Diageo expands Orphan Barrel whiskey series
Diageo has unveiled the seventh offering in its “craft” whiskey project Orphan Barrel, named The Gifted Horse American Whiskey.
The Gifted Horse American Whiskey is the result of an “accident” at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery in KentuckyThe new release was created “by accident”, when a batch of 17-year-old Kentucky Bourbon was mixed with barrels of a “much younger” whiskey at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky.
Comprised of 38.5% 17-year-old Kentucky straight Bourbon, 51% four-year-old Bourbon and 10.5% four-year-old corn whisky, The Gifted Horse was hand-bottled in Tullahoma, Tennessee.
The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company was created in 2014 to share “forgotten” barrels of whiskey with fans, and this year’s expression follows six previous Orphan Barrel offerings, most recently Rhetoric 21 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey which was launched in November.
“As one of my favorite Orphan Barrel releases to-date, The Gifted Horse is proof that not all great inventions are planned,” said Ewan Morgan, master of whiskey for Diageo.
“A one-of-a-kind whiskey, The Gifted Horse will be right at home in the Orphan Barrel family as a delicious and complex sipping whiskey we’re excited to share with true aficionados.”
The expression is said to offer apple skin, almond, toffee, raisins and slight milk chocolate on the nose, with tasting notes of creamy caramel, Bosc pear and fruit cake.
The Gifted Horse’s packaging, which features a horseshoe, is designed to “reflect the lucky fortune in discovering such a unique whiskey”.
Bottled at 57.5% abv, the expression will be made available across the US at a suggested retail price of US$50.
