Dow Scoggins

PORTLAND, Oregon — Eastside Distilling, a consumer-focused beverage company, today announced its partnership with American Forests, the nation’s oldest conservation organization, to help protect and restore the Oregon white oak (Quercus Garryana) habitat in the Willamette Valley. Eastside and American Forests will plant 5,000 oak trees in the Willamette Valley to help protect and restore the threatened oak territory in the Pacific NW. Eastside uses barrels made from the Valley’s fallen oak trees to age its Burnside Whiskeys, imparting a profound effect on its unique flavor profile.

Oregon white oaks found in the Willamette Valley are one of the most imperiled ecosystems in the United States. Today, 95% of the white oaks are gone, compared to 150 years ago, due to land conversion, changes in land management and population growth, leaving little space for oak habitats. Given that there are no regulatory policies to save Oregon oaks, a voluntary conservation initiative, called the Oak Accord, was started by private landowners who own most of the remaining oak woodlands to protect and restore Willamette Valley’s fragile oak habitat. “There is a growing movement in the northwest to protect what oak we have left, but restoring oak through planting and natural regeneration is also a key part of bringing this species back,” said Brian Kittler, Senior Director of Forest Restoration at American Forests.

“Oregon white oak trees have been an important part of the sustainability, values, and aesthetics of the state for hundreds of years and we are committed to helping Oregonians protect existing trees while growing the next generation of oaks,” said Janet Oak, Chief Brand Officer.

According to Jason Ericson, Eastside’s Head Distiller, “Oregon oak imparts a deep vanilla and clove flavor that American white oak can’t match. Quercus Garryana has high tannin levels requiring a minimum three-year seasoning period to ensure the bitter and astringent qualities of tannins don’t over-influence our whiskey. The longer the staves are seasoned, the more the tannins break down, creating a darker, sweeter and fruitier flavor than whiskey aged in American oak barrels.”

In addition to planting 5,000 Oregon white oak trees in Willamette Valley, Eastside Distilling will also run an in-store promotion where an Oregon white oak tree will be planted for every bottle of Burnside whiskey purchased.

About Eastside Distilling
Eastside Distilling, Inc. (NASDAQ: EAST) has been producing high-quality, award-winning craft spirits in Portland, Oregon since 2008. The company’s distinguished product lineup includes its newly released Eastside limited-edition spirits portfolio, Azuñia Tequilas®, Burnside Whiskeys®, Hue-Hue Coffee Rum®, and Portland Potato Vodkas®. Eastside is widely recognized for its expertise in blending, aging, and finishing distillates hand-selected from the finest spirit producers worldwide and using locally grown ingredients and pure Oregon water for superior taste and quality. For more information, visit www.eastsidedistilling.com, or follow the company on Instagram and Facebook.

About American Forests
American Forests is the oldest national conservation organization in the country. The organization has more than 1,000 forest restoration projects in every state in the nation, planted nearly 65 million trees, and helped expand tree canopy in dozens of major cities and urban areas. Today, American Forests continues to be a leading advocate for forest conservation in the United States, and believes trees are a solution to two major current crises: climate change and social inequity.

SHELBYVILLE, Tennessee –  Today, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the fastest-growing American whiskey brand in U.S. history and the most-awarded Bourbon of 2019 and 2020 worldwide, announced the formation of the Uncle Nearest Venture Fund. The $50 million fund was created specifically to invest in rapidly growing, minority-founded and owned spirit brands. According to Fawn Weaver, Uncle Nearest founder and CEO, it’s by design that the timing of the announcement comes on the 100th anniversary of the destruction of Black Wall Street.

“On June 1, 1921, an entire community of wealthy and successful African Americans was wiped out in a matter of hours. We are talking about 35 square blocks known as Black Wall Street,” said Weaver. “As an African American, learning about that history broke my heart because we, as a people, were really onto something in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We were lifting one another up and creating wealth within our own community, and then showing others how to do it for themselves. We cannot go back and undo the past, but I do believe we have full power over our future, and that recreating a Black Wall Street of sorts within the spirits industry is a great place to start.”

The fund has already chosen its first two investments, each company to receive initial funding of $2 million, respectively – London-based Equiano, the world’s first Afro-Caribbean rum founded by Ian Burrell and Aaisha Dadral; and Jack From Brooklyn, Inc., the first-known Black-owned distillery in America post Prohibition, and the maker of the bartender-beloved Sorel Liqueur. Founded by Jackie Summers in 2012, Sorel had all the makings of a successful brand when it launched, and immediately gained popularity. However, Summers was not able to obtain the funding required to grow a successful spirit brand.

“Most people don’t know how expensive it is to create and grow a premium spirit brand in America,” said Summers. “I wasn’t willing to compromise on the quality and I did everything I could to raise the money to keep Sorel alive, including pitching the brand to the CEOs of some of the most well-known spirit conglomerates. Every single one turned me down. Many do not know this, but I went homeless for about 18 months as I pounded the pavement to continue growing my business. I never gave up because I knew it was special and that one day, someone would be willing to invest in it and in me. The moment the Uncle Nearest Venture Fund agreed to do so, we were ready – we’d only been waiting on capital.”

Through the investment from the Uncle Nearest Venture Fund, Sorel Liqueur will return to market this summer as an exclusive offering via ReserveBar.com and their Spirited Change Initiative.

“America consists of approximately 40 percent people of color, but they own an incredibly small percentage of spirit brands,” said Lindsay Held, CEO and co-founder of ReserveBar, the established leader in premium spirits ecommerce. “We have to work collectively to change that so that we can unlock opportunity for all. We are committed to working with every minority-owned brand in the Uncle Nearest Venture Fund.”

Following its online debut, Sorel will roll out to markets across the country this summer. The brand has already obtained national distribution through Republic National Distribution Company (RNDC), Breakthru Beverage Group, Empire Distributors and several other top distributors, and will be available in more than 40 states before the end of the year.

About Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey
Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey honors the world’s first-known African American master distiller, Nearest Green. Uncle Nearest is currently available in all 50 states and 12 countries, and is sold in more than 25,000 stores, bars, hotels, and restaurants, and at its 270-acre distillery in Shelbyville, Tenn., dubbed as “Malt Disney World.” For more information, please visit the Uncle Nearest website, and follow on Instagram and Facebook @unclenearest.

About Uncle Nearest Venture Fund
Uncle Nearest Venture Fund was created to invest in minority (BIPOC and women) founded, owned and led brands with the greatest potential to grow into long-standing legacy brands. It was founded by Uncle Nearest founder and CEO Fawn Weaver, and is guided by a diverse board of directors, which includes: Keith Weaver, Executive Vice President of Global Public Policy and External Affairs for Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lee Moulton, Head of Partnerships for Google, Carolyn Feinstein, former CMO for Dropbox, Mark McCallum, former Chief Brands Officer for Brown-Forman, Kevin Asato, Portfolio Management for Republic National Distribution Company, and Minott Wessinger, founder of McKenzie River Corporation. For more information, please visit the Uncle Nearest Venture Fund website.

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Austin, Texas – Still Austin Whiskey Co., a homegrown distillery situated in the heart of South Austin, launched its first limited-release Cask Strength Bourbon, in on- and off-premise establishments throughout Texas and at the Still Austin Distillery Tasting Room. Unlike the company’s Distillery Reserve Series which typically yields up to 600 total bottles and is only available at the Tasting Room, the Cask Strength Bourbon is a limited-release, meaning a larger quantity will be available in the marketplace as well. This year, the team will make 1,100 cases available now and an additional 1,100 cases available in September.

Made from 100% Texas grains, the new expression contains the same mash bill as the company’s flagship straight bourbon whiskey – 70% Non-GMO white corn, 25% Elbon rye and 5% wildfire malted barley – but without utilizing the slow water reduction process, resulting in a higher proof. The suggested retail price for a 750ml bottle is $65.

To create this robust bourbon, the team asked Master Blender Nancy Fraley to search through their barrels of Straight Bourbon and select the most complex and full-flavored ones—those that were begging to be blended and released at “barrel proof,” meaning the whiskey was bottled at the same proof at which it was aged. The resulting spirit is a masterpiece of complex, dark flavors with a deep spice finish.

At 118 proof (59% ABV), the new Cask Strength Bourbon is a “deeper, darker, more robust version of its beloved 98.4 proof fruit-forward sibling (aka The Musician), offering a nose of brandied cherries with fresh muddled mint, old fashioned blackberry cobbler with biscuit crust, and cinnamon toast in brown butter,” according to Fraley. “The palate offers notes of grilled peaches drizzled with balsamic vinegar, butterscotch pecan pie, and dark brown sugar, followed by warming waves of rye spice, nutmeg, and clove.”

The artwork on the label, created by internationally acclaimed artist and native Texan Marc Burckhardt, is a slightly modified version of the Straight Bourbon artwork, a series which portrays “archetypical” Austinites. Each provides a sense of the people who have influenced and inspired the team, while paying homage to the Texas terroir. While the Cask Strength bottle also features The Musician, the black night sky is meant to be representative of the stronger, “darker” whiskey.

Grain-to-Glass Philosophy
Still Austin is an independent craft whiskey distillery founded in 2015, focusing on a true grain-to-glass concept that produces the highest quality whiskey by perfecting every part of the process and using local resources and sustainable practices. The team is committed to carrying out each part of the process in-house. That means never sourcing whiskey from another distillery, and instead always hand-making everything from scratch, and managing everything in-house – milling, mashing, fermenting, distilling, barreling and bottling.

The Still Austin distilling team is led by Head Distiller John Schrepel, Master Blender Nancy Fraley and veteran Master Distiller Mike Delevante, one of the most experienced and respected distillers in North America who designed the distillery to make the highest quality of bourbon. That includes a 42-foot custom-made column, “Nancy,” (and her sister copper-pot still, “The Queen”) which give the distillers serious creative license to create unique new flavors and spirits. The team also uses Texas weather to its advantage. The region’s high heat, humidity and rapidly shifting temperatures encourage spirits to move rapidly in and out of the oak barrels and mature relatively quickly—but, if this process is left unchecked, it can also cause the bourbon to have heavy oak flavor or harsh tannic qualities. To prevent this, Still Austin uses a meticulous slow water reduction technique focused on flavor and balance, which gives the alcohol a softness on the palate and brings more “mature” notes to the forefront.

About Still Austin Whiskey Co.
Founded in 2015 by three Austin families, Still Austin Whiskey Co. is a true grain-to-glass distillery, located at 440 East St. Elmo Road in the heart of Austin, Texas. All spirits are hand crafted using grains grown by Texas farmers. Still Austin’s collection of spirits includes the flagship Straight Bourbon Whiskey (aka “The Musician”) and American Gin (aka “The Naturalist”). Still Austin places a high value on sustainability, with a focus on cutting carbon emissions through local sourcing, increasing the biodiversity of the region through heritage grains, returning spent grains to local ranchers to feed their animals, and operating a distillery that is designed for energy efficiency and water conservation.

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Waikiki Kihei, Hawaii – Following a full year of resting on new charred American oak barrels, Kupu Spirits announces the launch of its Whiskey. The product, a blend of Rye and Bourbon Whiskey, has been matured in a space provided by Haleakala Ranch in bunkers dating back to World War II. The 88 proof Whiskey is an exceptional expression of caramel and vanilla building to peppery spice notes with a hint of nuttiness.

“After closely monitoring the aging process for over 2 years, we carefully selected the barrels to pull for Batch #1. Selecting the perfect marriage of the lighter #2 charring of white American oak, along with the ideal climate conditions where the whiskey was rested, we feel this rye-heavy blend really stands-up to top whiskeys in its class. While the subtle complexities of the sweet corn and vanilla flavors are apparent, we wanted to primarily showcase that spicy, peppery kick of the rye that we all know and love,” stated Lead Distiller, Nick Reiss. “Our team at Kupu/MBC worked very hard, putting in the time and sweat to build the foundation of a program here on Maui that will continue to bring more delicious whiskey for years to come. As the Lead Distiller of Kupu Spirits, I personally hope you enjoy this whiskey as much as I do.”

The official debut of Kupu Whiskey will be on World Whiskey Day, May 15th at MBC Waikiki. CEO and Co-Founder of Maui Brewing Company/Kupu Spirits, Garrett Marrero will be on-site to promote the latest product alongside Lead Distiller, Nick Reiss, members of the MBC team, and distribution partners from Paradise Beverages.

To commemorate the occasion, all Maui Brewing Company locations will be offering a promotional cocktail, “Ko’olau Cruiser” created by MBC Waikiki’s General Manager and Head Mixologist Shawn Shelton. The cocktail is made with Kupu Spirits Whiskey, Orange Liqueur, Sweet Vermouth, and lemon juice. In addition, Executive Chef Terry Lynch has created a dessert pairing “Honey Toast with Kupu Whiskey Caramel Sauce”.

At the brewery/distillery location on Maui, the team at MBC Kihei will be promoting Kupu Whiskey with two offerings throughout the week of May 15 – May 22:

A HI Fashioned sampler, featuring four beverages on a sampler paddle including a signature White Kupu Old Fashioned, a Kupu Barrel One Old Fashioned, an Origin Kupu Old Fashioned, and a Barrel-aged Old Fashioned Barleywine.
White Kupu Sloshie Special, a classic frozen blend of Mango Iced Tea with Lemonade, Kupu White Whiskey and cane sugar.
Since its 2019 inception, Kupu Spirits has won awards for every product in its line, including Gin, White Whiskey, and ready-to-drink cocktail varietals of Whiskey Ginger, Whiskey Cola, and Gin and Tonic.

About Kupu Spirits
A brand extension of Hawaii’s largest independent craft brewery, Kupu Spirits island crafted distilled spirits and ready-to-enjoy canned cocktails debuted in 2019. In the Hawaiian language, the word “kupu” means “to sprout” or “to grow.” The name Kupu Spirits was chosen to symbolize the brand as an offshoot of Maui Brewing Company, operating with a mission aligned to the same independent values, sustainability practices, and commitment to craft as its parent brand.

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