In 1899, old granddad was sold to the wathen family, whose broad interests in the whiskey business later formed the american medicinal spirits company and the foundations of national distillers group. Wathen s single barrel kentucky straight bourbon whiskey is made from a mash of corn, rye and malted barley. To add further confusion, wathen s website claims that the charles medley distillery is in owensboro, ky. Medley using the same recipe and techniques that have been handed directly and unchanged through eight generations of the wathen and medley families. Local master distiller inducted into kentucky bourbon hall of. He was a republican member of the indiana house of representatives between 1973 and 1990 wathen was born in jeffersonville, indiana. Wathens kentucky bourbon is a product of distilling expertise. He was for many years the master distiller at a plant in owensboro and when that plant was closed, charles was able to acquire some of the stocks and the old facility he ran. Untangling the twisted branches of sister athanasius s family tree is challenging at best. Wathens kentucky bourbon single barrel the right spirit.
Wathen s bourbon single barrel, united states, kentucky. The company has remained under family ownership and operation at the same location since it was created in 1936 as the willett distilling company. Local master distiller inducted into kentucky bourbon hall. History the hayden familys first commercial distillery was created in 1840, and the whiskey has been in production since that time despite several changes of ownership. The bottle says that it was distilled in kentucky, but it also says bottled by charles medley distillery, san jose, ca. Old medley 12 yr bourbon is a richer, sweeter style of bourbon with a lower abv to allow the spirit and age of the whiskey to really shine. It is one of the top 10 wineproducing states in the country, responsible for some 2. Aroma of caramel, vanilla, honey, violet and milk chocolate. For when isabelle zarelda wathen first entered loretto on nov. The finest cereal grainscorn, rye, and malted barley are selected, milled, and proportioned to exacting standards to produce a mash that awaits the magic of the fermentation process. Hi bourbon enthusiast you must be 21 or over to enter this website.
The seamless mix of formal and informal influences in decor, the variety on the menu both food and drink and the fact that a crosssection of people patronises the place, makes it difficult to. Wathen s family has been making bourbon whiskey for five generations, beginning in 1788. Wathen s is one of those interesting brands filled with mystery yet offering awesome products. Blanton kept the distillery alive through prohibition, obtaining a special. Dec 17, 2014 the wathen family pokes the 800pound gorilla the whiskey trust. Wathen s bourbon is a product of the charles medley distillery in owensboro and draws on the recipes and techniques passed through 250 years of bourbon creation. Charles medley distillery american bourbon association. Free breakfast and free wifi at central parque hotel, pouso alegre. This bottle is considered a kentucky straight bourbon, so we know it is distilled by someone in kentucky, but the distiller is unknown. Flavors of vanilla, caramel, spice, and stone fruits.
The name of this town derives from the old english words hvaete, meaning wheat. Combine ingredients in mixing glass, add ice, stir and strain into martini glass. In 1996, medley relaunched his father s personal brand, wathen s kentucky bourbon, and built a new company, charles medley distillery, which owns a portfolio of medley and wathen family brands, including his father and uncles brand medley bros. It is where wathens kentucky straight bourbon whiskey is distilled. The whiskey makers, the wathen medleys, have a bit of history with the current distillers being the 8th generation of the family to be in the business. He was a republican member of the indiana house of representatives between 1973 and 1990. In the end however, we have wathen s on the shelf of a new york city liquor store, where i got my hands on a bottle from barrel number 841. A single barrel bourbon from wathen s, produced in kentucky. The story of wathens single barrel bourbon starts off much the same as that of the old rip van winkle distillery. Haara s crowning achievement with bourbon justice is to emphasize bourbon s true impact on the future of american business. Wathens kentucky bourbon is a premium kentucky bourbon created by charles w. A blend of single barrel bourbons making each batch slightly different.
The aroma is amazing, the fresh raw corn aroma is so crisp and unusual it s alluring and fun. The distillery has a long history, involving the two families whose bourbon background intertwines back to the early 1800s. Wathen s is a solid bourbon, great for sipping alone or for cocktails, with a great briny sour. Classic pairing here is aged gouda, itself bourbon y and vanillay. Members of the wathen family were whiskey pioneers in kentucky, but only the basics are written about them. An irreverent, casual history of bourbon, americas whiskey. The history of bourbon written by mike veach of the filson historical society when early americans first traveled west, they brought stills for personal use.
The distillery was closed by prohibition, and even destroyed by a fire in 1931. The whiskey makers, the wathenmedleys, have a bit of history with the current. Mar 24, 2021 a divisive whiskey where this particular note hangs heavy and is suspected to be contract distilled at heaven hill. While many books and hundreds of theses have since been published on this subject, father wathen s book remains the classic work. What we can say for sure is that the wathenmedley family has been making bourbon in lebanon, kentucky since 1790, making them one of the original pioneering families. The father and son team produce wathen s single barrel straight kentucky bourbon and the recently released old medley. Veach is without question an expert on bourbon whiskey. Sister athanasius and the spirited wathens loretto community. Lighter than cow milk versions, with lightly toasted nut and caramel intensity, plus crunch. Wathen s kentucky bourbon is one of those whiskeys that is a bit hard to figure out, at least in terms of exactly where, how, and by whom it was made. You are responsible, at the time of pickup, for any charges billed to binny s beverage depot which are above the prepaid price of the wine and may include tariffs, duties, sales taxes andor shipping and insurance costs. Somehow, charles obtained possession of some of the old glenmore stock which hed made himself, you recall and this is what he s now bottling as wathen s bourbon. Familyfriendly hotel close to pouso alegre municipal theater.
Wathen s letter dated 1909 i think everyone knows that bottled in bond whiskies hold a special place in my heart. The wathens later acquired the old grand dad label and produced that b. The story of wathens single barrel bourbon starts off much the same as that of. Jun 16, 2014 wathen s is a brand that everyone had been telling me i needed to try. Those prepro whiskey men the wathen family had a maverick. Wathens american whiskey based in owensboro, kentucky, wathen s is currently run by charles w medley.
Bourbon outfitter bourbon lovers and enthusiasts shop bourbon. Wathens barrel proof kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Wathens single barrel kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Primarily operating as a relatively large independent bottling company, kbd has been called the big daddy of bourbon and rye bottling. One of them was named wathen medley, to signify the blending of two long kentucky distilling traditions. Dec 02, 2015 wathen s the medleys of kentucky are bourbon royalty, with a lineage stretching back eight generations to the genesis of american whiskey. Medley and his son samuel wathen medley continue this proud eight generation, 250 year tradition.
Richard, it turned out, became the father of perhaps the most prolific whiskey distiller brothers in american history. They needed distilled spirits for social and economic reasons. Brett atlas, bourbon and banter bourbon and banter brett atlas bourbon justice. I received a bottle of wathens bourbon as a gift recently. The book tells the fascinating story of the importance that whiskey has played in the nations history and jurisprudence. Palate is heavy on the raw corn but the oak and spice help keep the grain and candy sweetness in check. The only sure thing you can count on is that this bourbon has a consistent mashbill 77% corn, 10% rye, and % malt. It ends up that wathen s single barrel is a brand now run by franklin distillers products who has offices and bottling in fairfield, ca. Explore our wide selection of more than 3,000 spirits. Wathens bourbon premium bourbonsspecialty bottlings. The author has done his homework, but hes not writing for a scholarly audience at all.
The decor featuring an assorted mix of furniture, books and other knickknacks reminds you of home. This web page shows only a small excerpt of our wathen research. Michael veach also suggested these be added to the required reading list, and as he is the foremost bourbon professor in the country, we will follow his curriculum. Haara treats the wathen family at greater length in his 2018 book bourbon justice. The company started doing business as kbd in the mid1980s. The book, which he is best known for, titled the great sacrilege is an analysis of the new mass in terms of its morality. Other than that, little else is known about this bourbon. Wathen bought the premises and built a larger distillery. With no age statement, rumors online suggest the age could be anywhere from 4 to 8 or 9 years. It wasnt until 1964 when whiskey giant schenley finally put george dickels name on a bottle of whiskey. The company is located on the outskirts of bardstown, kentucky, on a site that began as a farm owned by the willett family. Wathen is a name that was carried to england in the great wave of migration from normandy following the norman conquest of 1066.
Wathens kentucky bourbon single barrel whiskey bourbon. It says that it is a single barrel kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. The medley family s yeast blend is a zealously guarded secret and teamed with the delicate closely monitored but never rushed aging process it produces the. At most, some writers briefly mention the wathen family as being part of the early distilling tradition in kentucky, and some acknowledge the familys deft maneuvering to succeed during prohibition by forming the american medicinal spirits company ams, which was eventually sold to national distillers. The event will be held saturday, june 6, from 14 p.
The taste profile for our bourbon is sweet and spicy, smokey and smooth. How whiskey law shaped america actually digs into the law cases behind bourbon, and presents the information in a very enjoyable read. Wathen s kentucky bourbon prestine water, naturally filtered through kentucky s underground limestone, is used exclusively in the 100% copper distilling process. Wathens henry hudson wathen was known to have been operating a distillery in lebanon, ky in 1788. The book tells the fascinating story of the importance that whiskey has played in the nation s history and jurisprudence. Explore thousands of wines, spirits and beers, and shop online for delivery or pickup in a store near you. If i had just one word to describe this bourbon it would be fresh. During prohibition, his family s distillery was one of the few companies licensed to sell medicinal whiskey. Created by steve mchugh, chefowner of cured, san antonio, texas. Not only was the bottled in bond act of 1897 the first consumer protection legislation in the history of the united states, it probably saved straight whiskies from the rectifiers and blenders. But as their histories progress they follow divergent paths, and in spite of wathen s having a clear lineage, the current source of the whiskey has become shrouded in mystery. Charles medley has decades of experience distilling in kentucky. Home spirits whiskey wathens single barrel bourbon binnys. Wathen june 26, 1917 march 14, 2001 was an american politician, journalist, and author.
Another 121 words 9 lines of text are included under the topic early wathen history in all our pdf extended history products and printed products wherever possible. The medley family yeast, a zealously guarded secret handed down. The bottles of wathen s now available are probably the last that will actually come from here, though. Bourbon outfitter bourbon lovers and enthusiasts shop. After the grains have been harvested, they are milled and mashed before being fermented with an eightgeneration old yeast strain the unique strain of medley family yeast has been inherited by each generation of medley s since the 19th.
Lighter than cow milk versions, with lightly toasted nut and caramel. We want you to be 100% happy with your order and it is our aim. The wathens and medleys came together by marriage around 1900. Prestine water, naturally filtered through kentucky s underground limestone, is used exclusively in the 100% copper distilling process. Apr 06, 2009 wathen s seems to have an interesting and typically complicated for bourbon history as a brand, having been the result of distilleries being bought, sold, closed, and revived. Nov 11, 2008 read the wathens bourbon discussion from the chowhound spirits, bourbon food community. Jan 20, 2021 2 oz wathen s bourbon 1 oz nardini amaro. Wathen s single barrel kentucky straight bourbon whiskey is made from a mash of corn, rye, and malted barley. Charles explains that he s negotiating with a company in st. A letter dated 1909 regarding bottled in bond offerings from. Shop wathens single barrel bourbon at the best prices. A single barrel bourbon from wathens, produced in kentucky. The wathens later acquired the old grand dad label and produced that bourbon for some time. Jul 20, 2016 whereas wathens single barrel bourbon shines on the nose, the palate is clearly under aged and overly alcoholforward on the tongue.
Tom bulleit says that his modern whiskey is based off augustus. But neat, this one needed another year or two before hitting the shelves. A letter dated 1909 regarding bottled in bond offerings. Order online for curbside pickup, instore pickup or delivery. You pay for wines on a futures order, plus any local alcohol taxes, at the time of order confirmation. But as their histories progress they follow divergent paths, and in spite of wathens having a clear lineage, the current source of the whiskey has become shrouded in mystery. Wathen, president of american medicinal spirits company, and his brother otho h. In other words, if it wasnt for bottled in bond, we might all be drinking. The medley family yeast, a zealously guarded secret handed down through eight generations, is then added to the mash. Wathen s kentucky bourbon smelled like egg nog and was lighter and smoother on the tongue. I love that wathen s, i think it s an absolutely brilliant, interesting and unique bourbon and this ezra brooks 99 bourbon whiskey comes across like a toned down, slightly more carameldriven.
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