One Eight Distilling is expanding its lineup of booze with a barrel-aged gin and a cask-strength whiskey this month. Both products are part of an experimental, small batch series titled "Untitled."
Untitled Gin No. 1 is the first of several iterations of barrel-aged gin that the distillery plans to play with before making one of them part of its permanent roster.
The base gin is a variation of One Eight's Ivy City Gin with even more spicebush and juniper plus some orange among the mix of botanicals. It's aged in former bourbon barrels, giving it some vanilla and oak notes. It will be released at the distillery on May 6 with free tastes from 1 to 5 p.m. The Pub & The People will also host a release party for the gin on May 12 from 6 to 9 p.m. with complimentary cocktails and other giveaways.
Untitled Whiskey No. 7, which will be released on World Whisky Day (May 21), blends together three different sourced bourbons—nine, six, and four years old. (One Eight hasn't been around long enough to have aged its own whiskey.)
The nine-year is a high-rye bourbon that brings some spicy notes plus vanilla, oak, and coconut flavors; the six-year is a wheated bourbon that's a bit lighter with floral and piney notes; and the four-year is a Tennessee bourbon with charcoal and maple notes. The spirit is finished in port and cognac casks.
"As far as I know, it's quite an unusual combination of whiskies to use," says co-founder Alexander "Sandy" Wood. "Each one brings some of its own flavor characteristics and makes for an even more unusual and playful whiskey."
Around 120 cases of the limited-edition whiskey and even less gin will be available. The whiskey will go for a suggested retail price of $78 and the gin for $44.
2016 is shaping up to be a pretty good year for booze in D.C. The Dupont farmers market began allowing alcohol vendors for the first time this past weekend, and D.C.'s first distillery pub is months away from opening, with another one from the Founding Farmers team also on its way. Meanwhile, at least two more distilleries are also set to open this year: Cotton & Reed and Republic Restoratives.
One Eight Distilling, 1135 Okie St. NE, oneeightdistilling.com
Photo courtesy One Eight Distilling