Friday, March 13, 2015
New Whiskey Labels: Stitzels, Wellers, Woodfords and More
This week's most interesting new labels from the federal TTB database:
It appears that spirits companies will never cease in trying to make money off of the Stitzel-Weller name. This week saw not one but two such labels. Frank-Lin, a California bottler, went back even before Stitzel-Weller, clearing a label for Historic Stitzel Bourbon, which they call a "straight pot Stilled" bourbon.
Meanwhile, Diageo cleared a label for Blade and Bow bourbon. The front label prominently proclaims "Stitzel-Weller Distillery," but it also includes several neck or side labels with varying statements: one claims the bourbon is a combination of straight bourbons which includes some Stitzel-Weller bourbon, another claims it uses a solera method which preserves "the spirit of Stitzel-Weller," another claims it is "inspired by" Stitzel-Weller and a fourth doesn't mention Stitzel-Weller at all. It looks like these different tags may be for different bottles; either they will have a series of four or they haven't made up their minds about which one they will use and are clearing them all just in case.
Woodford Reserve cleared two labels that, from the labels, may be for the distillery gift shop. Double Double Oaked, like the regular double oak, is finished in a toasted oak barrel but is kept in the finishing barrel for an extended period of at least a year. Sweet Mash Redux appears to be a reincarnation of the Woodford Reserve Master's Collection Sweet Mash that was released back in 2008.
Lastly, here's a lesson on close reading of age statements. Check out the age listed on this label for Krofters Bourbon. Did you catch the decimal point?
Note: The fact that a label appears on the TTB database does not necessarily mean it will be produced. In addition, some details on the label, such as proof, can change in the final product.
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7 comments:
Krofters Bourbon: aged at least 3.... lunar cycles.
Krofter's Bourbon:
"It's 'Krofter's' not 'Crufty'!"
It is curious how those extra four labels also have a different number of keys on each label. Diageo at is obfuscatory finest I suppose.
Refresh my memory, when was the last year the stills ran at S-W? Just curious cause it looks like Diageo will go NAS here unlike those poor orphans they rescued.
Good grief, man. Some of the most boring American whiskey labels ever. Nothing pops. No pizazz. Zero curb appeal. Snooze Fest 2015. Would pass on them all for this reason.
Geez Sku. Where does one begin.......
Diageo owns Stitzel weller and, I assume, all naming rights. Why not cash in on it? (Rapacious bastards!) I assume by solera aging methods, it means they poured a bunch of bourbon into a tank and then put in an ounce of genuine SW stock to back up the statement. I don't trust Diageo any further than I can throw them. Like Chuck Cowdery says, they will duck dodge and dance around the truth, but they won't outright lie. They also won't outright tell the truth either.
krofters......all you can do on a bottle claim of .2 years is smile and move on.
0.2 years is about 10 weeks. So not even three lunar cycles. Yeesh, that's young! How small of a barrel, and how heavily charred, would one need even to get any color at all at that age? Is Kingsford their cooper?
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