Long Island-based Wölffer Estate Vineyard has joined forces with Manhattan-based Great Jones Distilling Co. to produce an elite bourbon. The partnership blossomed after Wölffer’s winemaker, Roman Roth, collaborated with Great Jones’ head distiller, Celine Perez, to age bourbon in Wölffer’s wine barrels.
The collaboration resulted in a limited-edition bourbon made with 100% local grain, distilled in New York. A blend of the 4-to-7-year-old casks of Great Jones straight bourbon was hand-selected to be finished for over a year in Wölffer Estate’s Caya Cabernet Franc oak barrels.
Roth selected the Caya Cabernet Franc barrel because of its refined sweetness, characterized by dark cherry and fig notes that are inherent in the wine. “We started with a beautiful synergy of flavors between the berry notes of our Caya Cabernet Franc and the sweet notes present in the Great Jones Bourbon, and it has been a pleasure to watch how the whiskey has matured to a complex final spirit," Roth said.
Said Perez: “This specialty release is a true New York state terroir collaboration, and it has been a pleasure to work with an industry legend like Roman Roth. We started with a wide range of proofs and blends and found an unspoken dialect in our shared passion to find that right flavor note. It wasn't just collaboration, it was fortuitous.”
The bourbon can be found in select New York City bars and restaurants and at retailers in New York state.