Diageo's Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Co Rhetoric

Category - Spirits, whiskey, Bourbon, 45% abv

Available - From June

Location - US, nation-wide, in limited - albeit unspecified - quantities

Price - RRP of US$85 per 75cl bottle

Distribution - Diageo

Diageo has lined up the third Bourbon expression from its Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Co unit in the US. Rhetoric, which joins 20-year-old Barterhouse and 26-year-old Old Blowhard, is a 20-year-old Bourbon that will be available in limited supply.

The iteration “will be progressively aged and released over the coming years – the 20-year-old variant will be released this year, the 21-year-old will be released in 2015, and so on”, according to the unit.

Diageo officially launched the Orphan Barrel division earlier this year.

Show the press release

For the whiskey aficionado who dreams of selecting the choicest barrels from the guarded corners of historic rickhouses, Rhetoric Whiskey is a dream come true. The newest addition to the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company is a highly limited craft bourbon that will be progressively aged and released over the coming years – the 20-year-old variant will be released this year, the 21-year-old will be released in 2015, and so on. This approach will grant whiskey enthusiasts the chance to compare these exclusive offerings as they mature and collect an enviable series of Rhetoric Whiskies.

The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company was created in early 2014 to locate forgotten barrels of craft whiskey from around the world and share them with discerning adult fans, who are encouraged to sip slowly and responsibly. Rhetoric, the third variant to be released from the company is aged 20 years for its first release and is expected to begin appearing on select shelves throughout the U.S. in June under strict allocation due to limited supply.

Rhetoric stocks were discovered in warehouses at the Stitzel-Weller facility in Louisville, Ky., and distilled in both the New and Old Bernheim distilleries in Louisville. The whiskey is beautifully aged and hand bottled in Tullahoma, Tenn. Beginning with a smoky and leathery nose hinting of ripe apples, Rhetoric tastes of smoked vanilla, toasted rye and dried fruit before a long full finish of cherry blossom and bitter chocolate. Rhetoric carries a suggested retail price of $85.

“Aging whiskey is a fascinating process and one that whiskey aficionados around the world love learning about,” said Ewan Morgan, Orphan Barrel Master of Whiskey. “I’ve no doubt the progressive aging and release of Rhetoric will merit some spirited debate among us whiskey geeks about which year tastes best!”

Rhetoric’s packaging features an intricate gold label with a hummingbird rising above chaos and confusion to clarity and reason. The background, reminiscent of the oak barrels in which the whiskey aged, will grow deeper in color as Rhetoric is progressively aged and released in the years to come.

The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company is headquartered in Tullahoma, Tenn. where the whiskies are bottled. Like the other Orphan Barrel whiskies, Rhetoric has long awaited a place to call home. Orphan Barrel is proud to bring Rhetoric Whiskey into the family and reminds consumers who get their hands on a bottle to sip slowly and responsibly.

Rhetoric is a beautiful 20-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon that will be progressively aged and released once per year. This will allow whiskey fans to compare differences year over year and see how an extra 12 months in the barrel affects the liquid.

As with the first two releases, Rhetoric (90 proof, 45% ABV) is hand-bottled in Tullahoma, Tenn., and is expected to begin appearing on select shelves across the country in June 2014 under strict allocation due to limited supply at a suggested retail price of $85 for a 750 ml bottle.

Original source: Company Release