Though long associated with Bourbon County in Kentucky, these days even Rhode Island is getting in on the fun of making bourbon, too. This type of whiskey, which is great served neat or sipped from a flask while star-gazing around a campfire, contains at least 51 percent corn in addition to other grains like rye, wheat, or barley. Although the Bluegrass State produces 95 percent of the world’s bourbon, and the spirits bottled there are still considered the gold standard, distilleries around the country produce some excellent varieties, following the process handed down from Scottish and Irish settlers. Here’s what’s happening locally at three commercial distilleries currently producing the corn-based whiskey.
Blue Velvet Bourbon is a new addition to the line-up at the Industrious Spirit Company (ISCO) in Providence, where it was first released in 2021. “Blue Velvet is unique in that it is a 100 percent blue corn mash bill, a blend of an organic indigo corn from Kentucky and heirloom blue corn from Mexico,” says Manya Rubinstein, ISCO CEO. “A unique marriage of cultures and places, Blue Velvet boasts heaps of caramel, chocolate, and vanilla flavors, and a signature note of blue corn tortillas with a lasting finish of toast and oak. It’s best sipped neat, or on the rocks – or mixed in a Manhattan, if you must!”
With a passion for the process, ISCO makes all of their spirits from scratch, and the bourbon is no exception. “More handcrafted bourbons are on the way in the coming months and years, so stay tuned,” says Rubinstein. “This fall, we are releasing a version that has been aged over two years, making it a straight bourbon.” Providence, ISCOSpirits.com
Small-batch brewing is the formula for success at White Dog Distilling in Pawtucket, where distillers have tweaked the ingredients for a one-of-a-kind flavor profile in their signature Puppy Bourbon. “We chose a highly concentrated corn formula that is 85 percent corn, 15 percent malted barley, which contributes to the sweetness of the bourbon,” says co-owner Alecia Catucci. “We produce it locally in small batches and little by little, we continue to age it. On our five-year anniversary, we released a 12-month bourbon, which had a phenomenal response.”
Bourbon is traditionally aged in 40-gallon barrels or larger; by brewing in smaller five-gallon barrels (puppies), White Dog produces a smooth and flavorful bourbon in a shorter amount of time. The distillery is also known for their line of Tailgate Moonshine, a partnership with the nationally syndicated Dan Patrick Show. “We produce moonshine flavors for them that typically sell out within a few minutes,” says Catucci. “We’re releasing pumpkin spice maple early this fall.” Pawtucket, WhiteDogDistilling.com
In Westerly, South County Distillers produces spirits on the campus of sister company Grey Sail Brewery. “It shares utilities and infrastructure, but it is in its own standalone space and has a full-time distiller, Ryan Gwozdz, the former head brewer at Mayflower in Plymouth, MA,” says Alan Brinton, who co-owns Grey Sail with his wife Jennifer. The joint venture began in 2019, after the brewery completed an expansion.
“We’re offering a lot of different types of bourbon. We haven’t really honed in on a single recipe; we have a variety of different expressions to choose from,” says Brinton. “Our bourbon is made completely in house. We start with the raw materials, 51 percent corn, and Ryan works different grains into the mash bill; we mill it on site, we mash it, and then go through the temperature conversions you need to convert all the starches to sugars. We ferment it on site, add yeast, and then we distill it from there. We package it on our own barrels that we source.” You can enjoy their bourbon in the tasting room at Grey Sail or at bars and restaurants statewide. Westerly, SouthCountyDistillers.com
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