‘This is Not a Celebrity Play’: Actor William H. Macy Teamed Up With His Next-Door Neighbor to Release a Bottled-In-Bond Rye Whiskey
Actor William H. Macy teamed up with Colorado-based Woody Creek Distillers to release a bottled-in-bond 10-year-old rye. (Photo: AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)
On Monday, Rolling Stone reported that William H. Macy and Woody Creek Distillers have joined forces to release a 10-year-old, Bottled in Bond rye whiskey. Yet, according to the Colorado-based brand and the “Shameless” actor, this whiskey is different from most celebrity whiskeys.
William H. Macy Reserve Straight Rye is a 10-year-old bottled-in-bond whiskey that hosts a mashbill of 80% rye and 20% malted barley. Macy chose the whiskey from eight barrels, according to The Spirits Business, and the rye whiskey is the distiller’s inaugural bottled-in-bond expression.
The “Fargo” star purchased the childhood home of his wife, Felicity Huffman, in Colorado and rebuilt it from the ground up. The home was in the Woody Creek area in Colorado, and Macy and Huffman turned out to be next-door neighbors with Woody Creek Distillers.
The Spirits Business reported that the Macy let the distillery use his land to grow potatoes for vodka and gin.
“This is not a celebrity play, a hired gun,” Woody Creek Distillery Founder Mark Kleckner said according to The Spirits Business. “Bill’s been my neighbor up in Woody Creek since we founded the distillery. We’ve grown potatoes on his land for our vodka and gin. And the guy is a whiskey aficionado. He’s had a passion, the same passion we have.”
In a market increasingly oversaturated with “celebrity whiskeys” — there seems to be a new one popping up every week — Macy’s story is admittedly a refreshing one.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Macy told the outlet he’s always been “fascinated about alcohol and the history of it.” Macy caught the booze bug after witnessing his parents drinking Canadian rye with water, which personalized alcohol for him.
William H. Macy hangs out in Woody Creek Distillers’ taproom. (Photo: Woody Creek Distillers/Instagram)
The actor grew up in the South and developed a palate for bourbon. As he aged, he “had a love affair,” with Scotch according to Rolling Stone.
William H. Macy Reserve Straight Rye hosts a percentage of 50% ABV and a suggested retail price of $200. Those interested in picking up a bottle can purchase it online or at specialized California and Colorado retailers. As of December 1, William H. Macy Reserve Straight Rye will be available for purchase in New York.
According to Spirits Business, the whiskey was designed to Macy’s palate. It is gentler, sweeter and hosts some peppery notes.
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