Old Elk Bourbon Press Release

Old Elk® Distillery Introduces Flagship Spirit, Old Elk Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Master Distiller Greg Metze and entrepreneur Curt Richardson collaborate to craft a smooth bourbon that transcends tradition

FORT COLLINS, COLO. (Oct. 16, 2017) – Old Elk Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a collaboration in legacy and innovation between Master Distiller Greg Metze and entrepreneur Curt Richardson (OtterBox; Blue Ocean Enterprises), is now available from Old Elk Distillery. With four times more malted barley than conventional recipes and a slow cut proofing process which allows more time for flavors to marry between proofing stages, the Old Elk Bourbon recipe transcends tradition to craft a rich, smooth bourbon.

“My passion for entrepreneurship paired with Greg Metze’s nearly four decades of experience distilling award-winning spirits led us to develop a recipe that honors tradition while innovating the process to create a distinct bourbon,” said Curt Richardson, founder of Old Elk Distillery. “Working together, our distilling team, along with Greg, tested a number of recipes and found that using four times the malted barley of conventional recipes, combined with a slow cut proofing process significantly longer than is typical, leads to an overall smoother bourbon.”

The Old Elk Bourbon recipe is a collaboration between the Old Elk Distillery team and Master Distiller Greg Metze. The partnership marks the award-winning industry veteran’s return to distilling and opens a new chapter in his long history of having a hand in some of the world’s best bourbons.

“We use traditional ingredients - malted barley, corn and rye - in an innovative, yet steadfast recipe to create a bourbon with smooth, rich flavors that act in harmony with caramel cues brought out by the charred barrels and spicy rye notes,” said Greg Metze, Master Distiller at Old Elk Distillery. “After testing a variety of proofing periods, we found that these flavors come together in a smoother bourbon when the proofing stages are longer. Instead of taking the usual 24 to 48 hours for proofing, we use a slow cut proofing process during which full-barrel proof bourbon is cut and left to rest - and we repeat this patient technique until the ideal character is achieved. It takes significantly longer than most common recipes, but taking the time to proof slowly makes all the difference.” 

To help age and blend Old Elk Bourbon, the distillery team worked with key partners to ensure the quality and consistency of the bourbon in each hand-selected Old Elk barrel.

Old Elk Bourbon (SRP $49.99), now available in Colorado, features flavors of sweet maple and a hint of chocolate, overlaid with deep wood and coconut. It offers aromas of sweet vanilla and caramel, along with clove spice and nutty almond. Its mouthfeel is smooth, with a sweet, lasting flavor. 

For more information, visit OldElk.com and connect with Old Elk at @OldElkBourbon on Instagram and Facebook, and @OldElkOfficial on Twitter.

About Old Elk Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Old Elk Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey is where legacy meets innovation. Where a master distiller with nearly four decades of bourbon under his belt collaborates with a master entrepreneur known for ingenious ventures to create a spirit that transcends tradition. The flagship spirit from Old Elk Distillery was crafted in a collaboration between entrepreneur Curt Richardson and Master Distiller Greg Metze. The smooth, rich bourbon uses a mash bill of traditional ingredients - barley, corn and rye - in an innovative recipe to create a distinct bourbon. In combining four times more malted barley than traditional recipes with a slow cut proofing process, significantly longer than is typical, this intentional time period allows the flavors to marry between stages, until the exact character is achieved, creating an overall smoother bourbon. The result is an overall smoother bourbon, in harmony with caramel cues evoked by charred barrels and spicy notes of rye. Learn more at OldElk.com.

About Old Elk Distillery

Old Elk® Distillery - named best Colorado distillery at the 2016 New York International Spirits Competition - is the distillery behind Old Elk Bourbon, Dry Town Gin, Dry Town Vodka, and Nooku Bourbon Cream. Founded by Curt and Nancy Richardson, the innovators who created OtterBox and Blue Ocean Enterprises, Old Elk Distillery follows the Richardsons’ tradition of innovation by crafting spirits unlike any others. Led by a team of experienced and passionate distillers based in Fort Collins, Colo., Old Elk prides itself on developing premium, handcrafted vodka, gin and bourbons.