This is the first of what is going to be an ongoing series for BourbonGuy.com. As you might imagine, I get a lot of press releases in my inbox. I thought it might be neat to periodically share some of those that I find the most interesting along with a little commentary on them. I hope you enjoy these posts. I spend way too much time reading whiskey news to not share.
Four Roses Announces Mini Bottles of Two Bourbons
NEWS: After quietly retiring their 50 mL bottles of Four Roses Single Barrel, Four Roses announced this month that they will be offering 50 mL bottles of both their Small Batch and Small Batch Select Bourbons. These bottles are available at most retailers that sell the 750 mL bottles. Locally they sell for $5.99 for the Small Batch and $7.99 for the Small Batch Select.
COMMENTARY: This is the kind of thing that I wouldn’t have usually found that interesting, except for one thing. I never was able to get a Four Roses bottle on the Whiskey Party Lights that I made. Single Barrel had a small cork. No way to hang it from the lights. According to Brent Elliott, these new minis will have screw caps that I’ll be able to drill through. What’s that? You don’t have any Whiskey Party lights? You should make some, it’s a fun and easy project.
Samuels House Now Available for Overnight Accommodations
NEWS: Rob Samuels, Managing Director of Maker’s Mark and grandson of the brand’s founder, has opened the historic Samuels home for rent. Currently operated under the name Samuels House, it was built around 1820 by Samuels family forefather John Samuels. The property remained with the family until the 1950s. Now, back in family hands, it has been renovated and opened for rent to overnight guests. According to the press release: “Although equipped with modern conveniences and luxury amenities, the house’s original detail and character have been preserved to showcase the history of the Maker’s Mark dynasty. Never before seen personal family artifacts, including the deep fryer used to create the iconic red wax tendrils and a hand-made bar with whisky spanning 150 years of Samuels family distilling, ensures a really special experience for bourbon enthusiasts.”
COMMENTARY: If I had the money, I would love to stay here while visiting Bardstown. Not sure I can swing $1250-1500 per night on a freelancer’s budget, but if you do, this seems like a fun way to spend that cash. I love old houses and, for me, the whiskey history would just be icing on the cake. And man, do those sofas look comfy.
MGP Distillery Gets a New Name
NEWS: As of September 29, 2021, the consumer brands portion of the MGP distillery will go by the name of Ross & Squibb Distillery. The new name highlights the history of the distillery location. According to the press release: “Ross” is inspired by the legacy of George Ross, who in 1847 founded the Rossville Distillery, located on what is now the Ross & Squibb Distillery campus. Considered one of Lawrenceburg’s original distilleries and one of America’s last Prohibition-era distilleries, Rossville Distillery produced some of the finest rye whiskeys in the world and was the inspiration for the Rossville Union Straight Rye Whiskey brand. “Squibb” calls back to the historic Squibb Distillery, founded in 1869 in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and later purchased in 1921 by George Remus, King of the Bootleggers® and inspiration for the George Remus Straight Bourbon Whiskey brand.” Bulk production of whiskey and other spirits will continue onsite under the current name, MGPI of Indiana, LLC.
COMMENTARY: What does this mean for the whiskey consumer? Probably not a lot. I know I’m not going to rush to update the MGP tag at the bottom of this page. I’m almost positive that in casual conversation I’ll still use the quick MGP instead of the longer Ross & Squibb. Though you may see written references to Ross & Squibb on the site if I quote from a press release for one of their products. Basically, this is a consumer-facing example of the merger of MGP and Luxco. As the Luxco portion of the combined company now handles the consumer brands that MGP brought to the merger (Remus, Rossville, etc), it only makes sense from a marketing perspective to brand everything they can to help tell their story. Does this mean we can look forward to the future announcement of an upcoming visitor experience in Lawrenceburg, IN? No word on that yet, but it wouldn’t terribly surprise me now that the distillery has a consumer-friendly name and logo.
Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.
Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more.