Bluebird Drops Two Spirits for Black Friday

Bluebird Winter Whiskey

This year has seen the disruption of way too many traditions and norms. So we’re happy to report that Bluebird Distilling is holding on to their Black Friday tradition of releasing two new spirits on Friday, November 27. For the sixth year, the Phoenixville distillery is kicking off the holiday season with special releases.

At 9 am, Bluebird will begin selling its Winter Whiskey and Barrel Proof Straight Rye. The Winter Whiskey takes the distillery’s Four Grain Bourbon, adds a pinch of brown sugar and a blend of winter spices. Winter Whiskey is described as having “warm notes of vanilla, baking spices, orange zest and toffee fill every sip.”

For customers looking for a more straight ahead whiskey, Bluebird is bottling a limited amount of Barrel Proof Straight Rye. It weighs in at 114 proof and promises to be “big, rich and bold.”

750 ml bottles of Winter Whiskey are $39.99, The barrel proof Rye is $39.99 for a 375 ml bottle. There will only be 150 bottles of the rye available.

Purchases will be offered outside the distillery. Bluebird will also offer special breakfast cocktails on their heated patio, as well as straight pours and cocktails to go.

Manatawny Has Two Thanksgiving Releases

Manatawny Still Works Bottled in Bond

Pottstown’s Manatawny Still Works has two bottle releases in time for your Thanksgiving feast. A year after releasing its first Bottled in Bond whiskey, the distillery is back with a second go-around, this one aged five years. Bottled in Bond is a kind of seal of quality and a technical term, meaning the whiskey has been distilled by one distiller, in one distilling season and aged for at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse and bottled at 100 proof.

This year’s Bottled in Bond is Manatawny’s oldest whiskey released to date and is described as having, “pleasing notes of sour cherries mix with oatmeal raisin on the nose, reminiscent of cherry cobbler. Bright flavors of apricots and dates fade to a deeper caramel and seasoned oak character with a mellow, dry finish.”

Bottles of the 100 proof whiskey are $70 and can be pre-ordered for pickup or shipping across Pennsylvania.

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Available Now: Boardroom Spirits Nocino Liqueur

Boardroom Spirits Nocino

Nocino, a traditional Italian liqueur made from green walnuts is also a seasonal custom at Lansdale’s Boardroom Spirits. And Boardroom’s Nocino is back and available for online purchase.

Boardroom’s family recipe blends spices and wildflower honey with the nutty liqueur. The 56 proof spirit is $39.99 per bottle and is available for pickup, local delivery and shipping across Pennsylvania. Get a tasty bottle for the holidays. Two if you have problems with sharing.

Stateside Black Label Bourbon Returns

Mark your calendars. Stateside, much better known for their distinctive bottle and vodka, is releasing the fourth batch of their Black Label Bourbon on November 21. You can pre-order your bottle today for pickup on Saturday.

Stateside’s Black Label Bourbon is aged two years in American white-oak barrels. It is bottled at 80 proof and bottles cost $49.99. Get a customized laser engraved bottle for just three dollars more.

Barrel 21 Releases a Rock & Rye

Barrel 21 Rock & Rye

State College’s Barrel 21 Distillery is bringing out its own version of the O.G. bottled cocktail, Rock & Rye. Based on an old family recipe, this version of Rock & Rye is made with Rye, rock candy, navel orange, pineapple, lemon, clove, cinnamon, horehound (an aromatic herb in the mint family) and honey. Snag a bottle of this sweet concoction for $36 a bottle.

Rock-and-Rye goes back to the late 1800s, where it was often promoted for its medicinal value. And who are we to say it wouldn’t help your cough, cold or sore throat. It’s still particularly popular in Pennsylvania, according to Whisky Advocate, Jacquin’s Rock & Rye was the third most popular spirit sold in the state during 2017.

New Liberty Uses Local Bakery Starter in Sour Mash Whiskey

New Liberty Distillery is releasing a Sour Mash Rye Whiskey aged two years. And in a local twist, the whiskey is utilizing sourdough starter from Philadelphia’s High Street on Market restaurant and bakery.

The whiskey is described as having notes of “black tea and orange blossom on the nose.” That’s followed by “creamy vanilla fudge, leather, spice, and candied citrus peel” on the palate.

High Street on Market has recently relocated from its original Old City home to 9th and Chestnut, so you can pair your whiskey with a loaf of bread made with the same starter.

750 ml bottles are $69.99. Order your bottle of Millstone Sour Mash Rye online for pickup or delivery.

Wigle Rolls Out Two Brandy Releases

Wigle Peach and Apple Brandy

This weekend, Pittsburgh’s Wigle Whiskey is rolling out not one, but two brandies. Look for apple and peach brandy at all of Wigle’s locations, plus get it shipped to any county in the Commonwealth.

The Apple Brandy qualifies for the VSOP designation, “Very Superior Old Pale” as it has been aged for four or more years. Wigle’s Apple Brandy is made exclusively from locally-harvested apples and has been aging in 53-gallon American Oak casks. The age brings the oak and vanilla notes forward, but there are floral and sweet notes from the apples as well.

375 ml bottles of the 80 proof Apple Brandy retail for $37. Order it now for pickup or delivery.

For just about any other distillery, one brandy release a year is about all you could expect, but Wigle drops two on the same day.

Described as “peach cobbler in a glass,” Wigle’s Peach Brandy is the result of hand-pitting more than 2,500 local peaches from Andrews Fruit Farm in Adams County. After fermenting with wine yeast, the result is distilled and then aged in a recently emptied bourbon barrel where it remained for two years.

This very limited release is $65 for a 375 ml bottle. Purchase is available for pickup or delivery.

Brandy is great on its own or as part of a classic cocktail.

Two Six-Year Whiskeys for Wigle

Wigle Releases Two Six Year Aged Whiskeys

Wigle Whiskey is releasing two six-year aged whiskeys. Wigle in the Woods was distilled with local heirloom wheat and has been aging for six years in a full-size cask. The one-off whiskey is described as having tasting notes that include, “warming notes of vanilla, cherry, and freshly baked bread compliment chilly moments spent outside.”

This weekend, a purchase of a Wigle in the Woods can be combined with a venison dinner for two for $90. 750 ml of bottles of Wigle in the Woods are $49 and available at Wigle locations.

If you thought that would be enough for one weekend in early November, you haven’t been following this website for very long. Wigle Whiskey is also releasing a six-year aged Single Barrel American Whiskey. Described as having a “unique sweetness that conveys notes of caramel apples, pecans, cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom with undertones of earl grey tea.”

The 94 proof, 750 ml bottles are available for pickup or shipping in Pennsylvania for $65 each.

8 Oaks Veterans Cut Bourbon Coming on Veterans Day

8 Oaks Veterans Cut Bourbon whiskey

Veteran-owned 8 Oaks Farm Distillery in the Lehigh Valley is releasing a special Veterans Cut, bottled-in-bond bourbon this Veterans’ Day. The four-year aged bourbon will be available at the distillery on Monday, November 11 between 6 pm and 8 pm for $79.99 a bottle. $20 from each bottle will be donated to building the Veterans Memorial in Ontelaunee Park in New Tripoli, PA.

Just 200 bottles are going to be on sale and if any remain after Veterans Day, they will be on sale via 8 Oaks’ website.

Watch owner Chad Butters describe the Veterans Memorial project.

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Special Six-Grain Bourbon on Sale at Mason Dixon Distillery

Mason Dixon C.S. Reaser's Special Bourbon

In a frank post to Instagram, Yianni Barakos, co-owner and distiller of Mason Dixon Distillery in Gettysburg lays out the business realities of running a small distillery during a pandemic.

Barakos describes an October rush of sales but a reality of an early November of slump. So in order to get some more money coming in, he is planning on offering more whiskey and at a lower price than ever before.

Mason Dixon’s batch #7 of C. S. Reaser’s Special Bourbon is on sale today at the distillery and available for delivery across the state of Pennsylvania for a flat rate of $10. Mason Dixon’s bourbon has been consistently priced at $95 a bottle, but batch #7 will be $80 for one 110.8 proof bottle, two bottles for $140.

This bourbon will be unique in that it is made up of six types of Pennsylvania grain. Barakos blended three full-size barrels, including one made of malted bloody butcher corn. The bourbon is described as having caramel and toffee on the nose. “Candied spice on the tongue, perfect mouthful, and a beautiful lingering finish that makes you want to come back for another sip again and again.”

Mason Dixon Distillery is open for dining and drinks including in their tented and heated courtyard. The distillery also offers to-go ordering and curbside pickup.