Kentucky distillers Potter Jane announce unusual bourbon release
It isn’t every day that a Kentucky distillery calls a press conference to announce they lied.
Distillers might stretch the truth from time to time, but outright lie? And then confess it? Pretty unheard of.
But Potter Jane in Springfield isn’t an ordinary distillery, and neither are distillers Denny Potter and Jane Bowie.
With decades of experience before they launched their own business together, these seasoned pros had vowed publicly to wait until their own whiskey was ready before launching a brand.
“Over the last few years, we have said that Potter Jane would never source whiskey. We said it on multiple occasions. We said it publicly. For some of you here today, we said today we said it directly to your face,” said Potter at an irreverent media event complete with somber, contrite confessions. “It is with a heavy heart that we acknowledge today that those statements are false, we have sourced whiskey.”
“For the lies we have told you, we apologize ... it is our hope to regain your trust,” Bowie said.
“The fact is, as happens from time to time, we ran our mouths a little bit,” Potter said. “We’re talking about doing an apology tour ... and it’s not just about sourcing. There’s a lot of s--- we need to apologize for.”
They said that after decades of working in the bourbon industry and presenting new bottles, they missed it.
Now Potter Jane is releasing Big Vat Liar, with a label that features an image of pants on fire.
It’s a cask-strength high-rye Kentucky straight bourbon, just under 7 years old, that was blended, vatted and bottled by Potter Jane, sourced from unnamed Kentucky distillers.
The distillery created a unique blend that was vatted for seven months in American and French oak casks from Independent Stave.
The finished product, shared with journalists at the press conference, was tasty and complex, with lots of caramel and vanilla notes as well as citrus and spice.
The release is limited to about 1,200 bottles, and will be available only in Kentucky in mid-June with a suggested retail price of $49.99. The kick-off is timed to Kentucky Bourbon Week, June 14-21, in Bardstown.
They’ve already started on the next edition.
“We’re having a lot of fun,” Bowie said.
