The Liberty Pole Spiced Whiskey is an annual release, usually in October. It is based on a rye that’s at least 3 years old and matured in a 53-gallon oak barrel. To this is added allspice, orange peel, brown sugar and cinnamon. The genesis of this mixture came about at a holiday party where the Old Fashioneds had a homemade allspice dram added, which the distillers attempt to recreate here. Thanks mom! Historically, Pennsylvania distillers during the Whiskey Rebellion also added spices to their whiskies during the holidays.
Liberty Pole Peated Rye
Mingo Creek Craft Distillers, better known by their brand name Liberty Pole, are a craft distillery in southwestern Pennsylvania who deftly weave the line between history and imagination. Their whiskey-focused portfolio includes offerings made using heritage grains like bloody butcher corn and Pennsylvania rye. But they’re not afraid to get creative, as seen by their Peated Bourbon. After seeing what peat could do with with corn, they wondered…why not rye? A few years later, the Liberty Pole Peated Rye was born. The result was so successful, it has become a staple of their portfolio and is released about once a year.
Liberty Pole Corn Whiskey
Corn Whiskey is not an offering usually seen by name on store shelves, as much of the corn-based whiskey is bourbon. But corn whiskey as a category is a little different than bourbon per the US federal regulations. Corn whiskey has to be at least 80% corn and can be stored in either new or used oak barrels. The Liberty Pole Corn Whiskey is is fermented with an American ale yeast and aged for 18-24 months in medium-toasted oak quarter casks formerly housing Liberty Pole’s own bourbon and rye. The Bloody Butcher Corn used as the base is a heirloom grain from southwest Pennsylvania, similar to the kind of corn grown there during the late 18th century Whiskey Rebellion.