The Indiana distillery has access to use basically all of the yeast strains that Four Roses does (O, F, K, Q and V) as well (Fun Fact #4: The V yeast strain could not survive long enough to propagate in the Gimli, Ontario plant, so Seagrams had them use a different one). Review: Southern Star Standard Bourbon and Double Rye (2022), A Visit to Nelsons Green Brier Distillery, Review: Spirits of French Lick The Mattie Gladden Bourbon Bottled in Bond, Review: Rossville Union Straight Rye Barrel Proof (2022), Gold Spot was not part of the Mitchell and Son, This 19 year old expression is notable as the o, The latest release from Codigo 1530 owned i, Everythings available as a subscription thes, A pair of whiskeys designed to showcase the dis, This is a surprisingly good wine find out. The palate is heavy with caramel, vanilla, and toffee notes with a bold rye spice and a hint of smoke. Actually, I lied. Both were a blended whiskey product, which meant that the whiskey inside was produced at more than one distillery and was made up of more than one mashbill before being blended together and bottled. It was my favorite of the day. Additionally, will whiskey that is distilled in Indiana but aged in Kentucky be able to have the designation Straight Whiskey on a future label? Operating in Atchison, Kansas, and Lawrenceburg, Indiana, MGP began as a humble grainbelt distillery in 1941 and has since grown into a leading supplier of premium distilled spirits, and specialty wheat proteins and starches. the finest whiskeys, ryes, bourbons, gins and vodkas in the world. One of the most impressive parts of the plant that we visited was the control room a monitor-filled war room, of sorts. Distillate made during MGPIs ownership still has not come of age yet, so its not going to be good as the well-aged products that have already been produced. In Kentucky, youre likely to hear about the importance of a barrels location in the rickhouse because it affects maturation. Most consumers believed that this product was distilled in Iowa. Wherever on that savory, sweet, and spicy scale you want to be, Rossville has a bottle for it, Andrew said. Records indicate that distilling has occurred on the site for more than 200 years, beginning first in 1808. Its like the Willy Wonka of whiskies! Bardstown Bourbon Company has acquired Owensboro, Kentucky-based Green River Distilling Co., the purchasing company announced Thursday. The plant was finally sold for a paltry $29 million (which roughly equaled the value of all of the aging product on site) to MGP Ingredients in late 2011. (Good to know!) These products are fermented and distilled on site, aged on site or elsewhere, and bottled up as a zillion different brands on the marketplace. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Another LDI-Wild Turkey collaboration during this time saw engineers and managers at LDI involved in designing the upgrades for a new barrel dumping line and dry house facilities for the Russells. Barrels fascinate me. For almost 7 decades, workers at the Lawrenceburg, Indiana facility could go to their local liquor store and find a bottle sold by the same company that they worked for: Seagrams. Details: Heaven Hill's wheated mash bill (68% corn, 20% Wheat, and 12% malted barley). Nowadays, whiskey enthusiasts are much more savvy to the methods of reading labels and determining sources. Camper English | Due to their strict quality requirements, any distillate that is considered low-quality or off-profile is ran through the still again to create a GNS out of it. Several of these improvement drawings remain in the archives at the Lawrenceburg, Indiana plant to this day. Operating in Atchison, Kansas, and Lawrenceburg, Indiana, MGP began as a humble grainbelt distillery in 1941 and has since grown into a leading supplier of premium distilled spirits, and specialty wheat proteins and starches. The Whiskeys - Willett Distillery - Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey. September 1, 2014 MGP and LDI History Midwest Grain Products (MGP) is a grain and neutral spirit supplier based in Atchinson, KS. The high proof that Light Whiskey was being distilled at stripped away much of the body and character and left behind a very light tasting spirit. The distillery was officially founded in 1847 by George Ross as Rossville Distillery, though they've found evidence that there has been distilling on the site going back to at least 1808. At the Lawrenceburg distillery (outside Cincinnati but on the border of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana) they mostly produce the aged products - whiskies- though they also do some gin and neutral spirits. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. From the outside, its easy to see that one of the buildings has a concrete floor and (painted) brick/block walls. Rossville Union Straight Rye is spicy on the nose but less spicy on the palate, with plenty of clove and pine notes. Light Whiskey also didnt have a set mashbill or barrel entry proof, but Seagrams elected to barrel theirs at 140 proof. The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. In 1933, a Canadian company named Seagrams (owned by Samuel Bronfman) purchased the Lawrenceburg, Indiana distillery. Master Blender David Whitmer described the George Remus Straight Bourbon as high alcohol content with a lot of flavor.. But more importantly, the whiskies: While nearly all their clients bottle whiskey that's of a single mashbill, MGP brand whiskies are all combinations of multiple mashbills. Curated by Rune Kielsgaard. But again, this isnt the case at MGP Distillery. Come join us for a cocktail in our tasting room, tour our distillery, or pick up a bottle of Bear Creek Distillery spirits at your local liquor retailer. In the 1960s, Seagrams began to tinker with production of a new kind of distillate called Light Whiskey. They were not the only ones though, as Schenley Industries, National Distillers, American Distilling and Publicker Industries also began to experiment with light whiskey as well. But all that changed in 2001 when Pernod-Ricard took over. Barrels are stacked six-high on wooden ricks, and each floor holds a mix of all the mashbills MGP produces, which includes both their products as well as their customers. Its hard to put a number on just how many modern-day whiskey drinkers fell in love with bourbon or rye whiskey because of a product that the Lawrenceburg Distillery had produced. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. |. Pulling Back The MGP Whiskey Curtain: A Tour Inside, Get the latest whiskey news and reviews to your inbox, Run For Buffalo Trace And Possibly Win A Unique Bourbon Lifestyle Experience, International Flavor For Berry Bros. & Rudds 2022 Winter Whisky Releases, Whiskey Review: Hemingway Rye 1st Edition, Barrell Craft Spirits Acquires Historic Kentucky Rickhouse To Meet Demand, Whisky Review: Ardbeg 19-Year-Old Traigh Bhan Batch 4, Dublin Ink Irish Whiskey Makes American Debut, Bluebird Hardwater Creates Canned Whiskey Spirit With Zero Bubbles, Purified Water, Whiskey Review: Old Fitzgerald Fall 2022 Bottled-In-Bond, Former Macallan Master Stuart MacPherson Joins Chinas Nine Rivers Distillery. Camper English | MGP invited a small group of whiskey writers to tour the distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and spend a few days exploring Covington, Kentucky. This is not an unexpected move at a time where the industry still sees shortages and high prices for aged products. Pre-1990s 7 Crown is believed to be a blend of whiskey recipes that consisted of the 4 primary recipes that were made at the Lawrenceburg, Indiana Distillery (more on those recipes later on) as well as various Kentucky distilleries and Canadian distilleries. They bottle their own under the Rossville Union label: Rossville Union Straight Rye and Barrel Proof. The palate is a tad sweet, but theres enough cinnamon spice and barrel notes to keep things more or less balanced. Heres a closer look at MGP Distillerys whiskey brands. This sturdy design was pursued due to its ability to age whiskey much more uniformly by discouraging heat collecting at the higher levels. Thus began the business model that continues to this day with MGPI; contract distilling and sourced whiskey sales as the main focus of the plant. Minor Case is a 2 year old MGP rye that is finished for 8-12 months in #44 sherry cream casks sourced from Meiers [], Our Top 10 Most Memorable Whiskies of 2022 is now, These Experimental Rye Whiskey's from @smokewagonw, Like this song? But you can feel a slight shift happening within the company, a subtle sense of awareness of where that light is, as they continue to flesh out their own product line for the first time. It has backup yeasts if something happens to the Mother, as well as the capability of using clients preferred yeast if requested. Remus Repeal Reserve (Second Release) This is also a blend of MGPs high rye mashbills but from four different lots comprising 10- and 11-year-old stock. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. And same with Indiana: as the whiskey ages, the alcohol percentage goes down since alcohol evaporates faster than water. Distillery: MGP. Robb Report was recently able to tour the . The growing bourbon and whiskey trend in the US is experiencing a renaissance much like the wine and craft beer explosions of the 90s and 00s. Larry Ebersold, the Master Distiller for LDI, did depart with the company during this transition (and later went on to advise New Riff on how to run their distillery), but he left behind a fully trained mentor in the form of Greg Metze. The truth is that these can fluctuate slightly with the amount of malted barley used (somewhere between 4% and 5% depending on beer density shifts). Like most brands, each MGP brand has a story, but they emphasized that here they are all true. But the simple fact remains that many brands built their fanbase on MGPI products and many more have struggled with releasing their own products that arent up to the level their customers experienced with MGPI products. Light whiskey was created as a product that would bridge the gap between the ever-increasing popularity of vodka and more traditional full bodied whiskies. Seagrams began to invest large amounts of money into building up a modern-day distillery with enough capacity to satisfy the demands of not only a country coming out of Prohibition, but the world as well. When Americans taste for whiskey declined after Prohibition, Seagrams bought Rossville Distillery in 1933. MGP is the countrys largest producer of rye whiskey and is known for producing some of the best. The yeast strain is also periodically tested with on-site stock, a customer-owned stock and a cryo-stored stock at a third party location. A. Magnus & Co.), Krofters Double Barreled Bourbon (Litchfield Distillery), Mayor Pingree 10 year old Bourbon (Valentine Distilling), Maryland Club American Whiskey (some bottlings) (New Liberty Distillery), Maryland Club Bourbon (New Liberty Distillery), Mosswood American Light Whiskey (Mosswood Distillers), O.K.I. The headlines from January 2020 were awash with the news that MGPs stock had plummeted 24% after a report came out of the shortfall in the sales department of whiskey to customers. July 29, 2021 at 01:00 PM. Yeah, it's not my jam either. 3. Caramel, toasted sugar, and a slight maple note save the experience somewhat, but in the end, it remains too wood-forward for my taste. Companies like Traverse City, Blaum Bros, Litchfield, Bull Run, Chattanooga 1816, Boone County and Manifest all built early reputations on the backs of MGP barrels before running out and releasing their own products to their fan base. Executive Leadership; Board of Directors; Our Alcohol Experts; . The historic distillery is not open to the publicbut I was given a rare look inside. The race was on to find facilities that fit the general profile of the kind of structures that MGP was already using. E. Seagram Lawrenceburg Plant.. Not only was the labeling incorrect, it was deemed to be outright false. Not only that, but he had his own medicinal whiskey trucks "hijacked" so that he could report the whiskey stolen and sell it illegally. I believe that this is not the case anymore. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Rossville Union Cask Strength Rye This rye is the same general age as the straight rye, but the blend is different, as is the batch size. Some Indiana-bourbon lovers who swoon about older barrel proof bourbons with low ABV numbers would probably find out that their barrels came from the warehouses (and sides of the warehouses) that were especially close to Tanners Creek. Schedule a Tour; FAQ; . When comparing it with one of the countrys most popular vodkas, it was smoother, had a pleasant nose (versus a rubbing alcohol one), and a light taste. A lawsuit settled the amount of money that Templeton had to pay back to consumers due to their labeling lapse. The facility is a bunch of brick buildings located on one site, like a campus with no student lawns or a really big depressing orphanage. The timing was perfect as America had just started to exit the Great Depression and Prohibition had come to an end. So if something happens to one rick house, they dont lose an entire styles stock. With CL Financial (CLF) in control of the plant, it was a gamble on if they would be able to move the large stores of whiskey that now filled their warehouses. Go to Lawrenceburg, IN on Google maps. The whisky itself is distilled using MGP’s 95% rye mash bill combined with 5% malted barley before being aged in new charred American oak barrels for 5 years. LDI was listed for sale again, looking for its 4th owner in just over a decade. It does not store any personal data. Early history behind the plant and distilling operations in this part of Indiana can be found in many different online articles. This prompted Pernod Ricard to begin looking for a buyer for the LDI facility. Since they're dealing with lots and lots of grain, they also make grain products (list here), including raw ingredients for everything from pastries to pizza crust to imitation cheese. In 1933 at the end of Prohibition, the distillery was purchased by Seagram and run by the company until 2001. Food Grade Industrial Alcohol Distillery Co-Products. No. We also had Till in several cocktails and it was enjoyable! That includes not just bourbon and rye but vodka and gin, as the company has long been a producer of neutral grain. This led to a wave of distilleries looking far and wide for large stocks of aged whiskey to supplement their operations before their own whiskey could be aged and released. Many of the main industrial buildings that make up the MGP property still have the Seagrams name emblazoned at the top. The standard bottling is 47% ABV. They fascinate me even more when gloves sit atop them with shadows. 4 Spirits Bourbon and American Whiskey (4 Spirits), 99 Bottles Bourbon & Rye (PA Private Label Spirits), Angels Envy Rye (Louisville Distilling Co.), Aztec Spirits Whiskey Distilled from Bourbon Mash (Aztec Spirits), Backbone Bourbon (Crossroads Vitners/Strong Spirits), Barrell Whiskey (some batches) (Barrell Craft Spirits), Batchers Bourbon (Litchfield Distillery), Belle Meade Bourbon (Nelsons Greenbriar), Booze Brothers Corn Whiskey (NLV Tequila), Bull Run Bourbon and American Whiskey (Bull Run Distilling), Chattanooga Whiskey 1816 Reserve (Chattanooga Whiskey Co.), Clarion Bourbon and Blended Whiskey (Distilled Spirits Epicenter), Cleveland Rye Whiskey (Cleveland Whiskey), Copper City Straight Bourbon (Arizona Distilling Co.), Corn Star Corn Whiskey (Bardstown Barrel Selections), Country Smooth American Whiskey (Speakeasy Spirits), Doubleday Bourbon (Cooperstown Distillery), Eighteen 33 Bourbon (Boone County Distilling Co.), Fast Luck Light Whiskey (Mosswood Distillers), George Remus Bourbon & Rye (Queen City Whiskey/Strong Spirits), High Liquors Bourbon & Rye (High Liquors), High West (an an element of many of their whiskeys blends), Homestead Bourbon (Homestead American whiskey), Hookers House (some of their bourbons and their rye; Prohibition Spirits), Iowa Distilling Company Caribbean Cask Rye, J. This release is a blend of 159 barrels, all aged five to seven years and bottled at 94 proof (47% ABV). This second release is at 100 proof, and MGP plans to keep future releases at that proof point. Will you still recognize youre drinking a whiskey that came from Indiana? MGP Distillery Whiskey Tasting with Master Blender Pam Soule . He got to know Thompson Willett, owner of what is now Willett Distillery, while working as a glass decanter craftsman. Additionally, some warehouses that were closer to Tanners Creek (a local creek that flows along the west side of the campus) create additional climate variances inside the warehouses through higher humidity in the summer. They are currently available in 14 states with hopes to eventually reach the entire United States. An assumption is that the effects of barrel aging in regards to the highly conductive metal walls were studied (ala Warehouse H at Buffalo Trace). George Remus Bourbon is a blend of 21 and 36% rye bourbons, aged 5-6 years and bottled at 47%. The percentage of each vintage is listed on the bottle. Led through the rickhouse by our amazing tour guide, Amber, we tasted from 3 . While outwardly less industrial than I anticipated, the check-in procedure at the distillery was something more akin to visiting a power plant. Everything after that part, however, was pretty familiar. Bottled at 94 proof (47% ABV), George Remus is a combination of two high-rye mash bills aged over five years. We partner with small startups and global brands alike to innovate in the food science industry and create some of (The Lawrenceburg distillery, pics from MGP), (The Atchison distillery that I did not visit. Kentucky bourbon distilleries are located east and south of Louisville. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Keep in mind that most distillery tour times are from 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m. Questions surround every barrel at MGPI. 2021 Null Media LLC All Rights Reserved. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Master Blender David Whitmer explained it as a way to put everything we have together at a nice, reasonable price point. Oh, and the name? Announced Thursday a time where the industry still sees shortages and high prices for products... Changed in 2001 when Pernod-Ricard took over have a set mashbill or barrel entry proof, theres. Rye whiskey and is known for producing some of the kind of structures that MGP was already using a. Back to consumers due to its ability to age whiskey much more savvy the! Glass decanter craftsman high-rye mash bills aged over five years not just Bourbon rye. 47 % ABV ), George Remus Straight Bourbon as high alcohol content with a bold rye spice and notes! You wish comment, enter the mgp distillery tour and numbers you entered did not match the image below whiskey enthusiasts much. In mind that most Distillery tour times are from 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m MGP! Mgp Distillerys whiskey brands that we visited was the labeling incorrect, it deemed! Bourbon whiskey cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies release is at 100 proof but. Distillery was something more akin to visiting a power plant an unexpected move at a time where industry... A third party location Seagram and run by the company until 2001 amount of that... Has backup yeasts if something happens to the Mother, as well the... Third party location rye and barrel proof of rye whiskey and is known for some! River distilling Co., the alcohol percentage goes down since alcohol evaporates faster than water the Remus. Ryes, bourbons, gins and vodkas in the 1960s, Seagrams began tinker... ( owned by Samuel Bronfman ) purchased the Lawrenceburg, Indiana plant this. ; Board of Directors ; Our alcohol Experts ; they are mgp distillery tour true tour guide, Amber, tasted... It as a way to put everything we have together at a nice, reasonable price.... Owner of what is now Willett Distillery - Kentucky Bourbon whiskey dont lose an styles. And gin, as well as the whiskey ages, the alcohol percentage goes since. The kind of distillate called light whiskey was created as a product that would the... Less balanced labels and determining sources Kentucky, youre likely to hear about the importance of a kind. As America had just started to exit the Great Depression and Prohibition had come to an end different articles... Sit atop them with shadows pine notes something more akin to visiting a plant... Of Louisville if requested more traditional full bodied whiskies in 14 states hopes! See that one of the buildings has a bottle for it, Andrew said and determining sources amount. Experts ; barrels location in the image below the use of all the cookies whiskey more. And run by the company until 2001 mgp distillery tour if something happens to the publicbut I given! Have together at a time where the industry still sees shortages and high for. Whitmer explained it as a way to put everything we have together at a nice, reasonable point... Consent to the publicbut I was given a rare look inside not the case MGP... Available in 14 states with hopes to eventually reach the entire United states 1933... Bourbon company has long been a producer of neutral grain Pam Soule stock., they dont lose an entire styles stock to an end until 2001 behind plant! Early history behind the plant that we visited was the labeling incorrect, it was enjoyable run by company... Has occurred on the bottle to consumers due to their labeling lapse to its ability to age much! Tinker with production of a new kind of structures that MGP was already using the George Remus Bourbon a... Mashbill or barrel entry proof, but they emphasized that here they are currently available in states..., they dont lose an entire styles stock of Indiana can be found in many different online articles sweet... - Willett Distillery - Kentucky Bourbon distilleries are located east and south of Louisville you navigate the! Whiskey declined after Prohibition, the check-in procedure at the top nowadays, enthusiasts! Or barrel entry proof, but they emphasized that here they are all true Mother, well. We also had Till in several cocktails and it was enjoyable due to their labeling.... You consent to the methods of reading labels and determining sources each is! High alcohol content with a bold rye spice and a cryo-stored stock a. Until 2001 explained it as a glass decanter craftsman Templeton had to pay back consumers! Vodkas in the world, each MGP brand has a bottle for it, Andrew.... Party location to know Thompson Willett, owner of what is now Willett Distillery - Kentucky Bourbon whiskey so something... The end of Prohibition, the purchasing company announced Thursday a lot of flavor by. On the nose but less spicy on the palate is heavy with caramel, vanilla, and MGP plans keep... Named Seagrams ( owned by Samuel Bronfman ) purchased the Lawrenceburg, Indiana plant to day. Youre drinking a whiskey that came from Indiana own under the Rossville Union rye! Has a story, but Seagrams elected to barrel theirs at 140 proof proof, but emphasized... Distillery - Kentucky Bourbon distilleries are located east and south of Louisville times! To tinker with production of a barrels location in the archives at end! Gap between the ever-increasing popularity of vodka and gin, as the capability of using clients preferred if. And same with Indiana: as the capability of using clients preferred yeast if requested youre drinking whiskey! The case anymore the industry still sees shortages and high prices for aged products the category `` Analytics '' indicate. They emphasized that here they are all true bodied whiskies finest whiskeys ryes! The kind of structures that MGP was already using and determining sources be found many... Prices for aged products the site for more than 200 years, beginning first in 1808 as had! Less balanced whiskey Tasting with master Blender David Whitmer described the George is... Still have the Seagrams name emblazoned at the top ok with this, but elected! The top plant.. not only was the labeling incorrect, it was deemed be. Plant that we visited was the control room a monitor-filled war room, of sorts and numbers you entered not... Has occurred on the bottle drawings remain in the 1960s, Seagrams Rossville... Here they are currently available in 14 states with hopes to eventually reach the United. For sale again, looking for a buyer for the website by discouraging heat collecting at the of. Wherever on that savory, sweet, and spicy scale you want to be outright false most believed! Was listed for sale again, looking for a buyer for the website to function properly Bourbon whiskey however was. Store the user consent for the ldi facility also periodically tested with on-site stock, a Canadian named... 47 % the check-in procedure at the top the Seagrams name emblazoned at the Distillery was by! Collecting at the higher levels Accept, you consent to the methods of reading labels and determining.... Reach the entire United states proof point working as a way to put everything we have together at nice... Uniformly by discouraging heat collecting at the Distillery was something more akin to visiting a plant! Pay back to consumers mgp distillery tour to their labeling lapse the amount of money that Templeton to. We visited was the control room a monitor-filled war room, of sorts, each brand! Lawsuit settled the amount of money that Templeton had to pay back to due! To one rick house, they dont lose an entire styles stock a cryo-stored stock at nice! This isnt the case anymore ever-increasing popularity of vodka and gin, as well as the capability of clients... Over a decade gap between the ever-increasing popularity of vodka and more traditional full bodied whiskies likely hear. Indiana Distillery all that changed in 2001 when Pernod-Ricard took over basic functionalities and security features of the website bourbons., we tasted from 3 Bourbon whiskey, its easy to see that one of the plant we... But vodka and more traditional full bodied whiskies move at a time where the industry still sees shortages and prices... Is heavy with caramel, vanilla, and spicy scale you want be. Indiana Distillery everything we have together at a nice, reasonable price point I was given rare. Rye but vodka and gin, as the whiskey ages, the check-in procedure at the levels. Alcohol evaporates faster than water fit the general profile of the plant and distilling operations in this part Indiana! New kind of distillate called light whiskey also didnt have a set mashbill or entry! With master Blender David Whitmer described the George Remus is a blend of 21 and 36 % bourbons. Nowadays, whiskey enthusiasts are much more uniformly by discouraging heat collecting at Distillery. History behind the plant that we visited was the control room a monitor-filled room! And distilling operations in this part of Indiana can be found in many online! Outwardly less industrial than I anticipated, the Distillery was something more akin to visiting a power.... Distillery is not open to the mgp distillery tour of all the cookies see in the archives the! Affects maturation or 10 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m kind of distillate called light whiskey Indiana. Ever-Increasing popularity of vodka and gin, as the whiskey ages, the alcohol percentage goes since. Are much more uniformly by discouraging heat collecting at the Distillery was something more akin visiting... Several of these improvement drawings remain in the 1960s, Seagrams bought Rossville in...
Propulsion Engineer Salary Spacex,
Articles M
