Chicken Cock, the famous old brand since 1856, is kicking off the “Summer of the Rooster” with a bold new limited-edition release of Island Rooster Rum Barrel Rye. The new expression starts with Chicken Cock’s Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey and is finished in Caribbean rum casks for at least six months. Island Rooster has a 95% rye and 5% malted barley mash bill, which is bottled at 95 proof (47.5% ABV) in an apothecary-style embossed bottle featuring a premium metal cup cap – perfect for pouring while outside this summer.
Island Rooster was inspired by a trip to the Caribbean, where roosters announce the coming day. With this new release, Chicken Cock is announcing its “Summer of the Rooster” program where the brand will showcase its bold, confident, and expressive take on the iconic Chicken Cock rooster.
Tasting Notes
Appearance: beautiful, rich dark Amber in color
Aroma: an elegant array of spices, pepper, with a hint of rye grassiness and sweet molasses softly touched with oak overtones
Flavor: a tremendous complexity of spices, vanilla, butterscotch and pepper, beautifully complimented with just enough rum sweetness
Finish: very long and enjoyable, with the rye characteristics predominant but wonderfully enhanced with a touch of sweet, and an amazing buttery mouthfeel
“Summer is the ideal season for Chicken Cock to take traditional indoor whiskey drinking occasions outside and Island Rooster’s rum barrel finish makes this a whiskey you’ll want to throw in your pack as you head outdoors,” said Matti Anttila, founder of Grain & Barrel Spirits, which owns Chicken Cock.
Chicken Cock Island Rooster Rum Barrel Rye was awarded a Gold Medal at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Production was limited to only 25 barrels. Island Rooster is available for the suggested retail price of $199.99 per 750ml bottle.
About Chicken Cock Whiskey
Originally established in Paris, Kentucky in 1856, Chicken Cock – known as “The Famous Old Brand” – was forced to move production up to Canada during Prohibition. The Canadian Rye whiskey produced during that period was then smuggled back into the U.S. in tin cans, earning the brand the nickname, “the whiskey in a tin can.” After Prohibition, Chicken Cock enjoyed a resurgent couple of decades before a distillery fire just after World War II put it out of business. In 2012, Anttila rediscovered the brand and set out to resurrect it to its Prohibition-era glory alongside Master Distiller Gregg Snyder. Since that time, the team has introduced a flagship KY Straight Bourbon and KY Straight Rye Whiskey, made in partnership with Bardstown Bourbon Company as part of its collaborative distilling program, along with several other highly sought after limited-releases.
About Grain & Barrel Spirits
Based in Charleston, South Carolina, Grain & Barrel Spirits develops and scales craft spirits that connect the best artisans to consumers worldwide. One of the company’s core brands is Dixie Vodka, the leading premium homegrown vodka produced in the Southeast and the Official Vodka of NASCAR; one of the fastest-growing craft brands in the United States, Dixie won the prestigious 2019 and 2020 and 2021 “Rising Star” Growth Brands Awards from Beverage Dynamics magazine. Other brands in the Grain & Barrel portfolio include Virgil Kane Lowcountry Whiskey; High Goal Luxury Gin, a small batch, ultra-premium gin produced in Charleston; and Elvis Whiskeys, a duo of Elvis Presley-inspired whiskeys. Grain & Barrel has been named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing privately held companies in America three years in a row and is a proud member of 1% For The Planet.
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