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Straight from the still
Greetings from Templeton!
Kevin Boersma, Distillery Manager here, giving you an update on what's going on around the distillery. First the big news: After a slow start, my golf team put up an impressive charge and won the Manning/Manilla Country Club League Championship after finishing second last year!
It has been a little quiet around here for a while, but that is all about to change in about a month. As many of you know, we will start to bottle Batch 4 in mid-November. We have been tasting the product regularly during the aging process and are very excited about it. I am confident in saying it is our best product yet.
The bottling room will be buzzing with activity as we work at an unprecedented level from Monday, November 22 through Wednesday, November 24 to get ahead of things before Thanksgiving. Anyone interested in donating their time and helping with this historic bottling session can inquire at info@templetonrye.com.
Thank you for all of your patience and understanding during this lean time and we hope to see you soon at the distillery or on our cross state bottle signing tour! Please continue to check the tours page on our website for upcoming tour dates in November and December. Cheers!
Sincerely,
Kevin Boersma, Distillery Manager, Templeton Rye
Templeton Rye Founder Scott Bush works on team to recreate
George Washington's Peach Brandy
I recently had the opportunity of a lifetime as I gathered with a group of master distillers from some of America's leading craft distilleries at Mount Vernon (home of George Washington's Distillery) to re-create the Peach Brandy the President served to guests.
Mount Vernon's chief historian, Dennis Pogue, said: "While not the revenue-producer that Rye Whiskey was for George Washington, Peach Brandy was distilled in limited quantities and was very popular for entertaining at the Mount Vernon mansion, according to his meticulous records."
Dennis notes that Washington’s financial accounts revealed he sold only eight gallons of Peach Brandy in 1798, and a distillery ledger entry from 1799 shows 60 gallons of Peach Brandy were sent to the "Mount Vernon house" for entertaining.
We used 18th century distilling techniques to create the Peach Brandy, which will be aged, bottled and eventually sold to the public for the benefit of Mount Vernon's educational programs. We produced approximately 50 gallons of the Peach Brandy, which will yield approximately 500 bottles (375 ml).
This was an incredible experience to not only recreate history but also to make a mark in history with my fellow distillers. The respect we have for each other's talents and skills was no more evident than when we were following a hallowed recipe.
Cheers,
Scott Bush, Founder, Templeton Rye
PICTURED ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Scott Harris, Catoctin Creek Distillery (VA), Scott Bush, Templeton Rye (IA), Brian McKenzie, Finger Lakes Distilling (NY), Ted Huber, Huber Starlight Distillery (IN), David Pickerell, WhistlePig Whiskey (VT), Thomas McKenzie, Finger Lakes Distilling (NY), Lance Winters, St. George Spirits (CA), Steve Bashore, George Washington's Distillery (VA), Joe Dangler, A. Smith Bowman Distillery (VA), Robert Cassell, Philadelphia Distilling (PA).
Batch 4 is right around the corner!
We are getting very excited about Batch 4 of Templeton Rye, which will be released on the anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition on December 5th. Our plan is to send 2,000 cases to Iowa so that retailers can order it from the state warehouse beginning December 6th. We will also be sending 1,000 cases to Illinois at that time. It is still not going to be easy to find a bottle of The Good Stuff, but is should be a lot easier than it is today.
Speaking of Batch 4, would you like to help us start to bottle it?
We are planning to bottle from 8am to 8pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during the week of Thanksgiving (Nov 22-24) at the distillery in Templeton. We are looking for some volunteers to help out, so if you'd like to join us please send us an email at info@templetonrye.com. We will be bottling hard but don't worry, we always manage to sprinkle in some fun!
Templeton Rye team heading out on statewide tour
Templeton Rye Founders Scott Bush and Keith Kerkhoff, along with the rest of the team, will be heading all over the State of Iowa from December 11-18. We will be doing bottle signings as well as events at various bars and restaurants. Most important though, is to meet a bunch of Templeton Rye fans and thank you for your patience during the past year. Please stay tuned for specifics details.
A preliminary list of stops is below:
Des Moines
Grinnell
Newton
Ames
Mason City
Fort Dodge
Storm Lake
Sioux City
Council Bluffs
Denison
Carroll
Atlantic
Coralville
Cedar Rapids
Cedar Falls/Waterloo
Dubuque
Bettendorf/Davenport
Iowa City
Burlington
Fairfield
Ottumwa
New in the online store: TR belt buckles
We just received these cool new belt buckles, which are available starting today in our online store. Get yours today!
Video Spotlight: Norma Bierl Myers
Norma Bierl Meyers was born in Templeton, Iowa, but moved away when she was quite young. She remembers her dad, Ambrose Bierl, talking about making Templeton Rye with his good friend Alphonse Kerkhoff (who originally created Templeton Rye). To listen to more of Norma's memories, click here to watch on YouTube.
If you have any questions or need more information about any of the events listed in our newsletter, don't hesitate to drop us a line at info@templetonrye.com.
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© 2010 Templeton Rye Spirits, LLC, Templeton, Iowa |
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