Whiskey from the ruins: Historic Kentucky distillery releasing its first barreled spirit
A Kentucky distillery that has enjoyed a multimillion-dollar rebirth is releasing its first whiskey.
Castle & Key in Woodford County is taking reservations for the first batch of Restoration Rye, the first aged spirit from the distillery that was relaunched in 2014.
The distillery released its first spirits in 2018 but this is the first time it has released something that’s spent time in a barrel. It has yet to put out a bourbon.
The rye will be released in two batches: Batch No. 1 is a blend of 60 barrels, and Batch No. 2 is a blend of 57 barrels. Both batches were groups based on specific profiles. According to the distillery, no whiskey releases will ever taste exactly the same.
Batch No. 1, which is 103 proof, will have 78,000 bottles. According to the tasting notes, it has a nose of brown sugar, cinnamon toast, dried figs, pipe tobacco, baking chocolate and orange peel with flavors of sweet baking spice, cinnamon roll, caramelized sugar, dried currants and lightly roasted almonds.
Batch No. 2, which is 99 proof, will have 75,000 bottles. According to the tasting notes, it has a nose of lemon peel, toasted oak, apricot, wildflowers, honey and graham cracker with flavors of pie crust, honeysuckle, mint, agave nectar, dry cinnamon and stone fruit.
The Kentucky rye whiskey will be available on Dec. 4 and can be picked up at the distillery at 4445 McCracken Pike in Frankfort or at stores soon.
There also are special launch events like the one at The Stave restaurant in nearby Millville on Thursday evening, featuring cocktails and dinner pairings.
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The whiskey joins a gin and a vodka, both originally bottled under the name Restoration Release as well, but now called Roots of Ruin Gin and Sacred Spring Vodka.
The new labels, as well as the rye, will be on the shelves in stores in Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Georgia and Texas this month for a suggested retail price of about $40.
Castle & Key Distillery was born after Will Arvin and Wes Murry bought the historic but derelict Old Taylor Distillery in 2014. They hired Marianne Barnes, the high-profile former protege of Brown-Forman master distillery Chris Morris, to run the place. But Barnes left in 2019 and has gone out on her own with a variety of projects.
The distillate that would become Restoration Rye apparently was made in 2016.
The renovated distillery, which features a garden brought back to life by Kentucky’s Jon Carloftis, is open for guests on a limited basis.
Reservations are available on the web site, castleandkey.com. No tours or tastings are offered at the moment due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But the Boiler Room gift shop is open and you can purchase up to six bottles of spirits per person per visit. The queue for entry is outdoors, so dress warmly.
This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
