When it comes to whiskey, the terms ‘rare’ and ‘single barrel’ usually mean that you’re dealing with a limited-edition expression that will most likely cost you the equivalent of a mortgage payment, a month’s rent, or possibly even more. But apparently, that’s not always the case. That’s because Chattanooga Whiskey, a brand that’s been gobbling up awards like Pac-Man eats energy dots, just launched a new annual limited-edition whiskey release that retails for less than $50. Yes, you read that right.
The new annual release is part of what the brand calls The Vault Series. These ultra-limited expressions will be selected each year by the distilling team. Bottled in 375ml bottles, The Vault Series will feature experimental whiskeys, creative, conceptual expressions, and even rare single barrel expressions that were found in the bowels of the brand’s barrelhouse.
“Over the past six years, Chattanooga Whiskey has crafted over 100 unique whiskey concepts, and while many of these recipes are never repeated, The Vault Series is a chance for our distilling team to turn back time and revisit some of their favorites – this time through a different creative lens,” Grant McCracken, Founding Distiller, said in a press release.
The first release
The first release from the soon-to-be annual Vault Series consists of three six-year-old single-barrel expressions. Releasing them was a way for the distillery to look back at some of the oldest and rare whiskeys they’ve ever produced since they opened in 2011.
The first release is a pot of still-distilled whiskey. The second is a column still distilled whiskey. They were crafted to give drinkers a look into the differences between pot and column distillation processes. So, you pretty much have to buy both, right?
The third expression is where things get a little wacky. This is because the third single-barrel whiskey was a total mistake by the Chattanooga team. They unintentionally combined high-malt bourbon and rye malt whiskey in the same barrel.
“Thankfully though, some mistakes can be serendipitous…and this one produced one of the most unique whiskeys our team has ever tasted.” Tiana Saul, Head Distiller at Chattanooga, said in a press release.
If you’re anything like us, you’re probably pretty excited to hear that every expression from Chattanooga’s new Vault Series of whiskeys is available for the surprisingly low price of $46.99 per bottle while supplies last. But, if it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is. Sadly, you can’t just stroll into your local liquor store or even peruse your favorite online retailer to score one of these limited-edition bottles. They are only available at the riverfront Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery.
And while that might seem terrible (depending on how far away from Chattanooga you reside), at least it gives you a reason to take a road trip to the Volunteer State. While you’re there, you can drive around the whole state and stop into Jack Daniel’s, George Dickel, and some of the lesser-known distilleries as well. What could be better than a whiskey-themed road trip? We can’t think of anything we’d rather do.
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