Another California Wine Professional Finds His Way Into Whiskey

An interesting trend that’s seeming to emerge out of California right now involves the intersection of winemaking and whiskey. That is to say, those in the wine profession there are getting into fiddling around with whiskey. We’ve already reported on this with Splinter Group Spirits’ cabernet sauvignon barrel aged bourbon, and there’s also Re:Find Distillery and its rye whiskey. Now joining them is Lost Republic Distilling and its new blended bourbon.

The Lost Republic story, according to Caskers, is that one Matthew Weese, involved with making wine in his early career days, fancied himself a bourbon man. This interest now plays into the workings of the distillery in which he is said to take a “winemakers’ approach to making bourbon, focusing on the subtleties of flavor that are possible with quality ingredients and careful attention to detail.”

What’s resulted from this approach is the Lost Republic Bourbon, which was sourced from unnamed distilleries from three different states: Indiana, Tennessee and California. The corresponding blend, “comprised of 75% corn, 21% rye and 4% barley,” was aged for a few years in new American oak barrels before being bottled at 91 proof and released in small batches.

K&L Wine Merchants, a big spirits retailer out of California, looks to be comparing this independent bourbon bottling to the fabled Black Maple Hill releases of old. Tasting notes from Lost Republic for the whiskey say that “aromas of allspice and apple fill the nose. The palate is pervaded by flavors of caramel, banana, biscuit, cinnamon, and molasses giving way to a robust finish. Best when warming your belly near the fire.”

Price wise, expect to pay between $33 and $40 a bottle on average.