Hooker’s House Epicenter Whiskey Is Earthquake-Shaken

Mother Nature certainly has her impact on aging whiskey, there is no doubt. The picture that comes to mind for most of us is bourbon sweltering inside old warehouses in the hot Kentucky summer, but other forces at play can, reportedly, have some impact on the spirit as well. That is the story being told, anyhow, by non-distilling producer Prohibition Spirits around its latest release, Hooker’s House Epicenter.

Prohibition Spirits, located in the northern regions of the San Francisco Bay Area, was rocked by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake on August 24, 2014. The epicenter of this quake was less than three miles from their rick house. According to them,

several barrels of high rye whiskey that were marked for our bourbon program were shaken from their racks and hung precariously in balance, not giving in to the forces of nature and gravity. These barrels were special and had experienced something all other whiskeys have not. Macro and micro vibration. Over the course of the next mine months the barrels were further blended with over 500 aftershocks for an intense finish.

Set of aside, of course, for a special limited edition bottling, the new Epicenter was bottled at 112 proof after being finished in French oak staves, according to Caskers. This whiskey, understandably, is seen as a bit gimmicky by some, especially when you consider it seems to now be pricing at retail for at least $60 a bottle.