. The Reifel family, who also built the famous Commodore Ballroom, regularly entertained such jazz legends as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong.
Reifel partnered with oil tycoon Frank McMahon, at the time one of the richest men in Canada with oil and gas interests across the country. He built Canada"s first big-inch pipeline and first gas processing plant, and brought dollars and prestige to Alberta Distillers, essential in the financing drive to raise money for the operation.
Alberta Premium 100% Rye Whisky and Alberta Premium 25 Year have been named the Canadian Whisky of the Year for the last three years running by iconic whisky writer Jim Murray, author of Whisky Bible. Says Murray, "No Canadian Whisky I know has ever had this uncompromising brilliance, this trueness to style and form. For any whisky lover who ever thought Canadian whisky was incapable of hitting the heights - as among the world"s greats - I have previously recommended Alberta Premium. I still do."
Light gold in colour, Alberta Premium possesses vanilla, fruit and oak aromas, is exceptionally smooth on the palate, with a characteristic rye flavour. The finish is very clean with a pleasant sweet and spicy flavour.
Other Alberta Distillers Canadian Whiskies Windsor Canadian -the 6th top-selling whisky in the U.S. Alberta Springs Canadian Whisky -aged 10 years, this is a premium sipping whisky Tangle Ridge Canadian Whisky -a super premium Canadian 100% whisky, double- casked for a unique flavour.
The Vodkas Alberta Vodka -currently the #3 selling vodka in Canada, recently updated with a new label. Created with glacier-born Rocky Mountain water and prairie grain, it"s triple distilled for the ultimate in purity, smoothness and clarity. Banff Ice-a premium vodka produced using a unique filtering method.
ADL is now an important part of Beam Global Spirits and Wine"s portfolio. ADL and their agency, Maxxium, will continue to leverage the critical acclaim of Alberta Premium and the growth of Banff Ice. Sample and enjoy!
from Business Week, Bourbon Enthusiast, Vendor Magazine
The Owner: Beam Global
| Silent since: False |
| Address: 510 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL 60015 |
| → website |
Today, Beam Global is the fourth-largest premium spirits company in the world. We house eight of the world"s top-100 premium spirits in our award-winning portfolio.
Beam Global unites a diverse array of heritages and nationalities, and our brands feature strong bloodlines from Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, Holland, Mexico, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Scotland, Spain and the United States.
In 2005, we added several new spirits brands to our portfolio following the acquisition of several former-Allied Domecq brands. The acquisition transformed the company on a number of measures. Beam Global doubled sales, tripled our number of brands on the world"s top-100 premium spirits list and increased the number of countries in which we conduct business. We also increased our global footprint, acquiring assets in all corners of the globe. Our sales went from being almost 75% U.S. driven, to being closer to 50/50 between the U.S. and the rest of the world.
Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. has been in the business of selling spirits for several centuries. Our flagship brand, Jim Beam, dates back to 1795, and collectively our brands account for more than 2,000 years of craftsmanship and quality.
from BeamGlobal.com
The Owner: Fortune Brands
| Established: 1890 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: Fortune Brands, Inc., 520 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL 60015 |
| → website |
By the late 1990s, Fortune was rather different from what it had been ten years earlier. After getting rid of its tobacco holdings, Fortune began buying up companies in the home and office products area, such as Schrock Cabinet Co. and Apollo Presentation Products, a maker of overhead projectors. It also bought in the liquor segment, picking up Geyser Peak Winery in 1998 and entering an agreement in 1999 with two European liquor companies to jointly distribute their spirits worldwide. Fortune also vowed to better manage the brands in its portfolio, and in 1999 took a charge of $1.2 billion to restructure and write down goodwill. The company also announced it would cut costs by reducing its corporate staff by one-third and moving its headquarters to Lincolnshire, Illinois, where its office products division already was located.
From the complex dissolution of American Tobacco, designed and overseen by James Duke himself, came the elements of the modern tobacco industry. Spun off as new corporate entities were Liggett & Meyers, Lorillard, R.J. Reynolds, and a new, smaller American Tobacco Company. With the exception of Reynolds, these companies were given assets in all phases of the tobacco business, and Reynolds, the youngest and most aggressive of the companies, soon acquired what it lacked. Control of British-American Tobacco was lost to the British, where it has remained. Duke turned over direction of American Tobacco to Percival S. Hill, one of his veteran lieutenants, and himself went with British-American as chairman and one of its directors. The founder retained large holdings of stock in each of the newly formed spin-offs and, upon his death, left a great deal of money to the eponymous Duke University and a score of other charitable causes.
The immediate postwar years were good for American Tobacco, which upped its overall share of the domestic tobacco market to 32.6 percent in 1953. However, that would prove to be the high-water mark for the company"s cigarette business. In the long run, however, American Tobacco"s relative failure in cigarettes may have been a blessing. Beginning in the mid-1960s, the company used the steady cash flow from its remaining tobacco business to make a number of promising acquisitions. Chief among these were Gallagher Ltd., one of the United Kingdom"s largest tobacco companies; James B. Beam Distilling Company; Sunshine Biscuits; Duffy-Mott; and several makers of office products. In recognition of the company"s changing profile, it was renamed American Brands in 1969, by which date its share of the domestic tobacco market had slipped to 20 percent and continued to decline. After a handful of other minor acquisitions, American Brands made its largest purchase in 1979, buying The Franklin Life Insurance Company, the tenth largest life insurer in the United States. By that time, non-tobacco assets were generating one-third of American Brands" operating income of $364 million, and the company"s diversification program generally was regarded as a modest success.
Duke"s control of United Cigar Stores" more than 500 outlets gave the public a clearer picture of the extent of Duke"s domain, and his company soon faced rising criticism and opposition, some of it violent. Those in both the industry and the public had reason to dislike Duke and his cartel; Kentucky tobacco growers, for example, their prices repeatedly lowered by the single large buyer in town, banded together in 1906 to burn down a number of the trust"s large tobacco warehouses. More serious was the increasing pressure brought to bear by the U.S. Department of Justice, which took heart under the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt and began a series of antitrust actions against the industrial combines. In 1907, the department filed suit against Duke"s creation, now once again called American Tobacco Company, and in 1911 the Supreme Court agreed that the trust must be dissolved to restore competition to the tobacco industry. Total corporate assets were estimated at more than $500 million.
Fortune Brands traces its origin to the remarkable career of James Buchanan (Buck) Duke, founder of The American Tobacco Company. Duke was born in 1856 on a small farm outside Durham, North Carolina, where his father, Washington Duke, raised crops and livestock. The Duke farm was ravaged by armies of both North and South at the end of the Civil War, and upon his release from a military prison Washington Duke found that his sole remaining asset was a small barn full of bright leaf tobacco. Bright leaf, so called because of its golden color, had been introduced only recently, but its smooth smoking characteristics were already making it a favorite, and its fame was soon spread by the returning war veterans. Duke set out to peddle what leaf he had, and, pleased with the response, he quickly converted his land to tobacco culture, selling his wares under the name Pro Bono Publico, meaning "for the public good" in Latin. In its first year of operation, W. Duke & Sons sold 15,000 pounds of tobacco and netted a very handsome $5,000.
Duke had grown to dominance of the cigarette business in a single decade and, shortly, was to duplicate the feat worldwide. Though triumphant, Duke was faced with the prospect of continuing bitter competition and restricted profits. The 32-year-old veteran thereupon proposed a solution that was startling in scope: to merge all five of the competitors and, by joining forces, bring to an end the wasteful price warfare. His fellow manufacturers at first balked at the initiative, but they eventually agreed and in January 1890 formed The American Tobacco Company, its $25 million in capital divided among ten incorporators, with J.B. Duke named president. The new company, one of the first true combinations in the history of U.S. business, controlled 80 percent of the nation"s cigarette business and showed a net profit of $3 million in its first year.
Fortune Brands, Inc., is a widely diversified conglomerate with principal businesses in distilled spirits, home products, hardware, office supplies, and golf equipment. Most of its brands are either number one or number two in their market categories. Fortune"s brands include Jim Beam, the world"s best-selling bourbon, Swingline staplers, Acco paper clips, Master Lock padlocks, Moen faucets, and Titleist and Pinnacle golf balls. Fortune was a major player in the tobacco industry until the late 1990s, when it sold its domestic and foreign tobacco interests and got out of that business entirely. Nearly 20 of the company"s brands generate more than $100 million in sales.
In 1991, American Brands strengthened its hold on the distilled spirits market by acquiring seven brands from the Seagram Company. American spent $372.5 million for the brands, which represented approximately one-quarter of giant Seagram"s sales in the United States. In the midst of a turndown in liquor consumption, Seagram had decided that those who were drinking less should drink better. Thus, it wanted to unload some of its less prestigious brands. American, however, was deliberately pursuing the opposite tack, aiming for more budget-conscious consumers. The brands it took over from Seagram were the American whiskies Calvert Extra and Kessler, Canadian whisky Lord Calvert, Calvert gin, Ronrico rum, Wolfschmidt vodka, and Leroux liquor. The acquisition made American"s subsidiary Jim Beam Brand Company the third largest spirits company in the United States. American"s strategy seemed profitable. Though its new liquor brands and its tobacco brands lacked both snob appeal and great market share, they did make money. Profits rose to record levels in 1991, with a rise of almost 40 percent for the year. Liquor sales, bucked by the Seagram acquisition, rose 12 percent, and tobacco sales rose all of 1 percent. This small rise, however, was the first increase for American since 1965.
The company then changed its name in 1996, from American Brands to Fortune Brands. This came after the company sold the last vestige of its tobacco business, its British unit, Gallagher. The company was concerned that investors still associated its old name with a tobacco company. For example, when a smoker in Florida won a substantial jury award against another tobacco company in August 1995, American"s stock suffered. The newly named company"s CEO, Thomas Hays, explained the rationale behind the choice, saying, "People talk a lot about something being fortunate or making a fortune, which is certainly what we want to do for our shareholders" (from a December 9, 1996 interview in Fortune magazine).
from FundingUniverse.com
The Owner: The Other Guys
| Established: 2004 |
| Silent since: False |
| Address: 35 Maple Street, Sonoma, California 95476, USA |
| → website |
In the 1970s, August"s children came of age. Eldest son Sam began running the winery and ushered in an era of family-branded gallon jugs of varietal wines. In 1985, youngest son Don took the reigns. During Don"s tenure, the winery saw a vast expansion in branded wine business and explosive volume growth.
Although the original winery sold in 2008, the family had already begun to usher in a new era of family wine making. The Other Guys had started as a sales division of a new family venture in 2004. More recently, 2010 saw The Other Guys (TOG) become a completely separate entity. August "Aug" Sebastiani - 4th generation member of one of California"s oldest wine families, and President of TOG - is determined to make wines that will continue his family"s reputation for quality wine making for generations to come
In 1895 Samuele Sebastiani move to America. After a short time working in a rock quarry just north of the city of Sonoma, he had saved enough money to purchase a small vineyard and began wine. Although small in scale, Samuele was selling his bulk wine to other wineries for their own programs. During prohibition the winery was one of seven permitted in the state of California to produce wine for medical and clerical reasons.
August, Samuele"s youngest son, purchased the winery from his estate in 1944 and began to ship wine throughout the United States for similar purposes. Regional companies would buy August"s wine in bulk, package it, and sell it locally.
The Other Guys (TOG) is the next page in the storied history of one of California"s premier wine families. Through TOG, siblings August & Mia Sebastiani, 4th generation members of a pioneering wine family, are determined make wines that continue their family"s winemaking reputation for generations to come. Through our roots we are building this company one handshake at a time. Through our wines, we step back to the early days, when all wine companies were family owned and operated.
from The Other Guys