Their whiskeys sell out in minutes and win awards. Here’s their newest bourbon release
Bourbon is usually focused on the past, but a new whiskey could be a taste of the future.
Blue Run Spirits has released its first bourbon crafted by acclaimed master distiller Jim Rutledge, formerly of Four Roses.
Blue Run Kentucky Straight High Rye Bourbon Whiskey is available to buy at select retailers in the U.S. and Canada; bottles available online at BlueRunSpirits.com sold out in 3 minutes. The limited release is 111 proof, with a suggested retail price of $89.99.
Rutledge retired in September 2015 but quickly began working on independent projects. He joined Blue Run last year and has been selecting most of the spirits they’ve released.
He created this bourbon at Castle & Key Distillery in Woodford County, making it the first taste of a bourbon actually created at the revived distillery.
“For a four-year-old Bourbon, I’m impressed with the quality of this release, and I look forward to evaluating the subsequent releases of these barrels - after additional maturation,” Rutledge said in a news release. According to the tasting notes, Blue Run High Rye Bourbon has a caramel base, with notes of baking spices and toasted oak, with stone fruit and black pepper finish.
Blue Run Kentucky Straight High Rye Bourbon is distilled from a 65 percent yellow corn, 30 percent rye, 5 percent malted barley mash bill, according to the release. Just 100 barrels were chosen for this bottling, each toasted to a #4 alligator char and aged in Frankfort and Bardstown.
The whiskey brand has only been around a year, won awards at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition and has already developed a fan base.
Their Golden Rye Whiskey released earlier this Fall sold out in 4 minutes. But it wasn’t the fastest sell out: Spring 2021’s inaugural 13.5 year single barrel bourbon sold out online in under 2 minutes before going on to win Best Single Barrel Bourbon at the San Francisco competition.
