Corsair Gift Baskets

"Im an avid whiskey lover," says Darek Bell, master distiller at Corsair Artisan Distillery in Kentucky, "but I do think whiskey could be better. Different. More interesting. More imaginative." Bell, a graduate of the Bruichladdich Distilling Academy in Islay, Scotland, is a mad scientist and notoriously experimental distiller. Since opening its doors in 2009, Corsair Artisan Distillery has received numerous accolades and awards, including being named the 2013 Craft Distillery of the Year and 2013 Innovator of the Year by Whisky Magazine."When you look at the palette the distilling world uses, the paints typically consist of corn, rye, wheat and malted barley," explains Bell, a former homebrewer. "Contrast that to craft brewing, where brewers use dozens of malts and adjuncts. With distilling, I think like a brewer: the better the ingredients you put into the whiskey, the better it will be."Corsair Quinoa Whiskey is made from a mash of 80 percent malted barley and 20 percent unmalted quinoa seeds. While most of the malted barley (63 percent) is untoasted, two-row barley, the remainder is kiln-toasted and imparts sublime notes of butter and doughy bread to the whiskey.In addition, Bell uses red and white quinoa (pronounced "Kin-wah") seeds that he sources from Bolivia. Quinoa is a type of plant that was domesticated in South America nearly 4,000 years ago, and has high levels of protein and dietary fiber. The Incas held the quinoa crop to be sacred and referred to it as chisaya mama, or mother of all grains (the Incan emperor would traditionally sow the first seeds of the season). "The quinoa seeds add a slightly nutty flavor to the whiskey," says Bell, "and nicely balance out the flavors from the barley."After harvesting the barley and quinoa, Bell mashes and ferments the grains before distilling them through his custom-made, 50-gallon Vendome copper-pot hybrid still. The whiskey is then aged in new, heavily charred American oak barrels (the barrels have a #4 char), before Bells team fills and labels each bottle by hand.Corsair Quinoa Whiskey has a nose of baked apples, cinnamon and rye that gives way to sweet notes of dried fruits, pineapple and citrus. The flavors are well-balanced with notes of buttery dough and nutty bread, and lead to a slightly spicy, long finish."This may be the first commercially available whiskey distilled from quinoa," says Bell.Pick up a unique bottle of whiskey today!

"Im an avid whiskey lover," says Darek Bell, master distiller at Corsair Artisan Distillery in Kentucky, "but I do think whiskey could be better. Different. More interesting. More imaginative." Bell, a graduate of the Bruichladdich Distilling Academy in Islay, Scotland, is a mad-scientist and a notoriously experimental distiller. Since opening its doors in 2009, Corsair Artisan Distillery has received numerous accolades and awards, including being named the 2013 Craft Distillery of the Year and 2013 Innovator of the Year by Whisky Magazine.Corsair Ryemageddon American Rye Whiskey is distilled from a mash of 80 percent malted rye grains and 20 percent chocolate rye grains. After the grains have been harvested by local farmers, they are mashed and fermented before being twice distilled, first through Bells antique wash still and then again through his 240-gallon copper-pot still. Corsairs small operation has no mechanized components each step of the distillation process is completed by hand. "We make less in a year than a big distillery spills in a day," says Clay Smith, Corsairs Distillery Manager.Once the whiskey has been distilled, it is aged in 15 gallon, charred American oak casks for just under one year. Following maturation, each batch of Ryemageddon Whiskey is brought to proof and bottled by hand. "Our products are extremely small batch,"adds Smith, "meaning that our largest run is 550 bottles."Corsair Ryemageddon American Rye Whiskey has an aroma of milk chocolate and peanut butter, along with notes of fresh rye toast, baking spices and buttered bread on the palate. The flavors lead gently to a warming finish with a touch of fruit, butter and vanilla. The whiskey earned the Gold Medal at the International Review of Spirits, and earned a score of 94 points from the Beverage Testing Institute. Pick up a bottle today!

"Im an avid whiskey lover," says Darek Bell, master distiller at Corsair Artisan Distillery in Kentucky, "but I do think whiskey could be better. Different. More interesting. More imaginative." Bell, a graduate of the Bruichladdich Distilling Academy in Islay, Scotland, is a mad-scientist and a notoriously experimental distiller. Since opening its doors in 2009, Corsair Artisan Distillery has received numerous accolades and awards, including being named the 2013 Craft Distillery of the Year and 2013 Innovator of the Year by Whisky Magazine.Corsair Triple Smoke Small Batch American Malt Whiskey is made exclusively from American malted barley. Once Bell sources the barley, he divides it into three fractions and smokes each fraction over a different fuel. While a portion of the barley is smoked over a traditional peat flame, another portion is smoked over a cherry wood flame, and the remainder is smoked over a beechwood flame. This smoking process unique in the industry contributes well-balanced notes of sweet fruits and peaty smoke to the whiskey, and adds an unusual depth and complexity.After smoking the barley, Bell mashes and ferments it before being distilled the wash through his 240-gallon, antique copper-pot still. Then, the whiskey is aged in new, charred American oak barrels, which contribute hints of cinnamon and allspice to the whiskey, and add an additional layer of complexity. Following maturation, Corsair Triple Smoke is brought to proof and bottled by hand.Corsair Triple Smoke earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2010 and at the MicroLiquor Spirits Awards in 2011. In addition, it earned the title of "Artisan Whiskey of the Year" in 2013 from Whisky Advocate.Pick up a bottle today!

In the 1650s, a Dutch doctor named Franciscus Sylvius was searching for a remedy to the kidney and stomach ailments that he often encountered in his practice of internal medicine. At the time, Dr. Sylvius was a Professor of Medicine in Leyden, and he attempted to infuse juniper berries into a spirit distilled from grain in order to create a panacea. The resulting elixir eventually became known as gin, and was so popular that within a few decades, the Dutch were exporting 10 million gallons annually. For the next 250 years, nearly all the gin produced in the world was barrel-aged since the spirit was stored and transported in oak barrels (at the time, glass was too fragile and plastic and stainless steel containers were still not available).In order to craft a more traditional gin, "weve rested our signature vapor basket gin in our charred oak barrels previously used to age our spiced rum," says Darek Bell, the founder and master distiller at Corsair Artisan Distillery. Since opening its doors in 2009, Corsair has received numerous accolades and awards, including being named the 2013 Craft Distillery of the Year and 2013 Innovator of the Year by Whisky Magazine.As a result of this barrel aging, together with its citrus-heavy botanical recipe, the gin has a bold aroma of cola, anise, sweet spices and and oak. The aroma gives way to notes of tropical fruits, vanilla, citrus and candied nuts on the palate, and finishes with a touch of ginger and licorice.Once the gin has matured, each bottle is filled, labeled and then boxed by hand. "We make less in a year than a big distillery spills in a day," says Clay Smith, Corsairs Distillery Manager. Corsair Barrel Aged Gin earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2011.Pick up a bottle today!

In the 1650s, a Dutch doctor named Franciscus Sylvius was searching for a remedy to the kidney and stomach ailments that he often encountered in his practice of internal medicine. At the time, Dr. Sylvius was a Professor of Medicine in Leyden, and he attempted to infuse juniper berries into a spirit distilled from grain in order to create a panacea. The resulting elixir eventually became known as gin, and was so popular that within a few decades, the Dutch were exporting 10 million gallons annually. For the next 250 years, nearly all the gin produced in the world was barrel-aged since the spirit was stored and transported in oak barrels (at the time, glass was too fragile and plastic and stainless steel containers were still not available).In order to craft a more traditional gin, "weve rested our signature vapor basket gin in our charred oak barrels previously used to age our spiced rum," says Darek Bell, the founder and Master Distiller at Corsair Artisan Distillery. Since opening its doors in 2009, Corsair has received numerous accolades and awards, including being named the 2013 Craft Distillery of the Year and 2013 Innovator of the Year by Whisky Magazine.Corsairs Artisan Gin remains one of the few gins produced using a gin-head (otherwise known as a carter head or vapor basket). This method, allows the flavors and essential oils of the gins sustainably grown botanicals to be gently extracted using vapor; this technique yields a less bitter spirit than maceration resulting in a more aromatic, clean-tasting gin.This gin head style gin is made using 100 percent organic botanicals, which yields a brighter, more well-balanced spirit. Using a vapor basket essentially highlights the unique mixture of botanicals use in the spirit, such as citrus, cucumber, cardamom and coriander. Among other accolades, this crisp gin has struck Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the World Beverage Competition, and the International Review of Spirits Awards BTI.Pick up a bottle of this American gin today!

"Im an avid whiskey lover," says Darek Bell, master distiller at Corsair Artisan Distillery in Kentucky, "but I do think whiskey could be better. Different. More interesting. More imaginative". Bell, a graduate of the Bruichladdich Distilling Academy in Islay, Scotland, is a mad scientist and a notoriously experimental distiller. Since opening its doors in 2009, Corsair Artisan Distillery has received numerous accolades and awards, including being named the 2013 Craft Distillery of the Year and 2013 Innovator of the Year by Whisky Magazine.Wildfire is Corsairs very first grain to glass whiskey, crafted from barley grown, malted, and smoked at a rural Tennessee farm in Bells Bend. Wildfire is 100 percent hickory-smoked, which gives it a unique flavor profile and smooth mouthfeel. Launched in 2015 Wildfire has quickly become one of our most popular whiskeys.Pick up your bottle today!

"Im an avid whiskey lover," says Darek Bell, master distiller at Corsair Artisan Distillery in Kentucky, "but I do think whiskey could be better. Different. More interesting. More imaginative." Bell, a graduate of the Bruichladdich Distilling Academy in Islay, Scotland, is a mad-scientist and a notoriously experimental distiller. Since opening its doors in 2009, Corsair Artisan Distillery has received numerous accolades and awards, including being named the 2013 Craft Distillery of the Year and 2013 Innovator of the Year by Whisky Magazine.Corsair Centennial Malt Whiskey is a whiskey distilled from malted barley and flavored with hops. Our "experiments and tasting competitions taught us that Centennial hops were some of the best hops possible," says Bell. Centennial Hops were first created in 1974 and boast an alpha acid rating of 9.5 percent-11.5 percent, resulting in a slightly floral flavor profile that is ideal for making pale ales and India pale ales. After Corsair Centennial Malt Whiskey is distilled with the hops, it is aged in new, American oak casks until it reaches its peak flavor. As a result, the whiskey has a sweet aroma, with touches of rose petals and orange zest. Notes of caramelized oranges and sweet malt dominate the flavor profile, and lead to a finish accented by balanced hops and sweet citrus."We are a small distillery, but we have big dreams," says Bell. "Our goal from day one has been to distill the best whiskey in the world," he adds, noting that Corsair has won 74 different medals in the past six years.Pick up this amazing Whiskey today!