15 Stars Bourbon to Debut in April With a Big Nod to Kentucky History
Courtesy of 15 Stars
The whiskey industry is well known for leaning into its own history when it comes to marketing. The two men behind 15 Stars, an ultra-premium product which will see its first-ever release in the form of a 14-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon, have taken it to a new level.
Along with paying tribute to the Commonwealth of Kentucky in its branding – right down to the name, inspired by an early version of the U.S. flag, which counted Kentucky as its 15th star when it joined the Union in 1795 – father-son team Rick and Ricky Johnson are also collecting antiques that speak to this tribute.
“Really, when this country first got organized, Kentucky was a big part of that,” Rick Johnson said. “Of course, distilling was a big part of this country too.”
Rick excitedly showed off several of the historic items during a recent sit-down interview and tasting. One of the prized items? A 1795 silver dollar, the first ever minted by the United States. Even the top of the bottle’s cork was designed to resemble the back of that rare coin.
Coin cork topper. Photo by Kevin Gibson
But the collection, all of which speaks to Kentucky’s and America’s heritage, includes tokens, Kentucky long rifles and other firearms, hand-crafted items dating to the period, maps, rare documents and plenty more. The collection can be viewed online.
The point, besides the tribute to Kentucky’s history, is to take whiskey-making back to a time when, as Rick put it, pretty much any product you bought “was made by some guy you knew down the road. … We just want to do it in a way of the old craftsmen of the time.”
They worked with Bardstown Bourbon Company on the whiskey itself, carefully blending 14- and 15-year-old bourbons from two different mash bills. The resulting bourbon was bottled at 103 proof and was dubbed Timeless Reserve. It will be released to retail in early April.
Future releases will include another bourbon called First West in June, a blend of 15, 9 and 6 year bourbons, likely followed by a rye release. In the meantime, the Johnsons are creating and aging their own whiskey using proprietary strains of corn: a black corn as well as a mix of red, white and blue corn. The goal is to create a whiskey product that stands out.
In addition, their method includes what they call “flavor proofing,” distilling to specific proofs to maximize flavor, meaning less cutting with water.
“We love using these different products that have different flavors to make something really well rounded,” Rick Johnson said. “And more times than not we find that the sum is better than the parts.”
Rick and Ricky Johnson. Courtesy of 15 Stars
Rick is a businessman who has been in many different fields, from the oil business to the restaurant industry, while Ricky is not long out of college. While the plan currently is to grow the brand, they agreed it’s possible that opening a public tasting room at some point may be on the table. It would at least offer a way to publicly exhibit – and continue to grow – the antiques collection. Regardless, the whiskey will keep coming.
“We’re in it for the long haul,” Rick said.
Timeless Reserve will have an SRP of $279.
This post was originally published by FredMinnick.com.
