Corsair Artisan Distillery

Sometimes you hit a homerun on your first at-bat.  That is how we felt at Corsair we opened our first experimental barrel of aged 100% Rye whiskey.  Our customers seemed to like it too since they bought up the (unannounced) initial release in 10 days.

It seems there are other fans out there as well.  The spirits department at K and L Wines in California was so excited they ordered a future barrel’s worth of product.  Here is an except of their review:

Yesterday I got a sneak peak of what to expect when Corsair releases their 1 year old 100% rye this Fall.  One word – amazing! … I really like this new Corsair, even though it is a meager year in age, because they somehow managed to get it fairly rich to balance out the spice.  I had to taste it about three times to make sure I wasn’t missing something.  This has all the spice that you expect from rye, a suprisingly smooth entry, plenty of kick, and a long finish that doesn’t spit grain alcohol back into your tonsils.

You can read the whole review here.

Photo courtesy of K and L Wines.

Two of Corsair’s recently crafted experimental whiskeys have recently been highly rated by the Beverage Tasting Institute.  The Triple Smoke Whiskey received gold medal with a score of 93 (exceptional) while the 100% Aged Rye Whiskey awarded a silver medal by scoring 89 (highly recommended).  You can read the BTI’s tasting notes below:

Corsair Single Barrel Triple Smoke American Straight Malt Whiskey $42.95.

Unusual aromas of smoked turkey jerky, toasted date bread, salty roasted nuts and bacon chocolate follow through on a round, supple entry to a dry-yet-fruity medium-full body with hints of iodine, smoked peat, and toffee. Finishes with a long, herbal and grassy, almond brittle, smoke, and peppery spice fade. A very unique and fun smoked bourbon that is extremely tasty and reminiscent of a moderately peaty Islay Scotch whisky like Bruicchladdich.

Corsair Experimental Collection 100% Kentucky Rye Whiskey $29.95/375 ml.

Bright amber color. Interesting and bold aromas of nutmeg laced eggnog, roasted pecans, and glazed panettone follow through on a spry entry to a dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body with zucchini bread, dusty rye grain, herbs, and exotic peppery spice notes. Finishes with a very hot, citrus zest, ginger powder, mineral and pepper fade. Very unique.

Both of these whiskeys are currently in production and will be released later this year along with the Rasputin Hopped Whiskey, which received a platinum rating (best in category) in the recent World Spirits Competition.

The following pictures were captured by Pete Rodman during a recent visit to our Bowling Green Distillery.

Corsair Gin

Alcohol begins to boil off during a test run of the 240 gallon wash still.

Ben pours Corsair's first aged whiskey: 100% Rye

Corsair currently has 6 spirits aging including rum, bourbon and several experimental whiskeys.

Rod fills the still for a new whiskey run.

Ben keeps an eye on the condensing coils.

Brady checks on the small still.

Corsair Artisan Distillery has just released our first aged products to the market including an aged whiskey.

After much anticipation, an aged version of the 100% rye mash bill was released.  This spirit spent over 4 months in a 5 gallon charred barrel during which time it picked up deep vanilla and caramel flavors to add to the rich grain notes and dark fruit sweetness that were present in the unaged version (previously released as Wry Moon).  Because of its limited release (only 67 bottles) this spirit is only available at the Corsair Distillery Giftshop for a retail price of $35.00.  It is currently only available in 375ml bottles.

The second product to be released is a unique Barrel Aged Gin, which has received rave reviews from test groups across the country.  We began with our standard gin and upped the juniper content to add some boldness to the final product.  We then aged it for 6 months in used barrels which previously held our Spiced Rum.  The result is a warming drink ideal for sipping.  The first flavors are peppery and bold that then transition to a refreshing finish with obvious evergreen and citrus notes.  A perfect winter drink.  Corsair Barrel Aged Gin is currently available at the Giftshop and in Washington State.  Further distribution is slated to begin soon.  Suggest retail price is $35.00 for 750ml.

Corsair Artisan’s first seasonal whiskey release was approved and is set to be released in Mid-October.  Our Pumpkin Spice Moonshine is designed to be the answer to these crisp cool fall days.

This unusual white dog whiskey is inspired by pumpkin ales. We pot distill malted barley and malted wheat to make a sweet malt whiskey. Next we load our pot still’s vapor basket with ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and pumpkin, then redistill the whiskey to infuse and marry all the flavors.

Pumpkin pie in a glass!!

Tasting Notes

Pie spices come forward first followed by the full sweet flavor of the pumpkin and malt whiskey. Great in a Manhattan.