Media Kit Sitemap News Find It Connect. The distillery is behind some of the countrys most popular whiskey brands some more discreetly than others and recently debuted its own line of brands. Rossville Union Straight Rye is spicy on the nose but less spicy on the palate, with plenty of clove and pine notes. Eight & Sand Blended Bourbon The newest whiskey in the MGP portfolio, Eight & Sand is a blended bourbon that includes every whiskey MGP produces (including both bourbon mashbills, corn whiskey, and light whiskey). We partner with small startups and global brands alike to innovate in the food science industry and create some of the finest whiskeys, ryes, bourbons, gins and vodkas in the world. Executive Leadership; Board of Directors; Our Alcohol Experts; . Midwest Grain Products is the countrys main supplier of whiskey for brands that do not distill their own, of which there are many. The customer was just finally coming around to collect their barrels and bottle them up. | They told me that, in addition to being the largest producer of rye whiskey in America, MGP is also the largest producer of gin, all of which is made for other customers. MGP of Indiana ( Midwest Grain Products of Indiana [1] ), formerly known as LDI ( Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana ), is a distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, producing spirits for private label sale. Time will tell but it can be speculated that in an effort to encourage faster barrel aging to customers who want products that taste older, that these new metal-clad buildings probably could be used to speed up the aging process while also trying to keep the traditional aging methods alive. About David Whitmer With a background spanning nearly 30 years in the food and beverage industries, David Whitmer is a walking encyclopedia of the science, history and craft behind spirits and . We visited one warehouse - there are seven on-site and I think 5 more elsewhere (though I'm not confident in those numbers). We specialize in everything from old world to new world, organic & natural wines, whiskeys & scotches and everything else. I was a bit worried that the MGP brands were just going to be the regular MGP products as all the various other brands with a different label and not have anything to say about them. But more importantly, the whiskies: While nearly all their clients bottle whiskey that's of a single mashbill, MGP brand whiskies are all combinations of multiple mashbills. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Michael stokes | We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. During this timeframe when the American sourced-whiskey industry was in its infancy, rules werent clearly established and improper labeling was commonplace among smaller bottlers. The MGP Ingredients property includes 92 buildings on 300 acres and was originally established in 1847, but there is evidence that people were distilling on that property as early as 1808, soon after the city of Lawrenceburg was founded. Labelled a blended bourbon, its a blend of high rye bourbon, rye, light whiskey, and corn whiskey. July 29, 2021 at 01:00 PM. Three generations of the Cray family later, weve certainly grown, but we still have those same family values. Its another one great by itself or in a cocktail. MGP continues the legacy as one of Lawrenceburgs original distilleries and the only one still producing whiskey. Most consumers believed that this product was distilled in Iowa. MGP itself is a company founded in 1941 to make high-test alcohol for torpedos to support the war effort. This would not end up being the last time that a product from Lawrenceburg Distillery ended up being incorrectly labeled as companies like Widow Jane and Whistlepig also failed to state on their labels that their bourbon and rye whiskey came from Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Rossville Union Cask Strength Rye This rye is the same general age as the straight rye, but the blend is different, as is the batch size. Shelagh Stautberg | Everyone we met with was incredibly forthcoming about the companys process. Here youll find travelogues, food guides, travel tips, and more all with a side of whisk(e)y. The distillery was opened in 1847 , and has undergone such significant upgrades, expansions, and modifications over the years that little of the original remains. As of this article, you can find their own products in just 13 states. Remus Repeal Reserve, George Remus (both bourbon and rye whiskey) Rossville Rye Whiskey, Eight and Sand Blended Bourbon Whiskey, Tanners Creek Bourbon. In 2000, newly formed beverage conglomerate Diageo and French spirits company Pernod Ricard finalized agreements to divvy up the assets of the former spirits giant. To add insult to injury, the lawsuit also revealed to whiskey enthusiasts that Templeton took the rye whiskey and added an alcohol flavoring formulation made by Clarendon Flavor Engineers of Louisville, KY to achieve a specific flavor. Some Indiana-bourbon lovers who swoon about older barrel proof bourbons with low ABV numbers would probably find out that their barrels came from the warehouses (and sides of the warehouses) that were especially close to Tanners Creek. That is, until recently. Hi, I'm Kelli Nakagama, the whiskey-obsessed travel fanatic behind Whiskied Wanderlust, a whiskey and travel site based in Chicago. No ownership change is complete without a headache or two. They say that makes for a mellower whiskey. Its not open to the public, so very few people have seen inside. E. Seagram Distillery is one of the more fascinating pieces of history in modern-day bourbon lore. It has all that lovely pickle brine flavor but bottled at 56.3% ABV. Thus, the names were born for each. Light whiskey was created as a product that would bridge the gap between the ever-increasing popularity of vodka and more traditional full bodied whiskies. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Joseph Magnus Bourbon Review - Cigar Blend | Bourbon Culture, [] Joseph Magnus bourbon brand built their reputation on sourcing large lots of MGP whiskey throughout the years, starting in 2015. It honors the famous rye made here back in 1847 with Rossville Union Straight Rye and Barrel Proof. 7 Crown was so popular world-wide that it was unofficially the first brand of whiskey to claim the world record of 1 million cases sold followed later on by the first to sell 100 million cases (in the 1970s) and first to sell 300 million cases (1983). Email address will not be displayed with the comment.). Questions surround every barrel at MGPI. That higher pH aids in fermentation. Master Blender David Whitmer said the inspiration behind Rossville Union Straight Rye was to purposely put together a rye whiskey that was approachable. Actually, I lied. From the outside, its easy to see that one of the buildings has a concrete floor and (painted) brick/block walls. Its great in a cocktail but perfect just to sip or put on the rocks. Instead of numbering the releases in meaningless batches, the label lists the number of barrels in each bottling. Light Whiskey should not be confused with Grain Neutral Spirits (GNS), which is another product that the Lawrenceburg Distillery makes a lot of. Rossville Union rye and George Remus bourbon both have several bottles to their lineup (but more on those below). But teams were dispatched in the early 2010s to begin the search for suitable facilities to expand the limited storage space at the Lawrenceburg facility. We spent some time in the Rack House, where the identifiable scent of wood and whiskey fills the air. These companies typically have one thing in common; they have a large umbrella corporation that theyre under that increases their buying power. In the 1960s, Seagrams began to tinker with production of a new kind of distillate called Light Whiskey. They were not the only ones though, as Schenley Industries, National Distillers, American Distilling and Publicker Industries also began to experiment with light whiskey as well. That's very convenient as in the hot summers the water is still cool to run through the condensers. Peeling back the curtain reveals that the Four Roses and the Lawrenceburg, Indiana Distillery still utilize the same recipe abbreviations that were invented during the Seagrams era. Just 6,000 bottles will be released of this, so hunt it down if you can and give it a try! Germany is a top producer of rye and their grain breeding programs are developed by local farmers and university researchers whereby they track key statistics like ferulic acid levels which is a huge help for any alcohol producer. While the exact reasons for Seagrams beverage empire dissolving are numerous and complex, the sale of the company was relatively straightforward. In 1933 at the end of Prohibition, the distillery was purchased by Seagram and run by the company until 2001. Helping to earn this moniker is the fact that MGP sits directly on top of an aquifier that provides a reliable water supply for their products. Its surprisingly approachable at cask strength and even better than the standard offering. Carefully crafted at the historic Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana - just miles from Cincinnati where Remus ran his Prohibition empire - each bourbon is made to meet the uncompromising standards Remus' bourbon was famous for during his reign. In 2015, Greg Metze was given the green light to blend up the first bottling of bourbon that MGPI would distill, age and bottle on their own grounds since Seagrams last owned the company. Seagrams 5 Crown blended whiskey eventually disappeared from production as World War II demanded more industrial alcohols to be produced, but 7 Crown remained in production largely unchanged. Its an old train phrase meaning smooth sailing.. MGP invited a small group of whiskey writers to tour the distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and spend a few days exploring Covington, Kentucky. The most publicized incident occurred under Pernod Ricards ownership as they began to sell rye whiskey to the Templeton Rye Whiskey brand based out of Templeton, Iowa. Fermentation takes about 3 days. Bourbon: 51% corn, 45% wheat, 4% malted barley, S (Strain 1Y, primarily used in Light Whiskey production). George Remus, the person, was a pharmacist turned attorney. Many young distilleries announced in that timeframe that they had ran out of their MGP barrels and would now be selling their own since they couldnt get any more, a statement that baffled enthusiasts. MGPI is still finding what it takes to make everything work after seeing two decades of internal change and external change within an industry that has seen unparalleled growth over the past 10 years. But ever since the switch to European sources was established, the consistency of the congener profile has allowed the rye whiskey coming out of Lawrenceburg to remain world class. But I was recently invited to tour the legendary campus and learn about MGP Distillerys whiskey brands. So far, most of the line of MGP spirits is available in about 13 states. From barrel filling, we walked over to the main control room, which is the nerve center of the facility. OLD FOURTH DISTILLERY Address 487 Edgewood Avenue SE, Atlanta, GA 30312 Get Directions Phone (844) 653-3687 Tasting Room Hours: Thursday 12PM - 7PM Friday 12PM - 10PM Saturday 12PM - 10PM Sunday 12PM - 7PM Tours run at the following times: 12pm, 2pm, 4pm and 6pm Walk-ins are welcome, or book your tour online. The fermentation room (there are 14, 27,000 gallon vats in this room; there is another room but I'm not sure if it's the same size). Even though their many rickhouses are slightly different from each other, all of them are designed so barrels age the same regardless of location within them. September 1, 2014 MGP and LDI History Midwest Grain Products (MGP) is a grain and neutral spirit supplier based in Atchinson, KS. We toured the facility, we met the team behind the spirits, and we dranka lot of whiskey! Head on over to Local Kitchens in Huntington Beach for a Lunar New Year Celebration and a FREE FOOD GIVEAWAY from the restaurant concept Great Taste Magazine | Orange County Restaurants and Pros, Condiments-Salsas, Jams, Preserves & Pickles, Orange County Restaurants Events Calendar, Best Orange County Restaurants for Happy Hour, Best Orange County Restaurants for Brunch, Great Taste Magazine 2016 May | June Issue. The Pepper family brand of whiskey is an iconic Kentucky whiskey brand initially produced during the American Revolution and continued through 1967. They fascinate me even more when gloves sit atop them with shadows. They also have a wheat whiskey mashbill that has already been bottled by a few NDPs (such as Backbone Bourbon) and instantly showcased its captivating potential despite still being young. But youll never find these early whiskies bottled in single barrel or small batch forms due to the fact they were all distilled and aged for the purpose of being blended into 7 Crown and 5 Crown products. The latest company information, including net asset values, performance, holding & sectors weighting, changes in voting rights, and directors and dealings. In 2014, 3 years after MGP first took over the operations of the Lawrenceburg plant, they bottled a limited release of their own bourbon for the first ever Lawrenceburg Whiskey City Festival. Simply put, whiskey distilled during LDIs ownership period is perceived as better because its older. Right next door was Squibb, which opened in 1846 (though another distillery, Dunn and Ludlow, was on that patch of land in 1807) and became part of the Delaware company Schenley in 1933. Beginning in 2023, the entire family of Daviess County Bourbon variants will be designated as Proud Partner of Ducks Unlimited. This prevents automated programs from posting comments. Pernod Ricard may have been especially motivated to purchase the Lawrenceburg, Indiana facility during this time because Wild Turkey had experienced a fire in 2000 that destroyed Warehouse J which contained the entire bottling operation for Wild Turkey products. However, it was not until many years later that it was discovered that Templeton Rye was actually distilled in Indiana. My Grandfather Eugene O'Shaughnessy was a previous owner when it was James Walsh Distillery. Nose: This is a caramel bomb on notes of oak, vanilla . There is also a George Remus Reserve bottling and so far there have been two of these. It should come as no surprise to learn that Four Roses also sources their rye primarily from Germany as well. Your email address is never shared. We partner with small startups and global brands alike to innovate in the food science industry and create some of This second release is at 100 proof, and MGP plans to keep future releases at that proof point. The limited editions are released on George Remus birthday on November 13th. But in Scotland, its the opposite. Earlier this year, MGP acquired and merged with Luxco Spirits, a family owned liquor company HQ'd in St. Louis. While Indianas neighbor directly to the south may get all of the American whiskey glory (ahem, Kentucky), the tiny town of Lawrenceburg has played an important role in American whiskey production for the past 200 years. It has backup yeasts if something happens to the Mother, as well as the capability of using clients preferred yeast if requested. 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