Mississippi River Distilling LeClaire, IA

It's probably very young, as they don't give an age. They apparently made very little, as it is already sold out. They claim to have used small barrels. They don't say how small, but they're passing along all of the usual small barrel myths. They like to imagine some of the wood was grown in Iowa and Illinois, their markets, but it's very unlikely any of it was. Probably it was all grown in Minnesota.

So, yeah, it's more marketing fluff targeted at novices than honest information targeted at serious enthusiasts.

I agree that it's targeted more towards locals and novices than enthusiasts. I thought they were at least a lot more transparent than, ahem, certain other Iowa-based whiskey companies. Its a year old or slightly less. They give the percentages of ingredients and the locations, and even the farmers, from whom the ingredients were sourced. That some of the oak is harvested in Iowa and Illinois may be a half-truth, but in the whiskey industry that barely registers on the puffery scale.

I've tried enough underaged 'small barrel' whiskeys to know that this is probably not my bag, but I thought it was cool that a product targeted for a particular area is actually made in that area and from mostly area-ingredients. I don't have a problem with independent bottlers, in fact I think they serve an important function and push some quality products into the market, but when they make a bunch of 'locally made' claims it bothers me.

I'm hoping a few of the regional distilleries that actually make something and some with local ingredients can survive and down the road produce a product more focused on flavor. We'll see though, I'm not holding my breath.

You're right and I agree. Just pointing out where they could do better.

Let's hope that "more honest than Templeton" doesn't become the standard, as that's a pretty low bar.

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Originally Posted by cowdery

You're right and I agree. Just pointing out where they could do better.

Let's hope that "more honest than Templeton" doesn't become the standard, as that's a pretty low bar.

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That is indeed a low bar. They've made some letharic efforts to be less deceptive recently, but once you've built a reputation on falsities the bell can't be unrung for me.

People have been asking me where to get TR for Christmas gifts and I tell them to just get Bulleit. I've tasted them head to head and its close, but I I prefer the Bulleit. Could just be the higher proof. Put $10 of savings in my pocket and its not even close.

I have to give Templeton credit. They're selling the stuff. According to their newsletter, they were the #1 best selling distilled spirit product in Iowa for the month of October, at 4,100 cases.

Which shows that a product does need a good story to be successful, and sadly the story does not have to be true.