Long-Awaited Rye Release Pays Tribute to the Restoration of the Historic Property Castle & Key’s Restoration Rye, Sacred Spring Vodka and Roots of Ruin Gin Releases Receive New Look From Award-Winning Design Company, Stranger & Stranger

FRANKFORT, KY, December 7, 2020 – Castle & Key Distillery  is proud to announce the launch of its Restoration Rye, the first whiskey from the Castle & Key team since its founding in 2014. The highly anticipated release pays tribute to the restoration of the historic property, which was once the iconic Old Taylor Distillery, originally built over a century ago. Alongside the Restoration Rye, Castle & Key will also release Roots of Ruin Gin and Sacred Spring Vodka, all of which will appear in dynamic newly designed bottles. All new releases will be available for purchase in Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas and Georgia beginning in December.  

“We are more than excited to release our Restoration Rye, a spirit that is thoughtful in every detail, from grain to glass, and is a true representation of the team’s hard work and attention to detail over the past five years,” says Jon Brown, Quality Manager at Castle & Key Distillery.   

In addition, Castle & Key also reveals its new look with the introduction of Restoration Rye, Sacred Spring Vodka and Roots of Ruin Gin. “We partnered with Stranger & Stranger to make our vision come to life and we couldn’t be more excited about the new look,” says Co-Founder Wes Murry. “The new bottle designs honor the history of our property, those who helped restore the property to its former glory, and the imaginative team that crafted our spirits.” 

 

FIVE YEARS IN THE MAKING: RESTORATION RYE RELEASE   

Restoration Rye, a name that speaks to the restoration of property, was released in two batches. Castle & Key’s strategy focuses on creating spirits with consistency of high quality, rather than consistency of flavor.  No whiskey release from Castle & Key will ever taste exactly the same. 

 

PRODUCTION:  

The 2020 Restoration Rye release features two batches, both with unique flavor profiles. Batch #1 is created from a blend of 60 barrels, and Batch #2 is comprised of 57 barrels. During the blending process, barrels are grouped into pods with specific sensory profiles. Those pods are then blended to achieve the unique, high quality flavor profiles.  

 

TASTING NOTES: 

BATCH #1 ($39.99; 51.5% ABV; 13,200 bottles produced): 

  • AROMA: Brown Sugar, Cinnamon Toast, Dried Figs, Pipe Tobacco, Baking Chocolate, Orange Peel 
  • TASTE: Sweet Baking Spice, Cinnamon Roll, Caramelized Sugar, Dried Currants, and Lightly Roasted Almonds  
  • FINISH: Sweet with light hints of maple syrup and dark honey 

BATCH 2 ($39.99; 49.5% ABV; 12,540 bottles produced): 

  • AROMA: Bright, Lemon Peel, Toasted Oak, Apricot, Wild Flower, Honey, Graham Cracker 
  • TASTE: Pie Crust, Honeysuckle, Mint, Agave Nectar, Dry Cinnamon, Light Stone Fruit 
  • FINISH: Cooling, Camphoraceous with light mouth numbing  

 

ROOTS OF RUIN GIN 

A spirit that speaks to the restoration of the property from its ruinous state, Roots of Ruin Gin  

(53% ABV; 750ml, $32.99) represents the overgrowth of botanicals used in the recipe. A classic spirit, reimagined to delight, Castle & Key gin begins with their rye whiskey base that is distilled into vodka. The vodka distillate is then redistilled, and vapor infused with juniper and a thoughtful selection of seven native herbs and botanicals. The result is a distinct, complex, and heavily aromatic flavor profile offering bright and floral and soft pine scents and balanced notes of citrus and lemon verbena, followed by spicy ginger and sweet chamomile flower.  

  • PRODUCTION:  
  • Mashbill: 17% Yellow Corn, 63% Rye, 20% Malted Barley 
  • Botanicals: Chamomile, Ginger, Rosemary, Lemon Verbena, Licorice Root, Angelica Root, Coriander and Juniper 
  • TASTING NOTES: 
  • Aroma: Bright and floral, subtle baking spice, and soft pine. 
  • Taste: Balanced notes of citrus and lemon verbena, followed by spicy ginger and sweet chamomile flower. Delicately complex with a distinct earthy character including angelica, soft juniper, and rosemary. 
  • Finish: Smooth, sweet, and creamy with hints of spice. 

 

SACRED SPRING VODKA  

The cocktail foundation you will want to drink neat. Sacred Spring Vodka (40% ABV; 750ml, $26.99) is crafted from a whiskey base redistilled to the highest proof and purity to maintain a vibrant character and rich mouthfeel. The aroma offers a light and sweet scent, with hints of cashew and citrus. The taste has clean citrus notes followed by vanilla bean and a hint of buttered toast, while the finish is silky and rich with lingering sweetness. 

  • PRODUCTION:  
  • This vodka begins with the distillery’s traditional bourbon mash bill.  
  • Mashbill: 73% White Corn, 10% Rye, 17% Malted Barley 
  • TASTING NOTES: 
  • Aroma: Light and sweet, with hints of cashew and citrus. 
  • Taste: Clean citrus notes followed by vanilla bean and a hint of buttered toast. 
  • Finish: Silky and rich, lingering sweetness. 

 

A NEW LOOK  

The award-winning design team at Stranger & Stranger created the new look for Castle & Key’s spirits portfolio, which now includes Restoration Rye, Roots of Ruin Gin and Sacred Spring Vodka. Each new design represents the detail, time and care that went into making each spirit.  

The Restoration Rye label features a representation of the arms and hands of those who helped restore the property and includes small text that features phrases like “flavor profile not to scale” and “instruments finely calibrated,” showcasing the quality of the spirit. The Roots of Ruin Gin label features a turret, which is a replica of the actual Castle turret on site and is a salute to the history of the Castle. And Sacred Spring Vodka, which bears a name that reflects the importance of Castle & Key’s Springhouse as the water source used to create the spirits made on site, showcases this water as liquid gold on the label, which also notes, “made from estate sources water” under the name. 

For information about Castle & Key’s spirit offerings, please visit  www.CastleandKey.com or follow @CastleandKey on Instagram.  

  

ABOUT CASTLE & KEY  

Castle & Key is steeped in Kentucky distilling history, and yet also presents a reimagining of Kentucky spirits for the future. In 2014, Castle & Key Founding Partners Will Arvin and Wes Murry, two industry outsiders, purchased and began restoring The Old Taylor Distillery, which had fallen to ruin after decades of neglect, with a vision of creating an immersive distillery experience. Castle & Key is now committed to identifying the best barrels for production each year, which leads to producing quality spirits that have a different flavor profile each year.   

Located at 4445 McCracken Pike, Frankfort, KY, Castle & Key has become a popular travel destination for spirits and history enthusiasts as it offers tours of the many historical parts of the property including, the Boiler Room, Taylorton Station, Counter 17, the Springhouse and the Botanical Trail. For more information visit www.CastleandKey.com.   

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