Silverthorn Reserve, a new independent American whiskey brand founded by former Sagamore Spirit CEO Drew Thorn, has launched with a portfolio spanning blended bourbons, ryes and cask-finished expressions. The Maryland-based venture sources whiskeys from Georgia, Indiana and Kentucky, with production and aging conducted in partnership with Sagamore Spirit and Old Line Spirits.
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READ THE STORYThorn spent a decade at Sagamore Spirit, the Maryland rye whiskey producer, serving as COO/CFO before becoming CEO. He has described Silverthorn as a project he had envisioned for years prior as his retirement venture.
The brand name carries personal significance. When Thorn’s son was a young child, he began calling himself Silverthorn, combining parts of his parents’ maiden names, Silverman and Thorn.
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Thorn oversees every stage of production personally. He led the design of the bottles and brand visual identity, determined the initial product line, sourced the whiskey, blended the product, and bottled it.
Silverthorn maintains a working relationship with Sagamore. Thorn warehouses his creations in the distillery’s aging barns and conducts his initial production work onsite.
His sourcing approach is described as “geographically agnostic,” with a preference for whiskeys aged 10 to 15 years. The Georgia whiskey was acquired from Bardstown Bourbon Company, which sourced it from the now-defunct Ivy Mountain distillery. The Indiana whiskeys, including a high-malt bourbon, came from Old Elk, which was formerly led by ex-MGP master distiller Greg Metze.
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When barrels arrive in Maryland, Thorn samples every one and conducts sensory analysis. He maintains a database detailing each barrel’s characteristics, flavor profile, proof, age and quality.
His blending begins in the lab with small-scale mock blends of around 100 milliliters. Once satisfied, he scales up to a 750ml test before finalizing the formula.
After blending, he returns the whiskey to the same barrels it came from, where it rests for at least a month. The whiskey is then moved to Old Line Spirits in Baltimore for bottling. Thorn avoids chill filtration, instead using cellulose sock filters to preserve flavor and mouthfeel.
The portfolio’s Port Finish Rye uses a proprietary cask conditioning system Thorn developed and hand-fabricated. A stainless steel rod with an atomizing tip inserts through the bung hole, spraying port into a fine mist powered by CO2 to coat the barrel’s interior.
The system allows control over port selection, barrel wood quality, freshness of the fortified wine and precise quantity measurement.
The lineup is split into three series. The Blender’s Art Series includes a 10-Year Bourbon Blend, a 10-Year Rye Blend and a 10-Year Bourbon & Rye.
The Finisher’s Art Series currently features the Port Finish Rye, which uses 10-year-old tawny port. The Single Barrel Series showcases individual barrels, including a 13-Year Single Barrel Rye and a 13-Year Single Barrel Bourbon, both at cask strength.
