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| Courtesy of Deschutes Brewing & Bendistillery |
Collaboration of craft beverage masters creates a liquid intended to be timeless in taste and appreciation
21 September 2016
– Bend, Oregon – Deschutes Brewery and Bendistillery today announced
the much anticipated launch of Black Butte Whiskey. Created over the
past three years, this malt whiskey was double distilled from the wash
of Deschutes Brewery’s flagship beer, Black Butte Porter. Available in
very limited quantities, this sipping whiskey can be found starting
today at the brewery’s two public houses, Bendistillery’s tasting room
and Oregon liquor stores only.
Jim
Bendis, founder of Bendistillery, said, “The origin of this project was
nearly 20 years ago when I distilled and barreled a small batch of
Deschutes’ Black Butte Porter beer as an experiment. We all kind of
forgot about it until we ran across that original barrel when we moved
the distillery. Tasting that spirit is what really inspired us to
collaborate with Deschutes to produce a whiskey we could share with
everybody. It brings happy tears to my eyes witnessing a 20-year-old
dream come to fruition!”
Gary
Fish, founder and CEO of Deschutes Brewery said, “The whiskey was more
about an opportunity to innovate at a new level by elevating the beer
and creating a very different product altogether. This is what can
happen when you’re having fun and not bound by convention!”
Black
Butte Whiskey was aged in new #4 char American oak barrels, and the
resulting whiskey retains the malty, chocolatey notes of Black Butte
Porter while gaining woody, earthy flavors from the oak. The body is
full while the spirit drinks dry and clean. Ryan Schmiege, assistant
brewmaster for Deschutes Brewery, said, “The base for this whiskey is
very unusual because it is founded on a beer which is comprised of a lot
of chocolate malts; not common for whiskey. I liked the challenges we
had early on while learning to think, brew and ferment like distillers.”
The
whiskey will be served neat or on the rocks at the Deschutes Brewery
pubs in Bend and Portland starting today. Bottles are available at
Bendistillery and Oregon liquor stores. Because a very limited amount is
available, a future release for the next round of Black Butte Whiskey
is slated for the end of 2017.
“I
think the most exciting part of this project has been the public’s
response. We have been able to sample and see how the whiskey develops
over the years, so we know how good it is. But to see peoples’ eyes
light up when they try it for the first time is the best part,” said
Alan Dietrich, CEO of Bendistillery.
About BendistilleryFounded
in 1996, Bendistillery is one of the nation’s first craft distilleries
and is still the most awarded craft distillery in the country. Their
flagship Crater Lake Spirits brand are traditional American style gins,
vodkas and whiskies all produced at their distillery in Bend, Oregon. www.bendistillery.com
About Deschutes BreweryNamed
as OUTSIDE’s Best Places to Work for the last three years in a row and
winner of the 2015 Oregon Sustainability Award, Deschutes Brewery was
founded in 1988 as a brew pub in Bend, Oregon. Still family and employee
owned 28 years later, the brewery is known for brewing a diverse
line-up of award winning beers including the popular Fresh Squeezed IPA,
Black Butte Porter, and Mirror Pond Pale Ale. From the beginning, the
focus has been on crafting the best beer and food using thoughtfully
curated ingredients. With a second brew pub in Portland’s Pearl District
that has become a popular destination for craft beer lovers from around
the world, Deschutes Brewery now ships beer to 28 states, the District
of Columbia, and internationally from its main brewing facility located
on the banks of the Deschutes River. To find out more, visit www.DeschutesBrewery.com.
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