Seagrams approach to aging their barrels of whiskey was different from the warehouses and rickhouses that stored bourbon for Kentucky distilleries. GNS are primarily used for blending or to make vodka and gins (Fun Fact #2: MGPI is the largest distiller of gin on the continent). Now in the past few years, MGP has begun to release a range of their own products. Barrel Craft Spirits recently announced Floridas Bluebird Hardwater recently launched Something went wrong. While outwardly less industrial than I anticipated, the check-in procedure at the distillery was something more akin to visiting a power plant. Those two buildings are able to store 45,000 and 65,000 barrels respectively. MGPI was a giant conglomeration of food producers in the United States at the time of the Lawrenceburg Distillery acquisition. Keep in mind that most distillery tour times are from 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m. In early October, I received an exclusive invitation to peek behind the curtain of one of the most important distilleries in Americaand one of the most secretive. MGP, best known for its Lawrenceburg, Indiana distillery, has agreed to acquire whiskey and spirits company Luxco for a whopping $475 million. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Its a way to put everything we have together at a nice reasonable price point, Master Blender David Whitmer explained. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. "Eight and Sand" refers to a train going full-throttle (the eight) with added traction (sand on the tracks). It may never be known if the data influenced the management at MGPI to lean in one direction or another. In MGPIs current assortment of warehouses, there exists a unique, single-story, metal-clad building with a concrete floor that is used primarily for experimentation. Thanks for subscribing and watch for your first newsletter soon! Good luck! MGP distillery. MGP is the country's largest producer of rye whiskey and is known for producing some of the best. After posting a review from the 2021 Belle Meade Honey Cask release, I saw this past weekend that Belle Meade uploaded a Facebook reel that showed their upcoming honey cask release being prepped for the "honey aging" stage at TruBee. The scientists at Seagrams also implemented other practices across their brands that achieved more consistent and flavorful profiles such as using barrel entry proof of 120 for their whiskey (which both Four Roses and MGPI still utilize to this day) and building their warehouses either as single-story units or with the attributes of a single story unit, like the multi-story concrete floored warehouses at Lawrenceburg, IN. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Both were a blended whiskey product, which meant that the whiskey inside was produced at more than one distillery and was made up of more than one mashbill before being blended together and bottled. MGP Ingredients Distillery in Indiana - YouTube Instagram Story: Visit to MGP Ingredients Distillery in Indiana Instagram Story: Visit to MGP Ingredients Distillery in Indiana. Named Metzes Medley Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey, under 1000 bottles of 80 proof bourbon were blended by master distiller Greg Metze and were sold off with all proceeds going to the United Way. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. What MGP Ingredients has learned through its successes and misses is that it is the ultimate focus group for the American palate. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The MGP team is clearly honored to be one of the leading distillers in the country and a force in the rye whiskey boom around the world. I believe that this is not the case anymore. It contains no GNS (grain neutral spirits), and no coloring. Every Winning Bourbon From Our 2021 Taste Tests, Blind Tasted And Re-Ranked The Best Value-Per-Dollar Bourbon Whiskeys, Ranked All 19 Brands From The Buffalo Trace Distillery, Ranked 20.. But not all GNS produced at the Lawrenceburg plant is 100% corn. George Remus Bourbon This is a blend of MGPs two high rye bourbon mashbills (21% and 36%, respectively). Rossville Union Straight Rye is spicy on the nose but less spicy on the palate, with plenty of clove and pine notes. Some of the in house whiskey labels at MGP (image via Prairie Rose/The Whiskey Wash). But, Angel's Envy newest release called Private Barrel, Seagrams purchase of the Lawrenceburg Distillery, Four Roses and the Jos. The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. They may have also been instructed to include warehouses with metal walls on their list as well. Go to Lawrenceburg, IN on Google maps. 6-8 years old. URLs automatically linked. For years it has focused on producing quality spirits for other brands and have enjoyed sitting just out of the glow of the intense spotlight that has been shining on the flourishing spirits industry in recent years. E. Seagram Distillery- A Tale of Two Lawrenceburgs, The Lawrenceburg Distillery under Pernod Ricard ownership, CL Financial and the Financial Collapse of 2008, MGPI expands outside of Lawrenceburg to obtain more storage facilities, E Low Rye: 75% corn, 20% rye, 5% malted barley, B High Rye: 60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley, E Low Rye: 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley, B High Rye: 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley, Q Rye Whiskey: 95% rye, 5% malted barley, C Corn Whiskey: 80% corn, 15% rye, 5% malted barley, D High Corn Bourbon: 99% corn, 1% malted barley, Rye whiskey: 51% rye, 45% corn, 4% malted barley, Wheat Whiskey: 95% wheat, 5% malted barley, Alt. Barrels are stacked six-high on wooden ricks, and each floor holds a mix of all the mashbills MGP produces, which includes both their products as well as their customers. Green Bourbon and Rye (Shadow Beverage Group), James E. Pepper 1776 Bourbon & Rye (James E. Pepper/Strong Spirits), J.R. Revelry Bourbon (La Bodega Internacional/Speakeasy Spirits), Joint Bourbon (Temperance Distilling Co.), Joseph Magnus Bourbon (Jos. MGP whiskies were so sought after that any product aged for more than 10 years was guaranteed to sell out instantly and fetch huge premiums on the secondary marketplaces. Samuels (or Mr. Sam as hed be remembered) first task was naming the plant the Jos. In some ways you could say that they had always [], Mister Sam Tribute Whiskey Review - Bourbon Culture, [] of WLW, the citrus and baking spice of THH and interestingly, the punchy sweet character of an MGP Light Whiskey. Lawrenceburg Distillers Indiana (LDI) is the former Seagrams distiller which was acquired by MGP in late 2011 forming MGPI. The nose is decently complex for a vodka, with minimal medicinal notes giving way to subtle aromas of lemon peel and licorice. The plant was finally sold for a paltry $29 million (which roughly equaled the value of all of the aging product on site) to MGP Ingredients in late 2011. September 1, 2014 MGP and LDI History Midwest Grain Products (MGP) is a grain and neutral spirit supplier based in Atchinson, KS. Early history behind the plant and distilling operations in this part of Indiana can be found in many different online articles. Shelagh Stautberg | We were unable to take pictures in the distillery room, but as it passes through several floors of a building we could really only see one section of the column still and a part of the squareish gin stills anyway. Copyright 2020 Kelli Nakagama. For those who like a higher proof, Rossville Union Barrel Proof adds to the high ABV group of MGP Distillerys whiskey collection. Qualified candidates who are detail oriented and quality minded are encouraged to apply. As the curtain is drawn back on MGP Ingredients, and the shift of awareness moves towards its direction, I look forward to watching it step into the spotlight that it has avoided for so long. Taste the possibilities. Here youll find travelogues, food guides, travel tips, and more all with a side of whisk(e)y. Whiskied Wanderlust is a whiskey and travel site based in Chicago. But the simple fact remains that many brands built their fanbase on MGPI products and many more have struggled with releasing their own products that arent up to the level their customers experienced with MGPI products. More than 50 brands source whiskey from MGP, including Angels Envy, Bulleit, High West, Redemption, and Whistlepig, to name a few. By analyzing these levels, it helps to zero in on specific ferulic acid and arabinoxylan percentages that will give them the best efficiency for their production. Not only was the labeling incorrect, it was deemed to be outright false. Check out the Whiskey Tribe to stay updated on all the official distillery events and news. Lawrenceburg, Indianas location right on the Ohio River provides easy and cheap transportation channels to move products up and down the Mississippi River to the East Coast, it also sets above a massive underground limestone shelf that spans across much of the state of Kentucky and provides the water necessary to make a great whiskey. They dont have any climate control, but are made from brick and concrete, which take months for the seasonal temperature changes to take affect. MGP Ingredients Rossville Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana has been making whiskey at the same location since 1847. Hours; Wed nesday - Thu rsday 4-10pm; Fri day - Sat urday 2-11pm; Sun day 2-8pm; Location; 1879 S Acoma St; Denver, CO 80223; The MGP distillery has been around since 1847, under various different owners, most famously Seagram's, whose name still adorns the facade. And MGP added their own brands to the list in 2016. With a giant plant capacity, Pernod Ricard began to explore the market for all of the product they had in their warehouses. Actually far from it. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. For the first time ever, MGPI would now have their bourbon bottled from barrels that the customers would hand-pick. That higher pH aids in fermentation. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Like most brands, each MGP brand has a story, but they emphasized that here they are all true. Referred to as a campus because of the sheer spread of it, there are upwards of 40 buildings that make up MGP. The Bamboo Club Presents World Cup Grand Finale Screening. Diageos long-term contract with Pernod Ricard to make these spirits kept the distillery in the black while also having the capacity to seek other brands to produce for. Because it changes every year, this bottling gives the master blenders a chance to play around. |. Our tour of MGPs massive operation included a bit of a history lesson on the town of Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Different buildings house different parts of the operation - the grain store, fermentation room, distillery, grain dryer, barrel warehouses, etc. I asked them how many mashbills they make in total. Pernod Ricard now regarded their new facility in Indiana as more of a distillery that would be used to contract-distill for other brands than to actually make their own unique products at. This prompted Pernod Ricard to begin looking for a buyer for the LDI facility. That is, until recently. Footer sidebar. Bathed in low lights with an energetic perspective on sound and presence. It gets immediate feedback from client brands about what is selling across the country. Blended whiskey, especially American style, has a bad reputation. They told me that, in addition to being the largest producer of rye whiskey in America, MGP is also the largest producer of gin, all of which is made for other customers. The distillery closes at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve. There is also a George Remus Reserve bottling and so far there have been two of these. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. MGP Sourced Stuff; Alliance Series - Independent Bottles; Special Releases; We're Sorry It's Not Whiskey; . Lets take a look at their similarities and differences in a broad scope: With all of this talk of rye, it is important to note that the most commonly used rye for whiskey products made at the Lawrenceburg, Indiana Distillery come from Germany while Polish, Swedish and Canadian rye are also used if it matches the profile that theyre looking for. Luxco is a leading branded beverage alcohol company across various categories, with a more than 60-year business heritage. While enthusiasts today obsess over the specifications of their whiskey (mashbills, barrel entry proof, years aged, etc), many of these specifications were not hard and fast rules that were required to be duplicated with precision in the 1930s. In Kentucky, the alcohol percentage of whiskey goes up during maturation since the water evaporates faster than alcohol. But it was the whiskey that was the most alluring product to come off the stills. As Pernod Ricard began to transfer management personnel out of Indiana, they also gutted a fair amount of documentation and Standard Operating Procedures. The Vodka Distillery Industry in the United States (2016-2021) and industry outlook (2021-2026). Our founder, Cloud L. Cray, Sr., set out to create a company of makers and innovators that felt more like a family than a corporation. Experience is limited to 21 and above.Ten Unique Recipes- limitless possibilities! But the difference between breweries and distilleries is that while a brewery could have products out in months, distilleries needed years. MGP is the countrys largest producer of rye whiskey and is known for producing some of the best. This led to a wave of distilleries looking far and wide for large stocks of aged whiskey to supplement their operations before their own whiskey could be aged and released. The facility is not set up for tourists or photography, and basically we were able to see what we could see. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. But its outright mind-blowing when I realized that wasnt the only fermentation room! That unknown was soon answered with a resounding thud of the worldwide recession that hit in 2008. Rossville Union, MGPs rye brand, is named after the original Lawrenceburg distillery, Rossville Distillery. Touring MGP Distillery is often compared to seeing inside Willy Wonkas Chocolate Factory. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. And of course they added a blended bourbon to MGP Distillerys whiskey brands: Eight & Sand. This would not end up being the last time that a product from Lawrenceburg Distillery ended up being incorrectly labeled as companies like Widow Jane and Whistlepig also failed to state on their labels that their bourbon and rye whiskey came from Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Additionally, some warehouses that were closer to Tanners Creek (a local creek that flows along the west side of the campus) create additional climate variances inside the warehouses through higher humidity in the summer. The difference between GNS and Light Whiskey is that Light Whiskey has a lower proof coming off the still (as was already mentioned, it cant be more than 189.9 proof). And getting the opportunity to taste my way through all of these while sitting next to them was unbelievably memorable! (Good to know!) Operating in Atchison, Kansas, and Lawrenceburg, Indiana, MGP began as a humble grainbelt distillery in 1941 and has since grown into a leading supplier of premium distilled spirits, and specialty wheat proteins and starches. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. In 2014, 3 years after MGP first took over the operations of the Lawrenceburg plant, they bottled a limited release of their own bourbon for the first ever Lawrenceburg Whiskey City Festival. My true favorite from the tasting at MGP Distillery was the Remus Volstead Reserve. Unlike most distilleries Ive been to, however, phones had to be turned off in this space, likely due to the secrecy concerns around whichever clients whiskey was being produced at that given moment. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". With Seagrams exiting the market altogether, assets of multiple distilleries were split between Pernod Ricard and Diageo to avoid monopoly laws. So far, most of the line of MGP spirits is available in about 13 states. So technically, MGP and Four Roses still use the same mashbills as each other. So launching its own line of brands makes sense. Before jumping into the history of the Pernod Ricard ownership era, it is important to look at the link between Seagrams ownership of both the Four Roses plant in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky and the Seagrams plant at Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Operating in Atchison, Kansas, and Lawrenceburg, Indiana, MGP began as a humble grainbelt distillery in 1941 and has since grown into a leading supplier of premium distilled spirits, and specialty wheat proteins and starches. The press trip I took to the distillery was more about introducing these products to the world than the various client brands made here, but naturally that was of interest too. One of the massive fermentation tanks at MGP Distillery. Questions surround every barrel at MGPI. Filter by. Since they're dealing with lots and lots of grain, they also make grain products (list here), including raw ingredients for everything from pastries to pizza crust to imitation cheese. After aging, it undergoes charcoal mellowing and our unique aging process to create a truly one-of-a-kind whisky experience. But with the large capacity of the bottling plant on site at the Indiana facility, Pernod Ricard switched bottling operations there until 2006 when they switched operations to Arkansas. It does not store any personal data. They bottle their own under the Rossville Union label: Rossville Union Straight Rye and Barrel Proof. Ive always put vodka on the bottom of my list of drinkable spirits, but I admit being surprised by Till. That includes not just bourbon and rye but vodka and gin, as the company has long been a producer of neutral grain. While the exact reasons for Seagrams beverage empire dissolving are numerous and complex, the sale of the company was relatively straightforward. These cookies do not store any personal information. So much of their quality, especially when it comes to their hallmark rye whiskey, is attributed to this limestone filtered, 56-degree water source just steps from the Ohio River. He has studied and written about beer, whisk(e)y, and other spirits since he first started drinking them, earning several booze-related merit badges along the way, including Certified Specialist in Spirits and Executive Bourbon Steward. The alcohol percentage of whiskey goes up during maturation since the water evaporates faster than alcohol launched went. Could have products out in months, distilleries needed years immediate feedback from client about! Buildings are able to see what we could see that hit in 2008 or 4 p.m left! 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