Archives for April 2024

2024 U.S. Open Whiskey & Spirits Championship’s Medal Winners

April 30, 2024 By Dow Scoggins

Complete Listing of Medal Winners: CLICK HERE

Oxford, Ohio – The 2024 U. S. Open Whiskey & Spirits Championship proudly announces the medal winners and Grand National Champions.

Nearest Green Distillery in Shelbyville, Tennessee won the U.S. Open Whiskey Championship’s Grand National Champion’s Trophy. Nearest Green took home 4 gold medals in the most competitive whiskey categories in the competition. Their Uncle Nearest Single Barrel Whiskey was a favorite among the judges. In the past 2 years, Nearest Green has finished in the Top 5 at the U.S. Open. Today, Nearest Green Distillery is the most successful Black-owned distillery in the world and now has a U.S. Open title. Two-time Grand National Champion, Moylan’s Distillery in Petaluma, California finished a close second after winning 2 gold, 2 silver, and 3 bronze medals.

In the U.S. Open Spirits Championship, the U.S. Open had a first, a tie for the Grand National Champion’s Trophy. Oxford Oaks Distillery in Oxford, North Carolina, and Dayton Barrel Works Artisan Distillery in Dayton, Ohio, each won 3 gold medals. The North Carolina distiller won gold medals in the Vodka, Flavored Vodka, and Rum categories, while the Ohio distiller took home golds in the Gin, Barrel Aged Gin, and Specialty Spirits categories. 2024 is the first year that the U.S. Open awarded a Grand National Champion Trophy for best can and bottle cocktails. This year’s Grand National Champion is Safe House Distilling in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They took home 2 golds and a bronze medal for their can cocktails.

Judging in the U.S. Open Whiskey and Spirits Championships is blind; the judges know only the categories and do not know what they are tasting. The first round of judging was held in Oxford, Ohio at “The Barn”, while the finals were held in Niagara Falls, New York. The U.S. Open works with the Niagara College Teaching Distillery in Ontario. The final round of judges consisted of Niagara College’s Instructors and industry experts from the surrounding area.

Here are the top 5 Whiskey and Spirits Distilleries:

Top 5 Whiskey Distilleries
1. Nearest Green Distillery – Tennessee
2. Moylan’s Distilling – California
3. Weldon Mills Distillery – North Carolina
4. Cincinnati Distilling – Ohio
5. Knox Joseph Distillery – Ohio
5. Safe House Distilling – New Mexico

Top 5 Spirits Distilleries
1. Oxford Oaks Distillery – North Carolina
1. Dayton Barrel Works Artisan Distillery – Ohio
3. Niagara College Teaching Distillery – Ontario
4. Kupu Spirits – Hawaii
4. Red Horse Distillery – Florida
4. New Realm Distilling – Virginia

Complete Listing of Medal Winners: CLICK HERE

2XO Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Releases The Kiawah Blend

April 23, 2024 By Dustin Scoggins

KENTUCKY— Renowned American whiskey blender Dixon Dedman is excited to launch The Kiawah Blend, a limited-time small batch blend and the fourth release in 2XO Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey’s Icon Series. The Kiawah Blend (SRP $99.99) is a nod to Dixon’s happy place, Kiawah Island, a barrier island on the Atlantic coast located 25 miles southwest of Charleston, South Carolina. It’s where Dixon goes with his family and friends to relax, unwind, and recharge. The Kiawah Blend will be available nationwide and online at ReserveBar.

“Kiawah Island is a special place for me,” says Dixon. “It’s where my family has been vacationing since I was a kid, where my wife and I have been taking our children. It’s my happy place – where I can get away with family and friends and step off the grid.”

2XO, meaning Two Times Oak, refers to Dixon’s pioneering blending process where every 2XO expression has additional oak exposure. The Kiawah Blend is comprised of two proprietary mash bills, a high rye 35% bourbon mash bill and a moderate rye 18% bourbon mash bill. Dixon double barrels the high rye 35% bourbon mash bill into new charred oak barrels, both #3 and #4 char levels, for 9 months to a year. The double-barreled high rye mash bill makes up 60% of The Kiawah Blend, and that additional oak interaction builds the sweetness to balance out the spice from the rye in the mash bills. The Kiawah Blend’s mouthfeel is viscous and rich with notes of vanilla, oak, clove, lemon, and a light peppery spice.

The Kiawah Blend follows previous award winning 2XO releases, including limited-time blends from the Icon Series (The Phoenix Blend, The Innkeeper’s Blend, and The Tribute Blend), American Oak, the first in the Oak Series, an everyday offering perfect for classic whiskey cocktails, and Gem of Kentucky, a double-barreled, single barrel limited-time annual release. The Kiawah Blend should be sipped neat or on the rocks in your happy place, and as with all 2XO Kentucky straight bourbon whiskeys, enjoyed responsibly.

All 2XO Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskeys are brought to life in partnership with Prestige Beverage Group, an industry leading importer and brand innovator of award-winning wines and spirits. Together, Dixon and Prestige Beverage Group aim to offer the most unique, sought-after whiskey blends to spirits enthusiasts everywhere.

About 2XO

2XO Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was created by renowned American whiskey blender Dixon Dedman. Dixon grew up on the Kentucky whiskey trail infusing the learnings from industry legends with his culinary expertise from running his family’s business, the famed and James Beard award-winning Beaumont Inn. He was originally known for his high-proof, robust Kentucky Owl Straight Bourbon and Rye Whiskey blends, a brand he relaunched in 2014 from his great-great grandfather, C.M. Dedman, after it went dark in 1916 around the time of Prohibition.

For More Information:
https://2xowhiskey.com/

New Riff Celebrates Earth Day With Park Dedication

April 22, 2024 By Dustin Scoggins

A Newport distillery is giving back to the community and celebrating Earth Day with the dedication of a new park and the release of some new spirits.

On Monday, New Riff Distilling joined the Silver Grove Community Foundation to dedicate the new park at Green Valley Pond in Silver Grove. The distillery says funds raised through sales of its Silver Grove commemorative edition whiskey were donated to the foundation to help establish the park.

“When we built our new barrel warehouse in Silver Grove in 2022, we knew we wanted to support that community through our philanthropic efforts like we do Newport,” New Riff president Mollie Lewis said in a press release. “We’re thrilled to see people loved the 2023 Silver Grove release so much that we’re able to donate $16,830 to the foundation — and we are excited to see what more we can accomplish together with our 2024 releases.”

With the money, Silver Grove Community Foundation was able to complete the initial phase of improvements around Green Valley Pond, including installing benches made from recycled plastic, trash bins and a message board. Future project phases include creating a recreational trail around the pond that will also connect to the current sidewalks.

New Riff says its Silver Grove whiskey is a nod to a past whiskey released under the Silver Grove name in the ‘30s. The original Silver Grove was a 1933 bottling distilled in 1917 at the Edward Brinkmann Distillery in Cincinnati’s Carthage neighborhood, says New Riff co-founder Jay Erisman. New Riff’s first barrel-proof blend, the Silver Grove releases are a “nod to both the area’s distilling past and to New Riff’s future,” he added.

A 2024 bottling of the Silver Grove Bourbon will be available in New Riff’s gift shop beginning Tuesday, April 23. New Riff’s assistant head distiller, Bryon Martin, describes the bourbon as “having notes of dark red fruits and rye spices on the nose and a deep, full mouthfeel that flows briefly into dark brown sugars then wood spices and tannins,” with a 65% corn, 30% rye and 5% malted barley mashbill bottled at 116.2 proof.

In addition to a 2024 bottling of Silver Grove Bourbon, New Riff also announced the debut of its Silver Grove Rye. Martin says it has “huge mint, black pepper and hints of citrus, caraway and oak on the nose,” along with an upfront cinnamon spiciness; hints of vanilla and singed toffee; and a bold, rye-spice finish with a minerality and eucalyptus notes. It has a 95% rye and 5% malted rye mashbill bottled at 116.4 proof.

Both the 2024 Silver Grove Bourbon and Silver Grove Rye will be available in New Riff’s gift shop for $55.99 beginning April 23. A portion of the proceeds from each will continue to benefit the Silver Grove Community Foundation.

For more information please visit https://www.newriffdistilling.com/