LeClaire, Iowa, November 28, 2011 - It's been a year in the making and Mississippi River Distilling Company is anxious to release their Cody Road Bourbon Whiskey on Friday, December 2, 2011.
For owners and distillers Ryan and Garrett Burchett, this release has been their ultimate goal from the beginning. "We got into this business to make whiskey," said Ryan. "It's so exciting to finally have our first bourbon ready for the market."
The spirit's namesake is LeClaire's most famous son, Buffalo Bill Cody. Buffalo Bill's road started in LeClaire and the distillery sits on what is now known as Cody Road. The cork features a wood top that is laser engraved with Buffalo Bill's face and the label includes a historic picture of Cody Road in downtown LeClaire taken in the late 1800s.
MRDC takes a unique blend of corn in LeClaire along with wheat and unmalted barley from Reynolds, Illinois to make their sweet and smooth bourbon. To be called bourbon whiskey, a spirit must be made with at least 51% corn and be aged in brand new, charred oak barrel. In addition to local corn, Cody Road also has wheat and barley for a distinct taste unmatched by anything else hand crafted. Each bottle has been individually hand labeled. Cody Road has been soaking in handmade barrels made from white American oak trees, many of which are harvested in Iowa and Illinois. MRDC uses a variety of specially sized smaller barrels to increase the ratio of wood to spirit, in order to extract flavors in a shorter period of time, including delicious vanilla and caramel flavors that only time in wood can provide. The result is a sweet and smooth bourbon with enough oak to bring familiar flavors, but also young enough that you'll still be able to taste the sweetness of that local grain.
"We decided to up the proof for the bottling from 80 to 90 proof because it was just too smooth," said distiller Garrett Burchett. "Bourbon needs to have a bit of a bite. At 80 proof, the bourbon was so smooth that by the time the ice melted in your glass a bit, you wondered where all the whiskey was. So we upped the alcohol content so it would have a little of the kick that we presume Buffalo Bill would have preferred. I think many whiskey aficionados will appreciate the higher proof as well."
Friday is the first release of Cody Road Bourbon and there will be approximately 900 bottles for distribution in this first batch. Get to your local retailer soon as supplies are likely to go fast! The next release of Cody Road will be ready in March.
Cody Road's release also comes the same day as MRDC's First Friday, which will be held Friday from 5:30 - 8 p.m. MRDC features two signature cocktails at each First Friday. This month we'll have Mississippi Mocha for visitors to try, which is made of MRDC's Iowa Coffee Company Liqueur (ICCL) and hot chocolate. The second cocktail, Holiday Rose, is a mixture of River Rose Gin, orange and cranberry juices. Chef Stephanie Godke has also come up with two new recipes using MRDC products. Free samples will be served of chocolate coffee fudge pecan pie made with ICCL and whiskey BBQ pork made with Wide River Wheat Whiskey. Artist Darrell Bush will be on hand to sign his artwork that is currently on display in the tasting room. There will also be bottle specials in our retail area just for Friday night. Friday night also corresponds with Le Claire's Christmas in Le Claire.
Mississippi River Distilling Company is open from 10 AM to 5 PM Monday through Saturday and from 12 to 5 PM Sundays. Free tours are offered to the public daily on the hour from 12 to 4 PM or by appointment. The tour takes visitors through the entire distilling process. Tours end in the Grand Tasting Room with free samples of products for those patrons over 21 years of age.
