STRAIGHT AMERICAN WHISKEY
Thanks to colorful folklore passed down through the generations, we know that the whiskies of Ireland today little resemble their 19th century predecessors. Trouble was, there was none left of the traditional whiskey to taste in Ransom's quest to recreate the long lost gems of the Emerald Isle. Fortune gave Ransom two good turns; a British excise agent who recorded an Irish mash bill in 1865, and Ransom friend David Wondrich, who found said recipe poring over the microfiche annals of history and passed it along to Ransom.
With this mash bill as a guide, Ransom set out to create their own interpretation of whiskey as it would have been traditionally made in Ireland. To call Ransom’s version modern might be a stretch— A percentage of the barley is organically grown on Ransom’s Estate, all grains are milled, mashed and fermented in small batches at the distillery and farm in the emerald hills of Sheridan, Oregon, and distilled according to senses in Ransom’s handmade, direct-fired alembic pot still. The Emerald matures in a mix of French and American oak for three years, and is hand- bottled, capsuled, and labeled.
The result is a highly aromatic spirit with the weight, richness, and complexity of its forbearers. In seeking to recreate a whiskey of another time and place, Ransom has have created a spirit which speaks meaningfully to its two provenances; Ireland of yore, and the green hills of Oregon where it has taken a foothold after 150 years of migration. Like so many flavors from Ransom’s heritage, it truly brings the old country back to life.
The Emerald 1865
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Grain bill - 67 % Malted Two-Row Barley (including a percentage of Crystal Malt), 7% Un-malted Six-Row Barley, 15% Rye, 12% Oats.
Aging - Aged minimum three years in mixed cooperage of French and American Oak, 53 and 60 gallon barrel size.
Production - Heart cuts of direct-fired, alambic pot distillation. 100% mashed, fermented, distilled, aged and bottled at Ransom’s distillery.
Specifications - 43.8% alcohol by volume. 750mL. Hand bottled, capsuled and labeled. 200 cases produced per year.
SELECTED REVIEWS
Double Gold - 2014 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Gold Medal, Best in Category - 8th Annual American Distilling Institute Judging
90 points - The Whiskey Wash
"...the interplay and weight of those complex grains really make for the most delicious experiences." Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2016.
Craft Spirits, Bitters, Beer, Cider & Elixirs from the Pacific Northwest