Borrowed Page Vol. 2
Borrowed Page American Whiskey began as a question. Rather than blend and put out yet another bourbon, or rye, could we blend multiple styles of whiskey together and use the distinctive characteristics of those whiskies to not only challenge the concept of what American whiskey is and can be, but also continue to shine a light on the incredible craft producers that we have featured over the years? With the release of Borrowed Page Volume 1 last fall, the answer to that question has been a resounding yes!
Now we are following up our award-winning Volume 1 with Borrowed Page Volume 2! For this release, we specifically decided to avoid using America’s most popular whiskey: bourbon. We love a good bourbon, and it’s number one for a reason. However, Borrowed Page is about challenging the concept of what a good American whiskey can be; our conscious choice to skip out on bourbon for this round was made with that in mind.Bourbon makes up a decent percentage of most American whiskey blends and bourbon made up 58% of Volume 1. So, no bourbon this time. What whiskeys did we decide to include in this blend?
37% Mammoth Distillery Wooly Rye
Mammoth is one of the most captivating craft distillers in the country. Located in Northern Michigan they are blessed with amazing agricultural hardiness zones that give them “a lot of paints for your palette.” - Ari Sussman. From the very first time we spoke with Chad Munger and Ari Sussman we knew that we were aligned in our missions and dedication to craft spirits. For this blend they sent us several samples of their “hand-hewn” Wooly Rye. We selected two barrels from them. Barrel #862 which had incredible cinnamon bread pudding notes on the nose with a decent spice boom in the middle of the palate. The second barrel was simply labeled, “RTB.” When asked why it was labeled that way we were told that the barrel had quite the history. Initially it was their standard rye, barreled in a 53-gallon barrel. The original barrel leaked so they had to salvage what was left of the whiskey and re-barrel it in a 30 gallon barrel. The double barreling, especially in a smaller secondary vessel made for a bold expression of rye with a good balance of sweetness and spice and a long finish. Around the distillery the barrel became known as the “Royal Tannin Bomb” hence, RTB.
38% Virginia Distillery Co. American Single Malt
Virginia Distillery Co. began as the dream of Dr. George G. Moore. Though of Irish descent he harbored a love for Scottish Single Malts. He purchased the property in Nelson County, Virginia where he would build his distillery and fulfill his dream of perfecting the American Single Malt. Sadly, he passed away before he could bring his vision to life. He was succeeded by his son, Gareth H. Moore, who has helped turn Virginia Distillery Co. into one of the leaders of the American Single Malt movement. They sent us one barrel each of the single malt components that make up their flagship, Courage and Conviction. Of those barrels we chose two. The first was barrel #2380, a single malt whiskey matured in a Cuvee cask that provided notes of tobacco and baked apples on the nose with wonderful dried fruit and spice notes on the palate. The second was barrel #1757, a single malt whiskey matured in an Oloroso Sherry cask. The sherry cask, while beautiful in its expression with berry and dried fruit sweetness also proved to be quite overpowering when blended. Only 20 gallons were extracted from this barrel for the blend.
25% Talnua Distillery American Single Pot Still
When Patrick and Megan Miller traveled to Ireland for their honeymoon they expected to take in the sights, enjoy the pubs and even to get up early to watch some rugby matches. What they did not expect was to fall in love with Irish Pot Still whiskey, a style of whiskey that uses both raw and malted barley in the mash bill and was just starting to come back into style. Years later they would open the only distillery in the country devoted to exclusively making American Single Pot Still whiskey in Arvada, Colorado. Talnua manages to set itself apart from the bustling Colorado craft whiskey scene with this unique style of whiskey, so we knew that we wanted them to be a part of this blend. Still a relatively small and new operation, they did not have a lot they could offer us, but one thing they could share was some of their Continuum cask. Using large oak foeders and the solera method, their continuum cask is never fully emptied. As whiskey is removed, an equal amount of whiskey, aged for a minimum of 18 months in virgin American oak is added. Some of the whiskey that was there previously gets to mingle with the new whiskey and meld overtime. The average age in the cask will gradually increase as maturation continues over the years. The result is a complex and layered whiskey with notes of caramelized bananas on the nose and palate along with cherry and honey notes.
Guest Blender - Ryan Mills, @thatoneduderyan
With each new release of Borrowed Page we endeavor to work with a new guest blender. For Volume 2 we decided to go with one of the biggest champions of Volume 1. Ryan Mills, best known to the world as the whiskey influencer @thatoneduderyan has amassed a huge following on social media. When we first sent him a sample of Volume 1, he was so impressed with it that he was not shy in sharing it with anyone else who would listen. Given his incredible palate and support for what we were doing, it was a no-brainer to bring him on for this next release. We had a lot of fun together, marveling at how good each and every sample was, picking out our favorites and dialing in the right amount of sherry.
All together, we are very proud of what we have for you in Borrowed Page Volume 2. It is very different from Volume 1, but just as special. Similar to Volume 1, there are just around 700 750ml bottles available for purchase, but this go around we are excited to bring you around 300 375ml bottles as well. Bottled at 110 proof (55% ABV) we think you will fall in love with this whiskey just like we have.
Cheers!
TASTING NOTES
Borrowed Page American Whiskey Volume 2 (55% ABV)
Nose: Strawberry, Plums, Banana Bread, Vanilla, Dark Chocolate
Palate: The mouthfeel is buttery and rich with a nice balance of sweetness and spice up front with hints of vanilla, pepper and grilled peaches. The vanilla and pepper spice grow more intense through the midpalate settling into a long finish with dark chocolate, malt, and oak.
PRAISE FOR BORROWED PAGE: VOLUME 1
Winner - International Wine & Spirits Competition (Silver Medal, 94 points)
Winner - San Francisco World Spirits Competition (Silver Medal)
“Wow - this blend is excellent, made more so by it being the first go-round. Having tasted all the components (except the port-finished Lee Sinclair - only tried the original of that), each has their place and time to shine, with the blend being greater than the sum of the parts.” David Levine, Whiskey in My Wedding Rin
“It just goes on forever and ever on the finish. Really really delicious whiskey here. They put together quite the blend of American whiskey with this Borrowed Page. I suggest you check it out.” - Chris Blatner, @urbanbourbonist
“Fruity and indulgent, presenting notes of confected red berries, orange peel and light toffee on the nose. A smooth mouthfeel, full of dark leather, tobacco leaf and black pepper. Excellent!” - International Wine & Spirits Competition, 94 Points Silver Medal Winner
“I can be a sucker for storytelling, but American Mash & Grain doesn’t focus solely on the narrative. It uses it as a tool to elevate a category and change the minds of those who look down their nose at it, encouraging them to give it a chance. This first volume is a heavy hitter, leaving a long lasting impression that keeps the taster excited for the next volume — and the next.” - Whiskey Wash