Release X - “Legacy”

x Sample A

SAMPLE A

Distillery: Calwise Spirits Co. - Paso Robles, CA

Whiskey: Axe Hole Single Malt Whiskey

Fun Fact: This single malt is made in collaboration with Firestone Walker Brewing Company, utilizing a whiskey mash based on a sour-style beer recipe, and is undergoing primary and secondary fermentation with native yeast and microflora for 2 years (yes, you read that right)!

Proof: 84 (42% ABV)

Age Statement: 3 years old

Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley

Color/Appearance: Pale Copper

Aroma Notes: Raisin bread, ripe tropical fruits, canned pear syrup, sour green apple soda, dried apricots, a hint of clove, dark licorice

Tasting Notes: Roasted grains, strawberry fruit leathers, vanilla creme soda ice cream float, dill pickle, some rum-like funk, lemon-lime Gatorade™, excellent structure on the palate

Finish: A rounded roasty note remains swirling on the palate, a slight prickle of sourdough with salted butter, very creamy with sarsaparilla in the background, ending with a beautiful blackberry note

Our Take: This Single Malt is everything that’s right about the world of craft whiskey: an incredible (true) story behind the name, a founder who is driven to push the envelope, and a production collaboration that really sets them apart from anything else we’ve ever heard of.

Meet Calwise Spirits Co., whose founder, Aaron Bergh, started off as a college student who dabbled in distilling as a hobby. Well, that hobby became an obsession, and he founded the distillery in the middle of wine country to carry on what the feds interrupted for his great great grandfather, Bill Kiever. You see, back in the day Bill was a moonshiner trying to provide for his family during Prohibition, after a rival logger in Minnesota sabotaged his entire year’s crop of logs. He started off making hooch, but, as Aaron puts it, “He was not lucky”, and he got caught right away. In order to prevent him from getting started again, the federal agents smashed up the onion head of his still with an axe, which inspired the name “Axe Hole Whiskey”. If you don’t get the chance to make it to the distillery to see it in person, each label is adorned with an illustration of the legendary hole-riddled onion head. Fortunately, Kiever never served any jail time, but never got to see his spirits truly get the credit they deserved.

Calwise is all about doing weird and cool things that lean into the terroir of their region, truly working to distill the flavors of California. They happen to be just down the road from one of the best craft breweries in the world, Firestone Walker, who they collaborate with on their mashes for their whiskeys. This Single Malt is about as unique as you will ever see, being fermented as a sour-style beer in Firestone Walker’s Wild Ale cellar for TWO YEARS. That’s right, when a standard fermentation period for a whiskey mash is less than a week, they are going 100 times that! After utilizing their proprietary native yeast for their primary fermentation, they then introduce other microorganisms that generate reactions to produce acid compounds that create wild and distinctive flavors over the secondary fermentation that takes place over the next 24 months, leading to buttery, spicy, ripe berry, cheesy, and even creamy notes. We’ve worked with producers before that believe in making as good of a beer as possible to distill into their spirit, but this is beyond anything we’ve ever seen. It literally spends almost as much time in fermentation as it does aging in the barrel! And that seriously comes through, with a whiskey that is both incredibly complex and yet somehow light and easy to drink, with phenomenal structure on the palate that has such a layered presence.

It is truly an honor to be able to provide this whiskey to our members, as Aaron is making just over 50 barrels a year of all his whiskey combined! And with the way this Single Malt incorporates the microflora of the climate for fermentation, the huge temp swings of CA’s Central Coast for aging (think of the barrels as beating hearts with regular fluctuations of up to 40-50 degrees in a single day), as well as the collaboration with the best and brightest minds in brewing, this whiskey is truly representative of the terroir of Paso Robles. Aaron says that, “Terroir is what makes iconic spirits iconic”, and this is truly an iconic whiskey. (Added bonus for our members, this whiskey still hasn’t been released to the public yet, so you are among the first to try it!)



Distillery Story: Inspired by and sourced from the California hillsides

Historically, California has always represented a sort of rugged sophistication. For decades we’ve drawn inspiration from the land. It’s pushed us to be creative, to innovate and to believe. Calwise is a celebration of this feeling. Our spirits are born from quiet hikes down dusty forest trails where rich aromas fill the air and find their way into Big Sur Gin. Where barrels lay in the vineyards and lend their character to our rum. Strolls down long rows of fragrant orange groves inspire our orange liqueur. Everything we do is an homage to this place. Every bottle is a piece of home.

Strong Family Roots: Lawlessness and small batch liquor runs deep

When the Feds shut down Aaron’s great-great-grandfather’s moonshining operation during Prohibition, the family business was far from over. Almost a century later, the craft that runs in Aaron’s blood re-emerged when he made the reckless decision to start making hooch in his college dorm room. What began as a humble hobby quickly grew into a passion and then evolved into an obsession.

A perfectionist and lover of nature, Aaron takes inspiration from the place he calls home and its rich culture. He shares the experiences he found on the central coast – the sights, the smells, and the flavors – through his creations at Calwise Spirits Co.

x Sample B

SAMPLE B

Distillery: Bendt Distilling Co. - Lewisville, TX

Whiskey: UNBendt Straight Rye Whiskey Bottled-in-Bond

Fun Fact: This whiskey is a rare 4 grain Rye Whiskey, featuring locally grown Elbon Rye, Triticale (a wheat-rye hybrid) from just down the road, English Pale Malt, and Oats!

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Age Statement: 5.5-6 years old

Mashbill: 51% Elbon Rye, 27% Triticale, 20% Marris Otter Malted Barley, 2% Golden Naked Oats

Color/Appearance: Reddish Gold

Aroma Notes: Floral and peppery, with spicy cacao, eucalyptus, cinnamon on green apple, fresh leather, with a good balance of malty, matcha, and herbal notes

Tasting Notes: Fantastic texture, a crisp palate leading with elderflower and wheatgrass, transitioning to graham cracker and sandalwood, with cereal grains, light caramel, and spiced chocolate in the background

Finish: It’ll make you think you’ve just had a chewy oatmeal cookie, lingering with pleasant astringency before drawing you back in for another sip

Our Take: “Straight is good, Bendt is better.”

These are the wise words of our friends at Bendt Distilling Co., where they are proving that everything really is bigger in Texas: the flavors, the creativity, and a passion for authentic craft whiskey that few of their peers can match. There’s a reason that this UNBendt Straight Rye whiskey carries the “Bottled-in-Bond” designation, because they want their drinkers to know for certain that it’s not a sourced whiskey. There’s no hiding behind the label here!

The Bendt team truly wants their spirits to taste like Texas, and goes to great lengths to make it happen. Most of their grains come from within 20 miles of the distillery (and they’ll get their first batch of TX oats later this summer), something that they say is essential to the quality of their whiskey. As Jacob Peraza, their Lead Distiller, puts it, “Grain that grows in a harsh climate has a high protein content, and a high protein content equals flavor.” Even though that’s tough for the yield (basically they need more grain to get the same amount of whiskey), it’s a sacrifice they are willing to make for the flavor, and one that we thank them for! This inventive 4 grain mashbill for the Straight Rye was the 17th iteration of the recipe they played around with, as they were really looking for the perfect combination of what grows well locally. Triticale, being a wheat-rye hybrid, adds in the mouthfeel and sweet character that you typically get from wheat, but also has the vegetal and spice notes of a rye, playing off the intense local Elbon rye to provide a balanced whiskey that is a Bourbon drinker’s gateway to Rye whiskey.

After a hot and fast open-top fermentation (to really take advantage of the climate), it’s distilled in what they elegantly call their “Oh Sh*t What is That?” still. This submarine-type still is where the magic happens, and produces all the whiskeys in their diverse lineup. (Seriously, we had some knock-down drag-out brawls in the Blind Barrels team over which of their lineup we would include, we loved them all so much!)

Finally, they let the Texas heat fully have its way with their casks, getting their whiskey up to hazmat levels by the time it’s done aging. This allows the spirit to pull out more high-alcohol solubles from the wood, producing a flavor that is distinctly Texas. This is a bold single-barrel whiskey that will evolve in your glass, giving you the experience of having 2-3 different samples over the course of a full dram. It’s one that you’re going to want to sit with a while, and will hold up well to a big rock (ice cube) if that’s your jam!

If you can’t tell, we are thrilled to finally have a Texas whiskey in a lineup, as this is a truly unique whiskey-producing region of the country that isn’t going away. The Texas Whiskey Trail member distilleries, of which Bendt is one, really live up to their title of “Trail Blazers”, and must be certified to ensure that 100% of their whiskey is distilled in the state. That’s no problem for Bendt, as they go above and beyond to really embrace their location. As Raleigh Hughes, their Head of Sales, says, “We’re just shootin’ from the hip and figuring it out.” We love what they’ve figured out so far, and know our members will too!

Distillery Story: Here at BENDT, we believe that using local ingredients is the best way to create the most delicious whiskey possible, while also supporting local farmers, seed companies and malt houses. Our grains come from local farms via MBS Seed (Denton, TX), and our malt is from both TexMalt (Ft. Worth, TX) and Maverick Malt House (Wilderado, TX). And where does that grain go once we’ve finished distilling our whiskeys? Right back to local farms to feed Texas cattle. #supportlocal isn’t just a tagline for us here at BENDT, it’s a way of life. #drinklocal

Early in 2022, the time was finally right to release a new kind of Texas whiskey. UNBENDT Bottled-in-Bond series uses Texas grains, is made grain-to-glass in house, and has been aged in a 53 gallon bourbon barrel for more than four years. The time had come to show how Texas grains, Texas distillers and Texas heat can come together to create something truly special and unique to the state we call home. Eventually, all components of our flagship blend, BENDT No. 5, will be released individually through the UNBENDT series.

x Sample C

SAMPLE C

Distillery: Liberty Pole Spirits - Washington, PA

Whiskey: Old Monongahela Full Proof Rye Whiskey

Fun Fact: Old Monongahela Rye used to be the standard for Rye Whiskey in America! Legend says that frequently the first question asked of Ben Franklin when he arrived in England was “Did you bring any of that Monongahela with you?”

Proof: 108 (54% ABV)

Age Statement: Blend of 6 casks ranging from 3.5-4.5 years old

Mashbill: 61% Pennsylvania-grown Rye, 13% Malted Rye, 13% Wheat, 13% Malted Barley

Color/Appearance: Crystal-clear Amber

Aroma Notes: Muddled raspberry, old leather, ripe cantaloupe, peach rings, a touch of licorice, reminiscent of a warm bakery

Tasting Notes: Spiced baked apple, fluffy baked goods (croissants), delicate and balanced rye spice, herbal with notes of bubble gum and a floral punch at the end, warm berry pie, excellent texture

Finish: A slow dance of spice lingers with a delightful raspberry tingle on the front of your palate, a gift that keeps on giving

Our Take: This whiskey is all about legacy.

Welcome to Western Pennsylvania, home to the Monongahela Valley and the Hough family! While this region is known for many things (pepperoni rolls, Ben Franklin, Sheetz, and Yuengling to name a few), these days it’s less commonly associated with something in which it used to lead the nation: the production of Rye Whiskey. However, thanks to Jim Hough and his family, that tradition is being reclaimed!

Going back to the early days of America, Monongahela Rye was the standard. Rye grows so well in PA, and, true to the ingenuity of early whiskey makers, you made whiskey with whatever grains you had lying around! Ben Franklin was a big fan (see above), and most early cocktail recipes that used whiskey made reference to “the Good Old ‘Nongohela of the Pennsylvanian” (shout out to David Wondrich in Imbibe!). Sadly, many of the famous PA Rye brands shuttered or relocated due to Prohibition and lessening demand, popping up later in Kentucky as other whiskey makers snapped up the legendary names to use for their own Rye. Fortunately for us, Jim Hough decided to take a hobby and a passion for whiskey to the next level and re-ignite that history! He says, “With every bottle, we invite you to embark on a journey through history, savoring the legacy of Monongahela Rye while embracing the spirit of innovation that defines our craft."

Jim is aided by his wife, Ellen, and their two sons, Kevin and Rob, who head up production these days. Turns out making good whiskey runs in the family, although it shouldn’t be a surprise; as Kevin says, “Rye whiskey is in your blood if you’re from Pennsylvania.” And they seriously know whiskey, incorporating the historical methods (sweet mash, pot still, local grains) to make what will be their flagship product and is sure to set a new standard for PA Ryes to come. Although there was never any strict definition of what a Monongahela Rye had to be, there were traditional “rules” that they are abiding by: high rye percentage, no corn in the mashbill, and topped off with malted barley. While the industrial standard was 80% rye and 20% malted barley, this is an “Old Monongahela” Rye because they are abiding by the custom of using the grains you had lying around, and turns out the wheat rounds out the floral and minty profile of the PA rye grain to give softer berry notes on the palate. And their use of a pot still for distillation preserves the excellent oils for a phenomenal texture; in fact, their stated goal is to be in the conversation whenever a consumer talks about wanting a good pot-distilled whiskey. We think that they are already there! This is also a “Full Proof” whiskey, meaning that they are only adding water to bring the bottled whiskey to the proof it was at when it entered the cask for aging. 108 is a very low barrel entry proof, allowing for the whiskey to extract phenomenal dark leather and caramel notes from the oak while avoiding pulling the astringent tannic elements out of the cask.

Not only is this whiskey a trip down history-lane going back to the story of the Whiskey Rebellion (see below), but it’s a remarkable story of an authentic and innovative craft distillery that is uncovering a rich heritage while establishing their own family legacy. They just finished off their new “Whiskey Campus” as well as a 5 story rickhouse, so pay them a visit, the whiskey is going to keep coming! Pro tip, try out their Peated Bourbon, a favorite of Ellen, who loves drinking smokey whiskeys (what can we say, Momma knows best!). We can’t get enough of this story and whiskey, and know you’re gonna love it!

Distillery Story: Liberty Pole Spirits is an 8-year-old family-owned distillery dedicated to crafting extraordinary whiskeys that celebrate tradition, innovation, and the rich heritage of the Monongahela Valley. With a commitment to quality and a passion for craftsmanship, we strive to create exceptional pot distilled whiskeys not often found in the American whiskey category.

In 1791, Washington County, Pennsylvania, was a heavily wooded wilderness at the headwaters of the Ohio River. Many Scotch-Irish veterans of the Revolutionary War had returned to the area and the rocky farms that they had established before the War. They struggled against the weather and disease, and being far from the East Coast, enjoyed few luxuries.

But through the rugged ingenuity of the brave Colonists, one of the first American Industries was born. Whiskey. For years, the grain that wasn't consumed was preserved in the form of distilled spirits. It was safer to drink than contaminated water, eased pain and suffering, and improved the spirits of friends and neighbors. It was easy to ship over the mountains in barrels on backs of mules or down the Ohio River to the Mississippi and up the coast to Boston.

It was then that the government of our new nation saw the opportunity, through the imposition of an excise tax on whiskey, to pay off the debts owed to the allies who had helped to win independence from tyranny. Yet, the farmers of Washington County were struggling mightily to keep their land and grow crops. Having no cash, they used their whiskey to barter for goods and supplies that they needed for daily life. Whiskey-making provided their best chance to survive. This is why they saw the tax as an imposition of an arrogant, out-of-touch, new government.

So they gathered together secretly in a meetinghouse near Mingo Creek and vowed not to pay the tax. They were the first men to oppose an act of the new government, and they vowed to stick together. They called themselves the Mingo Creek Society.

As a symbol of their unity, they planted Liberty Poles throughout the county. Years later, the stories of their defiance are preserved in museums, churches and cemeteries around the county.

Now, heritage grain once again grows in the same soil they so dearly loved, travels down the paved paths upon which they drove the whiskey-laden mule trains, and arrives at the new Mingo Creek Meetinghouse where it is distilled and enjoyed by the next generation of the Mingo Creek Society.

And this time, the Liberty Pole is displayed on the label of each whiskey bottle and symbolizes the loving appreciation for a craft that once again is bringing livelihood to a proud community.

x Sample D

SAMPLE D

Producer: World Whiskey Society - Pendergrass, GA

Distillery: Ivy Mountain Distillery - Mount Airy, GA

Whiskey: Doc Holliday 10 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Fun Fact: This incredible bourbon is from a now-lost distillery, made by a family that has over 150 years of moonshining experience! We think their legal bourbon is pretty great too, and are so thankful that our friends at the World Whiskey Society uncovered this never-to-be-seen-again whiskey.

Proof:122 (61% ABV)

Age Statement: 10 years old

Mashbill: 80% Corn, 10% Malted Corn, 5% Rye, 5% Malted Barley

Color/Appearance: Burnt Amber

Aroma Notes: A nose that literally makes you exclaim “Oh wow”, pecan pie, walnuts drizzled in caramel, rich apple cider, cinnamon donuts, toasted oak, the excellent funk of walking into a rickhouse

Tasting Notes: This whiskey melts like butter in your mouth, incredibly unctuous mouthfeel, pan-fried caramel, candied nuts soaked in bourbon, dusty oak, caramelized demerara sugar

Finish: Long, phenomenal, so rich, leaving you with an amazing and familiar tingle of spice, with a pleasant dryness of walnuts lingering

Our Take: We knew we had to end on a high note for our 10th release, and this 10 year bourbon is pretty much the ideal way to wrap up the June kit. Incredible liquid? Check. Badass bottle? Check. Fantastic story behind the lost and found nature of the bourbon? Check.

Our friends at the World Whiskey Society are all about experimentation and innovation, pushing forward a vision of going out and finding incredible barrels, treating bourbon as a canvas that they can work with. Patience is a virtue they have in spades, as they are true whiskey geeks who put their passion into this project. Among their various product lines (seriously, check them all out, they are super fun), they put out some incredible whiskey under the “Doc Holliday” label (see below), working to find whiskey that fits the flavor profile of what you would expect someone to drink in a Western Saloon: classic dusty, punch you in the gut bourbon. We can see this as a perfect example of what Doc would have been drinking around the poker table!

This edition stands alone for us, in large part because of the amazing story behind the distillate. The casks that make up the 10 year were originally distilled by Ivy Mountain Distillery in Mount Airy, Georgia, by Carlos Lovell, whose family had moonshining roots going back 4 generations. He founded this company in 2012 with his daughter, Carlene, after deciding to go legit and asking her if she could figure out how to let him make whiskey legally. We are so glad you figured it out, Carlene! This whiskey carries on a lineage going back over 150 years, giving the drinker an opportunity to participate in the history, identity, and culture of North Georgia.

The Lovell family has always persevered through tough times, from selling liquor out of the back door on the Moonshine Highway to starting Ivy Mountain Distillery as a way to hold onto a disappearing way of life. This straight bourbon still manages to maintain its connection to the moonshining days, featuring a rare mashbill that uses malted corn, a callback to an old moonshine trick to help their fermentation by soaking a bag of corn in the river to sprout it. As Carlos put it, this 10 year old bourbon is “the kind you want to take home with you and give it to your company.” Honestly, we’re tempted to just keep it for ourselves to make it last longer, but Carlos had the right (and generous) idea!

Sadly, Carlos passed away in 2020, and Ivy Mountain shuttered its doors, not wanting to carry on without their unmatched master distiller, who had still been running the still into his 90s. A majority of their whiskey was sent off to Texas and stayed there until it was discovered several years later by the WWS team! They felt they had to bring these casks home to Georgia (where they also are located), making this a true road trip whiskey that has seriously benefited from the dual climate aging it underwent in the GA to TX back to GA saga, never being in temperature-controlled warehouses. This whiskey melts like butter in your mouth, and smells like you’re walking into a rickhouse, showcasing the proper amount of funk for a well-aged bourbon. As Jordan McGee, the Doc Holliday Brand Ambassador, puts it, “You can’t fake time.”

We are so excited to have discovered this lost “spirit of the mountains” that honors the Lovell family’s legacy of taking risks. However, that joy is tempered by the knowledge that it will never be replicated. The distillery only made so much, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. But we are going to enjoy it while it lasts, have a dram in Carlos’ memory, and thank the World Whiskey Society team for their phenomenal determination and detective skills that brought us this incredibly authentic taste of the pride, honor, and tradition behind this whiskey.

Distillery Story: World Whiskey Society:

Established in 2020, the World Whiskey Society (WWS) comprises an ultra-premium collection of rare expressions previously unavailable to even the most sophisticated whiskey enthusiasts.

We scour the globe far and wide with a singular goal in mind – uniqueness – before selecting a distillery partner to join WWS.

Or we may choose to release something completely new by finishing small-batch American bourbon in exotic oak barrels from Japan.

We continuously innovate and experiment in our quest to create the world’s most interesting whiskies and hope you will enjoy a dram from our truly one-of-a-kind collection.

From light, delicate and elegant to rich, big, and smoky, the World Whiskey Society covers the full spectrum of flavors to be found in whiskeys. Whether it is Classic Collection, our Reserve Collection, our tributes to Doc Holliday, or our Diamond Collection, we offer whiskys both for everyday enjoyment and moments of celebration.

The Doc Holliday Collection:

Long before John Henry Holliday became known throughout these United States as "Doc" – and also "the slickest gunslinger in the west" – he was a darn good… dentist. Classically educated in Humanities and Mathematics, by 20, he graduated with a Doctor of Dental Surgery (hence the nickname) from one of the top schools in the nation.

Today we know him as the symbol of loyalty in the Wild West and the hero of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Despite all the perils of the Frontier, he remained an even-tempered, well-mannered Southern gentleman until his untimely end at 36 years of age.

We salute Doc Holliday as the epitome of a true friend and a loyal companion.