Cheers to you, donkey.
Tamworth Distilling is located in the heart of the historic town located in New Hampshire. It boasts appearances from famous icons like Henry James to President Cleveland to E.E. Cummings.
The brand also boasts a lot of bold whiskey flavors. On the official site, Tamworth Distilling shared that its test kitchen has been the home to countless experiments over the years. The company uses a mix of materials from local farms and small botanical gardens.
Whiskey Named After Iconic Historical Donkey
It’s all incredibly homey and has an exuberant amount of small-town energy.
One of the most recent creations is called “Royal Gift.” This is a hand-crafted release that only includes a very limited 24 bottles. It’s a way for the company to continue experimenting with the bold flavor of organic rye.
There’s something else exotic about this bottle, however. Hanging from the neck of the bottle is a small keepsake charm in the shape of a donkey. So, why is there a donkey hanging out on this whiskey bottle?
It all traces back to a piece of presidential history. In December 1785, George Washington received a donkey named Royal Gift from Spain. It was a diplomatic move done during some tense times. That donkey would go on to live the good life. It lived at Washington’s Mount Vernon estate and got to mate with some pretty amazing mares throughout life.
It was a luxurious gift at the time and Tamworth Distilling wants to replicate that feeling in the form of a rye whiskey. “As a northern crop, rye offers the colder climates a flavorful cereal grain capable of making complex whiskey. Often generalized as ‘spicy’ or ‘herbal’ this class has seen a big resurgence in recent years. Where our Chocorua Rye is sort of restrained with lots of fruit and elegance, Royal Gift is more robust and vivacious, a truly special whiskey released just in time for the holidays,” the distillery owner Steven Grasse said, according to The Whiskey Wash.
So, pour one out for Washington’s donkey. It had quite the life, after all.
Turkey Whiskey for Thanksgiving
Again, Tamworth Distilling is no stranger to experimentation.
Right around Thanksgiving time, the distillery released a bottle called Bird of Courage. This is a roasted turkey-flavored whiskey. Yes, you did read that right.
The company decided to create this 5-year-old whiskey and to pop in flavors of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner while they were at it. This includes flint corn, chestnuts, apples, cranberries, kabocha squash, celery, parsley, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and even turkey are all added.
“All of the ingredients were cooked uniquely and infused into the bourbon before being distilled individually on our vacuum evaporator,” the distiller Matt Power said, according to Northshore Magazine.
All in all, it’s quite the feast to sip on.
