Drink the Bottles

Lee Medoff, founder and head distiller at Bull Run Distilling Company in Portland, Oregon, is setting the Pacific Northwest on fire with his distinctive spirits.  While being a professional distiller since 1998, he started Bull Run Distillery in 2010 after setting his sights on creating a pure malt Oregon whiskey.  The distillery currently produces a barrel strength bourbon, vodka, gin and a nice selection of whiskeys.  Today we look at the  Bull Run Distilling Pinot Noir Finished American Whiskey  aged 15 years.   The age statemen from Bull Run on the Pinot Noir finished whiskey varies, depending on the batch.  But we tasted the 15 year offering that includes an additional 8 month of finished aging in Pinot Noir casks.  The initial mash bill of 99% corn and 1% malted barley spends the first part of its life in former bourbon casks.  We are fans of finished bourbons (especially in red wine casks) so we were excited to taste and provide o...

  Sourcing and blending whiskey is nothing new.  The practice has been going on for hundreds of years since the first whiskey was produced.  But in order to be successful at blending whiskey, you need to have an understanding of the whiskey itself, the mash bills, the age statements, how to marry the various barrels and an impeccable taste for quality.  Owners of 15 Stars, Rick and Ricky Johnson, are a father and son duo that formed the company in 2019 but didn't release their first product until the spring of 2022.  These entrepreneurs and whiskey pros have been steadily growing their brand since then, paying attention to every detail (including the 15 stars bottle closure, offering a nod to Kentucky becoming the 15th state) and sourcing only what they feel are the finest bourbon barrels available from Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. If you consider yourself a "bourbon purist", you might be rolling your eyes about now.  And you would be extremely remiss....