St. Louis-based brewer, distiller collaborate on new brand of whiskeys
This week, 4 Hands Brewing Company announced a new spirits brand called Withered Oak.
Over the last four years, the team at 4 Hands Brewing Company and 1220 Artisan Spirits have “thoughtfully crafted and curated” the new brand, according to a Sept. 30 news release.
Withered Oak will release a 5-year straight bourbon whiskey and a 5-year rye whiskey. It also will feature a 4-year blended rye, “aged in unique finishing barrels to add depth and flavor,” which will launch this winter.
“Our initial intention with Withered Oak was to identify an interesting selection of barrels for a 4-year blended rye whiskey,” said 4 Hands Brewing Co. and 1220 Spirits Founder and Owner Kevin Lemp.
“While working through the barrel inventory, we identified select barrels that were really special and warranted a single barrel release. It was somewhat of a happy accident, but we’re thrilled with the end product of not only our blended rye, but our bonus 5-year bourbon and 5-year rye whiskey.”
Withered Oak is the result of a partnership with MGP Ingredients, Inc., a producer of distilled and branded spirits. Lemp sought out Sam Schmeltzer, a master blender at MGP with nearly 10 years of experience in documenting, tasting and categorizing whiskeys, to identify the profiles for Withered Oak.
“Kevin came to me with an exciting proposition — free creative reign to select my favorite barrels among our vast selection,” Schmeltzer said.
“He said ‘I want you to do something that hasn’t been done before.’ That freedom allowed us to tap into some barrel selections to offer something totally different. It was a true collaborative process to dial in the flavor profiles.”
“I like to trust talented people to express themselves,” Lemp said. “You can’t be in this business if you don’t value that. With the quality of the liquid in the barrels to start, combined with our team’s time and passion to finesse the finished product, we are thrilled to launch a sophisticated product like Withered Oak in the aged spirits space.”
Withered Oak Straight Bourbon and Rye will be released in limited quantities. Each bottle’s been “individually filled and hand-stamped straight from the barrel at 118 proof,” the release stated.
The straight bourbon is meant to be sipped neat and has notes of cinnamon, heavy caramel, vanilla and hints of oak. The rye has notes of cinnamon, hints of mint, clove, spice and butterscotch and has a “long mouthfeel finish.”
“This is just the beginning,” says Head Distiller Andy Burgio. “Sam helped us identify a blend of rye and light whiskey for our blended rye that he’s never put together for anyone before. It’s a phenomenal product to begin with, but we have plans to put our own creative spin on the base spirit with unique finishing barrels.”
Where you can get Withered Oak
A launch party will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, at 4 Hands Brewing Co. at 1220 S. 8th St. in St. Louis.
Withered Oak and 1220 Artisan Spirits will take over the first floor of 4 Hands Brewing Co., the release stated. Guests will be able to experience Withered Oak and 1220 cocktails.
There will be a limited allotment of Withered Oak Straight Bourbon and Rye bottles available for purchase during the event.
The Withered Oak whiskeys will only be available for purchase at 4 Hands Brewing Co. and not available in off-site retailers.
A series of tasting events will give whiskey enthusiasts opportunities to sample Withered Oak Straight Bourbon and Rye. The series, “Whiskey Wednesdays,” will take place at select restaurants and cocktail bars throughout St. Louis.
Events will take place Wednesdays from Oct. 13 through Dec. 20 and include:
Oct. 13: Brennan’s, 316 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis
Oct. 27: Juniper, 4101 Laclede Ave., St. Louis, and Scottish Arms, 6 S. Sarah St., St. Louis
Nov. 10: Whiskey Ring, 2651 Cherokee St., St. Louis
Dec. 1: Platypus, 4501 Manchester Ave., St. Louis
