‘True New York State Terroir Collaboration’: Great Jones Taps Local Winery for Cabernet Franc-Finished Whiskey Release

Great Jones collaborated with Wölffer Estate Vineyard on its latest release. (Photo: Great Jones Distilling)

On Thursday, the New York whiskey brand, Great Jones Distilling Co., announced the release of a whiskey in collaboration with Wölffer Estate Vineyard. Wölfer is a vineyard based out of the Hamptons, particularly known for its rosés. Cool Hunting reported that the brand’s latest whiskey release was the result of a partnership approximately three years in the making

Great Jones Head Distiller Celina Perez and Wölffer Estate Vineyard Winemaker Roman Roth spearheaded the project.

“This specialty release is a true New York State terroir collaboration and it has been a pleasure to work with an industry legend like Roman Roth,” Perez said in a news release. “We started with a wide range of proofs and blends and found an unspoken dialect in our shared passion to find that right flavor notes. It wasn’t just a collaboration, it was fortuitous.”

According to Great Jones, the bourbon is a blend of 4- to 7-year-old bourbon. Sixty percent of the blend was finished for over a year in the winery’s Cabernet Franc Barrique barrels. The bottle hosts a suggested retail price of $49.99 and clocks in at 88 proof.

The brand reports the whiskey was distilled from 100% local grain and was distilled and aged in the Empire State.

“The Caya is our top-of-the-line,” Wölffer Estate Vineyard Winemaker Roman Roth told Cool Hunting. “2019 was a dream vintage, maybe one of the best I’ve ever seen on Long Island in my 31 years. This is the foundation — the nutty, toasty notes.”

The whiskey was cut to an 88 proof with water from the Catskills Mountains, and Great Jones’ Head Distiller Celina Perez called the whiskey “a really harmonious blend.”

In August, Great Jones honored the New York artist, Jean Michel Basquiat, with the launch of three whiskeys and a pop-up that ran through October.

Great Jones x Wölffer Estate Cask Finished Bourbon Tasting Notes, Via the Brand

Nose: Sticky date pudding, Madagascar vanilla, kumquat and dried pepper.

Taste: Spice, fig compote, crème brûlée and corn husk.

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