Blade & Bow

Originally opened on Derby Day in 1935, the fabled Stitzel-Weller Distillery — one of the true “cathedrals” of the bourbon industry — ceased production in 1992, and just recently reopened to the public in 2014. Although no whiskey was distilled at Stitzel-Weller for over 20 years, other distilleries sent their whiskeys to age at there; located just five miles from downtown Louisville, KY, Stitzel-Weller is known to have extremely favorable conditions for aging. Throughout the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, the “five keys” symbol appears frequently — each key represents a step in the whiskey-making process: grains, yeast, fermentation, distillation and aging. Blade and Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, one of the first releases in over two decades to utilize actual whiskey distilled at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, is named after the blade shaft and ornate bow handle that together comprise the two parts of Stitzel-Weller’s iconic skeleton keys. Blade and Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon is crafted using a solera-aging, a process typically reserved for aging cognacs, ports and sherries. This is done to preserve the precious original stock of Stitzel-Weller, which is mingled with other fine whiskies during the solera process, during which a series of casks are filled at different intervals over a long period of time (in fact, Blade and Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon contains the oldest remaining stock of whiskey distilled at Stitzel-Weller, and will be the last available liquid for sale that was distilled at the original distillery). As whiskey from the oldest cask is emptied and bottled, the cask is refilled with an equivalent amount of whiskey from the second-oldest cask in the solera. This cascading effect continues until the youngest cask in the solera is filled with new whiskey. As a result, no cask in the solera is ever fully emptied. In addition, as the younger whiskey ages and cascades through the solera, its average age and complexity gradually increase over time. Blade and Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon has a restrained nose with hints of citrus, mint, oak and green apple. The palate is slightly fuller, with touches of apricots, figs and pears mixed with cereal grains, and leads to an easy finish with caramel, burnt oak and cinnamon spice.