by Even bourbon events not scheduled to take place until September aren’t safe from the COVID-19 pandemic: The Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA) announced the cancellation of the annual Kentucky Bourbon Affair, “the ultimate bourbon fantasy camp,” while Danny Wimmer Presents announced the cancellation of the Bourbon and Beyond concert music festival. Both events are expected to resume in 2021.
Originally scheduled for September 21-26, the Kentucky Bourbon Affair is a weeklong event of one-of-a-kind experiences, bourbon tastings, and food events at the 22 participating distilleries and a number of Louisville-area restaurants and clubs.
“This is not the call we wanted to make, but it is the responsible and appropriate decision under these circumstances with so much uncertainty on the horizon, especially with medical professionals warning that the situation could be worse in the fall,” said KDA President Eric Gregory said.
Read the news release from the KDA here.
Sazerac Co. donates more than 14,000 N95 Masks to healthcare workers
Examples of the bourbon industry stepping up to help fight the pandemic continue to grow. The Sazerac Company, the parent company of Buffalo Trace and the largest producer of distilled spirits in North America, is donating 14,800 N95 respirator masks to the healthcare industry around the country.
Sazerac says it’s supplying all of its team members with cloth face covers for personal protection as they work to produce hand sanitizer in a number of distilleries.
“Unfortunately N95 respirator masks remain scarce, so we are happy to be able to supply these to the healthcare industry in the fight against this pandemic,” said Matt Maimone, Sazerac’s chief operating officer.
Learn more about the Sazerac Company here.
Buffalo Trace releases experimental wheat bourbons and announces first kosher whiskey
As part of an ongoing series of limited availability experimental bourbons, Buffalo Trace Distillery is releasing its first one for this year: “a wheat recipe bourbon aged for four years, cut with water, then re-barreled and left to age for another eight years. ”
Buffalo Trace says the wheat mash recipe went into the barrel in December 2007, aged for four years, was cut with water to lower it to 100 proof, and returned to the same barrel for another eight years.
Interrupting the aging process is not usually how Buffalo Trace does things. “We’ve always known water was a necessary component in making whiskey,” stated Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. “This experiment helped us to understand how important a role water actually plays in whiskey production. The result of this experiment led us to a bourbon that is actually one of my favorite experiments.”
Wheatley describes this bourbon as having a “nose that is sweet and floral, with notes of oak, vanilla, and a bit of leather. There’s a really smooth creamy mouthfeel here. The taste is a pleasing balance of butterscotch, honey, and wood with a crisp finish.”
The 375 ml bottles in this 23rd Experimental Collection will retail for $46.99 and be available in May.
The disillery also announced the release of what it believes is the world’s first kosher whiskey in three styles: Kosher Rye Recipe Bourbon; Kosher Wheat Recipe Bourbon; and Kosher Straight Rye Whiskey.
“This is a milestone in the spirits industry to produce a truly Kosher whiskey,” said Buffalo Trace Distillery President Mark Brown, owner of the Kosher barrels at Buffalo Trace. “We know Kosher products are very important to the Jewish community as well as a broader audience, we are fully committed to ensuring that the entire chain of custody remains Kosher so the purchaser has 100% confidence this is a Kosher whiskey.”
The kosher whiskeys began shipping once Passover was over.
Learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery here.
Woodford Reserve and Churchill Downs planning Ky Derby at Home
Since the actual race has been moved to September 5, Woodford Reserve and Churchill Downs are teaming up for a day-long nationwide, at-home celebration to celebrate “the greatest two minutes in sports” and raise money for those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The virtual event on Saturday, May 2, the original date for the Derby will include a variety of interactive experiences on various social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram— @KentuckyDerby) including Churchill Downs’ first-ever virtual horse race, The Kentucky Derby: Triple Crown Showdown. Then NBC-TV will reair the historic 2015 Kentucky Derby that began American Pharoah’s quest for the Triple Crown beginning at 3:00 p.m.
“The Kentucky Derby is not just a horse race — it’s tradition, pageantry and history — and it brings people together from across the globe for the Greatest Two Minutes in Sports,” said Woodford Reserve Master Distiller Chris Morris. “Now more than ever, it is important to preserve that history and keep the tradition alive.”
For more information on how to celebrate the Kentucky Derby at home and make a charitable donation to help with COVID-19 emergency relief efforts, go here. The event could raist $2 million, thanks to Churchill Downs commitment to match up to $1 million in donations.
Flavorman selling bulk hand sanitizer to the public
From The Stave and Thief Society:
Our friends at Flavorman are proud to be a part of efforts to address the national shortage of hand sanitizer. They are currently manufacturing liquid hand sanitizer in bulk according to FDA and WHO guidelines, and have registered this product as required by the FDA.
Their liquid hand sanitizer comes in 1-gallon bottles with a screw top (no pump) for $35 each. Products are available for local, “no-touch” pickups at their location in downtown Louisville. Simply drive up, pick up, and drive away!
For questions, please call the Hand Sanitizer hotline at (502) 400-9716.
