A distillery, a cidery and a bitters-maker all poured into a barrel. (And then went to the bar.)
A single barrel has been traveling around Salt Lake City in a yearslong, boozy collaboration that created three new local drinks — two of which launched this week.
How it works: Sugar House Distillery aged its Rye Whiskey in the barrel before passing it off to Bitters Lab, which aged its apricot vanilla bitters in it for a year.
Then Scion Cider took the barrel for nine months to age its Provencal cider blend, made with Utah apples, apricots and lavender.
While the cider was bottle aged, Sugar House reclaimed the barrel to finish its single malt for another six months.
Driving the news: The cider and the single malt launched this week, with all three products displayed Thursday night at Scion Cider Bar in a tasting alongside cocktails designed by Bitters Lab.
Tasting notes: The cider is semi-dry, with a bit of funk around the apricot and lavender — flavors that sing of June.
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Axios
6 days ago
- Axios
A distillery, a cidery and a bitters-maker all poured into a barrel. (And then went to the bar.)
A single barrel has been traveling around Salt Lake City in a yearslong, boozy collaboration that created three new local drinks — two of which launched this week. How it works: Sugar House Distillery aged its Rye Whiskey in the barrel before passing it off to Bitters Lab, which aged its apricot vanilla bitters in it for a year. Then Scion Cider took the barrel for nine months to age its Provencal cider blend, made with Utah apples, apricots and lavender. While the cider was bottle aged, Sugar House reclaimed the barrel to finish its single malt for another six months. Driving the news: The cider and the single malt launched this week, with all three products displayed Thursday night at Scion Cider Bar in a tasting alongside cocktails designed by Bitters Lab. Tasting notes: The cider is semi-dry, with a bit of funk around the apricot and lavender — flavors that sing of June.
Fast Company
11-06-2025
- Fast Company
WhistlePig Whiskey taps beverage industry veteran Charles Gibb as its new CEO
WhistlePig Whiskey has found a new CEO in Charles Gibb, a nearly 40-year veteran of the spirits industry, as the brand explores new avenues for growth ahead. The Shoreham, Vermont-based distillery exclusively shared the news with Fast Company, nearly four months after announcing that its previous CEO had stepped down. WhistlePig made a splash in the spirits scene by debuting its first rye whiskey in the 2010s—helping to reintroduce drinkers to this once-popular style of whiskey. The company quickly started racking up one award after another and fans, even landing coveted closeups on TV shows like Breaking Bad that weren't arranged as product placements. Fast-forward to today, and WhistlePig spirits are sold in more than 140,000 bars, restaurants, hotels, and retail locations around the world and the brand commands a 34% market share of the ultra-premium rye whiskey category, according to 2024 figures from IWSR shared by WhistlePig. But for a period, many headlines about WhistlePig had less to do with its drinks and more to do with the drama unfolding behind its distillery doors. Founder Raj Bhakta was forced out in 2016, resulting in a messy legal dispute that saw him ultimately sell his stake and fully exit WhistlePig in 2019. Jeff Kozak, who became CEO in 2017, left in January to 'pursue other opportunities.' Former master distiller Dave Pickerell, who helped shape WhistlePig's early days, died unexpectedly in 2018. Now, Gibb joins as the company seeks to become a 'total American whiskey business' and expand beyond its rye roots. Gibb most recently led Fever-Tree's North American division until earlier this year, when Molson Coors acquired a stake in the mixers business. He also spent several years as president and CEO at Belvedere Vodka and in various roles at Moët Hennessy and Diageo. While there are fun things about moving into whiskey—the Scotsman has a newfound appreciation for the American spelling of the spirit, for example—Gibb says he's 'really excited' to come to WhistlePig when the industry's in a state of flux. And, he says, he wants to make the brand 'truly famous.' Recent years have seen WhistlePig evolve in various ways, something Gibb intends to build upon. The brand sold minority-stake investments to LVMH and an investment firm run by Byron D. Trott, exclusively partnered with Southern Glazer's as its national distributor, expanded into single malt and bourbon, hired a woman as chief blender, and later this year, will open a tasting room in downtown Louisville. Gibb sat down with Fast Company to talk about what's next for WhistlePig. (The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length.) What are some of your goals for the first few months in your new role—do you have a checklist of things that you'd like to accomplish? This is a beautiful brand. It's still in a position that fits all the things that I love about a great brand—it's dynamic, it's entrepreneurial, it's very innovative, it plays in the high-end and luxury space, and I think the danger is that you can come in and [say], 'Let's make lots of changes.' The most important thing for me in the first three to four months is learn, learn, learn. Really getting myself up to speed—I think that's the biggest thing, and ensuring that we don't lose the momentum. The business has had great momentum over the years. It's got some solid momentum now despite the challenges in the industry, which are well-documented. But we're in a good place to address some major opportunities. What was so compelling about coming to WhistlePig, and especially right now? Loads of things. Number one, I love the premium-branded spirit space. Every time I mentioned the brand to people, people have got this love for the brand. They've got a real respect for it. So it's loved and it's respected—I think those are two different things. It's really well-respected for the quality of the liquid, it's really well-respected for the innovation. It's admired and respected for the way in which they revolutionized the rye whiskey category in North America. And those things are really important to me. I suppose, as a Scotsman who likes to disrupt things, it was quite fun, the idea of working on an American whiskey business. I love this aspect of the brand, as well, this whole idea of zero generations of tradition. I think that allows you to innovate, it allows you to change the rules of the game. What will define this next era of WhistlePig? We were famous initially for our rye whiskeys, and I think we're looking now to explore and expand further. We've launched recently the 10-year-old bourbon and so I think there's an opportunity to become a total American whiskey business. I think the other big opportunity, it's really in and around this beautiful, iconic brand—and how do we make it truly famous in the U.S and international markets? But let's be famous at home first. We're loved, but we're not yet famous—well, we're famous in certain circles, but not more broadly famous, as yet. How do you approach leading an alcoholic beverages company at a time when people are drinking less alcohol? It's certainly an interesting time to be in the industry. There's still this whole idea of drinking less, but better. It's still really fundamental in the consumers' minds: I may be going to drink less, but every time I have a drink, I'm going to make sure I'm drinking the best, and I'm going to enjoy it. I'm really excited to be able to come into a brand in an industry in a state of flux and actually finding our niche, finding our spot and being able to push that really hard. These times engender greater levels of creativity and as a small brand with zero generations of tradition, I think it enables us to be more fast-moving, flexible, and do things that are innovative and differentiated. Do you see any challenges of leading a whiskey company versus a vodka company? A lot more age on the product, that's for sure. It's funny because we all play in the same industry, and we all play with similar consumers. You're talking to the same consumer on a different occasion, and I can see a Belvedere martini drinker being a WhistlePig drinker and it depends on the occasion, depends on the people that they're with, time of year, time of day, and different things. There have been some big changes at WhistlePig in recent years. In the wake of some of these changes, how will you approach leading the company? The first and the most important thing is the brand and the business have done very, very well. So I'm about celebrating the people who started it—the founders—celebrating the achievements. And now, how do we grow from here? I think that's the most important thing. What's great is there's a great team of people assembled, they've got phenomenal knowledge of the brand and the business, as I've seen in the first week onboard, they're extraordinarily passionate, and they've delivered some amazing new products, innovations, growth, etcetera. My job at the moment is very much to learn from them and then we'll sit down collectively, as a leadership team and then as a broader company, and take all of that to the next level.
Forbes
13-05-2025
- Forbes
The World's Best Rye Whiskey, According To The SF World Spirits Competition
The rye whiskey finalists from the 2025 SFWSC Rye Whiskey has been the fastest-growing whiskey category in the US. Between 2004 and 2024, 9-liter cases sold increased from 150,000 to 1.8 million. Below are brief backgrounds and tasting notes on the five whiskey finalists in the Rye Whiskey Category at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The SFWSC is the world's largest and most prestigious judging of American whiskey. Rectifier Rye is a small-batch craft whiskey from Wenzel Whiskey in Covington, Kentucky. Rectification is the historical practice of redistilling a spirit to eliminate faults and off-tastes. In pre-Prohibition America, however, the term was broadly applied to non-distilling producers. The whiskey is bottled at around 95 proof and blends three Indiana rye whiskeys. The source of the whiskeys hasn't been disclosed, but it is presumably primarily drawn from MGP and is based in part on MGP's 95% rye/5% barley mash bill. On the nose, the whiskey exhibits fresh rye bread, baking spices, vanilla bean, and dried orchard fruit aromas. The palate nicely balances sweet and spicy notes, delivering layers of cracked pepper, caramel sauce, cinnamon, and a hint of clove spice. The finish is medium to long, with lingering notes of honey, rye spices, and toasted oak. Wenzel's Rectifier Rye is a robust, spice-driven rye, offering lively flavors with a smooth, polished delivery. The SFWSC Judging Panel described the rye whiskey as expressing 'concentrated, powerful rye bread, vanilla, dried fruit, and spice aromas. The palate features dried fruit, cooked cereal grains, rye spices, and well-seasoned oak notes. The finish is medium length and sweet with lingering rye spices and toasted oak notes.' This rye whiskey is a celebrated release from Balcones Distilling in Waco, Texas — one of America's most innovative and terroir-driven distilleries. Made from 100% Texas-grown Elbon rye, an heirloom variety, it meets strict Bottled in Bond standards: aged at least 4 years, distilled in one season, and bottled at precisely 100 proof. The Texas heat accelerates maturation, producing an intensely flavored whiskey with a layered complexity. The nose features powerful roasted coffee, burnt caramel, cooked cracked rye grain, toasted marshmallow, and dark cocoa aromas. The palate is robust and flavorful, featuring molasses, black pepper, dried fig, espresso, old leather, and seasoned oak. The finish is long, smoky, and earthy, with lingering bitter chocolate and spice notes. Balcones Bottled in Bond Rye is a muscular, richly textured rye whiskey with unmistakable Texas power and flair. The SFWSC Judging Panel described the whiskey as expressing 'aromas of apple pie, ancho chili, cracked rye bread, caramel, and vanilla notes. The palate features apple pie, baked orchard fruit, cinnamon, clove, caramel, vanilla, and a touch of cocoa. The finish is long and complex, with lingering chocolate, Tootsie Roll, baked apple, ancho chili, and a touch of char/ash.' Rye whiskey cocktail drink, on the rocks Ironroot Republic Distillery in Denison, Texas, is a family-run operation known for blending French cognac production techniques with bold American whiskey styles. "Sleight of Hand" is a small-batch, limited rye release bottled around 100 proof. Ironroot often uses heirloom corn and rye varieties, imparting unique character to their whiskeys. The nose is aromatic and complex, offering cherry cola, licorice root, burnt orange peel, and earthy rye spice aromas. It is bold but balanced on the palate, with layers of dark molasses, anise/fennel, cooked spiced plum, and toasted oak. The finish is long and bold, with lingering anise, cacao nibs, and peppery flavors. Sleight of Hand is a powerful, intense rye whiskey bursting with bold flavors reflecting Texas whiskey's power. The SFWSC Judging Panel described the whiskey as expressing 'Sherry inspired dried fruit aromas on the nose. The palate features overripe banana, Graham Cracker, pasilla pepper, caramel, vanilla, and powerful rye spice notes. The finish is long, hot, and spicy with lingering spice, oak, and molasses notes.' This rye whiskey is a hand-selected single barrel sourced by Southern Collective, a new label curating small-batch premium whiskey expressions. This single-barrel pick was chosen by Nashville Whiskey House and bottled at a cask strength of approximately 130 proof. It offers a fragrant herbal bouquet on the nose, featuring spearmint, fresh dill, candied ginger, caramelized sugar, and light oak char. The palate is flavorful and spicy, with prominent notes of mint-chocolate, toasted marshmallow, cinnamon spice, and lemon peel. The finish is medium-long and spicy, with a peppery snap and lingering sweet herbal undertones. This single-barrel rye is an energetic, flavor-packed whiskey, showing off a more intense version of the classic herbal-spice rye profile. The SFWSC Judging Panel described the whisky as expressing 'herbal and spicy aromas on the nose. The palate exhibits a candied sweetness along with chocolate, herbal, and spicy notes of cinnamon and some clove. The finish is long, sweet, and complex with lingering pepper, spice, and herbal notes.' This Tennessee Rye, a special release from Sugarlands Distilling Co., celebrates their decade of distilling small-batch rye whiskeys. Known for producing cask-strength, non-chill filtered whiskeys, Roaming Man 10th Anniversary is a blend of older stocks, bottled at full barrel proof. The nose is rich and dense, featuring blackstrap molasses, dark cocoa, heavy rye spice, charred oak, and a touch of roasted coffee bean aromas. It is powerful and layered on the palate, showcasing burnt sugar, spiced cherries, chocolate-covered almonds, cinnamon bark, and charred oak flavors. The finish is long, hot, and slightly smoky, with lingering toffee, tobacco leaf, and rye spice notes. Roaming Man's 10th Anniversary rye is a bold, celebratory whiskey, full of intensity and craft character — a homage to the distillery's adventurous spirit. The SFWSC Judging Panel described the whiskey as featuring 'floral, sweet, and spicy aromas on the nose. It's rich and viscous on the palate, expressing burnt caramel, cherry syrup, milk chocolate, and roasted nut flavors. The finish is long, powerful, and sweet with lingering caramel, rye spice, and slightly herbal notes.' These rye expressions from the 2025 SFWSC are some of the best rye whiskeys in America. They are all very flavorful, reflecting the incredible diversity of aroma and flavor of rye whiskey, from herbal to fruity to spicy. Virtually all of them are overproof, one a staggering 130 proof, yet they still offer the combination of smoothness and intense flavors prized in rye whiskeys. If you are a rye whiskey fan, these expressions are well worth trying and will expand your appreciation of American whiskey's enormous aroma and flavor range.
