Le Claire, Iowa, March 13, 2012 -River Rose Gin, made locally by Mississippi River Distilling Company in Le Claire, Iowa, has been honored as one of the world's best by TheFiftyBest.com. The website honored River Rose with a gold medal and tied the spirit for sixth place overall in their gin tasting.
MRDC's River Rose Gin was one of only 15 gins awarded a medal in the competition. River Rose finished the competition just behind some of the world's biggest names such as Tanqueray and Hendrick's.
River Rose starts with a base spirit made from grain harvested by local farmers within 25 miles of the distillery in LeClaire. Then a unique blend of a dozen botanicals is added. The gin is made from a German recipe that dates back to the late 1800s. That recipe is light on the traditional juniper berries and includes a full body of citrus and floral including orange, grapefruit, lemon, lavender, rose petals and locally grown cucumbers that provide a distinctive finish that sets River Rose apart from any other gin.
"We are excited any time our peers recognize our quality," said owner and distiller Ryan Burchett. "But this honor is particularly exciting because of the competition. It's really an honor to go toe to toe with the best in the business and come out with recognition like this."
Gin aficionados, wine/spirits writers, and bartenders were the judges at the formal tasting in New York City. Using professional criteria, the gins were served "blindly" one at a time, and rated on a 1-5 point scoring system with five being the best. The gins were ranked according to the total scores received from the judges. Double-Gold, Gold and Silver medals are awarded based on a set range of point scores.
TheFiftyBest.com is an award-winning online guide to fine living, featuring rated listings based on unbiased surveys and tastings conducted by food, wine/spirits journalists, professionals and connoisseurs. The complete ranking results, along with tasting notes, are published on TheFiftyBest.com website: http://www.thefiftybest.com/
The award comes on the heels of another round of success in the marketplace for the small distillery. On March 2, Mississippi River Distilling Company released their second batch of Cody Road Bourbon. The release of roughly 900 bottles sold out in just days across Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. The next batch is scheduled to be released on June 1.
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 after hours for a small charge. 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.
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