First whiskey from Blue Run Spirits under Molson Coors

Trifecta is the first whiskey from Blue Run Spirits since it was acquired by Molson Coors, and blends together Bourbons aged for six, eight and nine years.

Blue Run Spirits made a splash in the whiskey world when it launched in 2020, enlisting Bourbon hall of famer Jim Rutledge as its liquid advisor, and releasing a series of highly sought-after Bourbons and ryes. Brewing giant Molson Coors took notice, purchasing the brand in early August. Now, Blue Run has announced its first whiskey release since the acquisition.

For whiskey director Shaylyn Gammon, creating the Trifecta blend was an opportunity to work with Blue Run’s inventory of more than 5,000 barrels, including those the company sourced from other distilleries.

“It’s fun for me because I can pick and choose from the various sources and then create something that otherwise wouldn’t exist in the market,” Gammon said.

Trifecta consists of: 46% six-year-old whiskey made with a mash bill of 78% corn, 12% rye, and 10% malted barley; 32% nine-year-old whiskey with a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley; and 22% eight-year-old whiskey with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley.

Gammon said that she was surprised that she wound up using a larger percentage of older whiskey, but that’s what leant the blend balance, which was her ultimate goal.

The six-year-old whiskey serves as base, and Gammon was particularly excited to work with it, as those barrels had mistakenly wound up in Spain after they were purchased.

“It was quite the anticipated moment when I finally got to see and taste the liquid, and see and hope that it hadn’t bounced around on the ship too much or anything. And tastes like the sample I had seen,” she said.

That this release comes on the heels of the acquisition news is purely coincidental, though Blue Run has a slate of releases planned for the rest of the year – including the return of its micro-batch Flight Series, and some older single barrel whiskies.

As for what most excites Gammon, she said she was always looking for the next great blend, but was likewise open to any and all innovation.

Trifecta is the first Blue Run Bourbon released this year, bottled at 58.55% ABV, and priced at RRP US$180.

On the bottle, Blue Run’s butterfly medallion is made of pewter, an alloy made from three separate metals and a nod to the whiskey’s three parts.