Las Vegas Distillery goes to all 50 states

[macdeffe]

My good friend George at Las Vegas distillery has come up with this magnificient idea, which just sounds too exciting to me

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1249128888/bourbon-derby

I've allready signed up for a set of these, all in the name of science ofcourse :-)

Now I just got 4 years, if the project is funded that is, to figure out what to do with 50 bottles that are in Vegas when I live in Denmark :-)

Well, maybe the old saying that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas will come true, its probably cheaper to transport myself to Vegas than the bottles to Denmark :-)

Steffen

[macdeffe]

I would have thought this would have created more talk on a bourbon forum :-)

I reckon its one of the most innovative and exciting whisky ideas I ever heard of

I've visited LVD three times, the people know what they are doing, and they got a big heart pounding for making great whiskey

I allready supported this myself, and really hope the project comes through!

Steffen

[AaronWF]

Steffen, I trust you've done your homework enough that I don't doubt your assertion that their heart's in the right place with this project, but on the surface it absolutely reeks of gimmickry. It's somewhat more interesting to me than BT's Single Oak Project, though quite a bit less scientific.

Shipping barrels to age in all 50 states is a novelty that, admittedly, could produce interesting results; still, we're talking about 4-year old bourbon. It's hard to get excited about 4-year old bourbon, regardless of where it was made and aged.

[luther.r]

I read it and thought it was an interesting idea, although a bit complicated. My main critique is that most of the kickstarter packages don't include the most interesting part: whiskey! I don't need more swag in my life; a $25-50 contribution that gets the buyer a bottle of the juice would be a much better enticement, although I understand there are probably significant challenges to fulfillment in many states.

[wadewood]

pass. boring. They have never made a 4 year old straight bourbon, so no history. If product stinks, all 50 barrels will stink.

[White Dog]

I don't see the point at all. Just seems like a waste of resources, and gimmicky marketing.

[macdeffe]

Maybe I am just too much of a whisky geek. I think this is very interesting. I dont recognice this as a gimmick as it has long terms involved. It does involve some funding of your whisky which is needed for new distilleries.

So far I have only tried the newmake for their bourbon which is clean and crisp and flawless. Maybe it isn't dirty enough, but I am more experienced with scotch newmakes and I had a very good gutfeel tasting the LVD newmake

But meeting and talking to George from LVD is one thing that convinced me. Visiting 80+ distilliries its easy for me pick in which basket I will put my eggs

Being a bourbon forum, and warehouse microclimates being an important part of bourbon style, I thought that this was something that would interest people

But then, we are all different

Steffen

[keith18]

Wanted to echo Luther's comment. If I were to throw in, I'd just like to get a bottle of the juice. It'd be worth $50 to me, probably.

[Bourbon Boiler]

It's a gimmick. But, as gimmicks go, it's an interesting one.

[tmckenzie]

As a microdistiller I would give him some advice. If he is marketing to bourbon enthusiast, he needs to go more into detail about the project. Mashbill, still proof etc. Explain how he is going to make bourbon that tastes any good at all with all of those rectifying columns. It will be a ttb paperwork nightmare to ship all of the barrels if he raises the money.

[Josh]

I think the idea of comparing how barrels of whiskey age in different enviroments is an interesting one, but the 50 state thing is silly. Will there be any difference between barrels aged in Indiana and Illinois? Doubtful.

On the other hand some states have a wide variety of climates and elevations. Whiskey aged in the Sierras would probably age differently from whiskey aged in the Bay area or the Sonoran desert. But all are in California. Traverse City, Detroit and Houghton are all in Michigan but all offer different aging conditions.

Anyway, interesting idea, but I would just rather taste something they made and aged in LVN and see if it's any good. We have micro-distilled whiskey aging in just about every state anyway.

[Bourbon Boiler]

As a microdistiller I would give him some advice. If he is marketing to bourbon enthusiast, he needs to go more into detail about the project. Mashbill, still proof etc. Explain how he is going to make bourbon that tastes any good at all with all of those rectifying columns. It will be a ttb paperwork nightmare to ship all of the barrels if he raises the money.

Thanks for the insight. Would they have to actually sell it to the micros and re-purchase it later, or can it be in their ownership under someone else's bond?