True Dark Rum is barrel aged, not spiced. At Cedar Ridge, we honor tradition by mellowing our twice-distilled spirits in charred oak whiskey barrels for three long years. When it comes to Dark Rum, age is beauty! Awarded a Gold Medal from the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition.
Cedar Ridge Single Malt Whiskey was first release from a mere 4 barrels and they say that each barrel has its own signature flavor (a notion we support knowing that master distillers spend a lot of time blending whiskey from different barrels to achieve a consistent product). The website goes so far as to offer different tasting notes for each barrel--each of the 4 began life in a 15 gallon (quite small) ex-bourbon barrel. Following, the four were given a separate finish in one of rum, sherry, port, and bourbon barrels. The first 3 barrels were made with 2-row barley and the last a peated barley malt (which we guess will give it a smokier, scotch-like profile). Special note: one could deem each of these separate expressions but given the small release and difficulty in assigning ratings to a given label, we have combined the release into this one entry. From the image, we believe that Barrel #1 (2-row barley grain and a finish in port barrel) was supplied to the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Cedar Ridge Winery and Distillery lays claim to the first legal distillery operating in Iowa.They craft spirits using products primarily from their own vineyard and distill from scratch in traditional Bavarian copper pot stills.
German-engineered micro-distilling technology is the heart of the Cedar Ridge distillery process. Proprietors Jeff and Laurie Quint of Swisher started distilling premium Clearheart Vodka in 2005, then added fruit liqueurs and and an even wider line of spirits. All Cedar Ridge spirits are distilled out of a European-engineered 80-gallon pot still, producing increasingly smooth, premium spirits. The fine craftsmanship of this still allows us to create superior quality liqueurs, ensuring that only the purest product makes it to the bottle. As Iowa’s first micro-distillery, we’re used to being on the leading edge. On July 1st, 2010 we launched Iowa’s first bourbon since the Prohibition era. Made from nearly 75% corn, Cedar Ridge Bourbon Whiskey is crafted in small batches for a high-quality, smooth, premium bourbon that is receiving rave reviews at tasting events across the country and selling off the shelves. Awards include “Best of Category” for the Clearheart Vodka and “Gold Medal” for the Dark Rum from the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition and a 92 point “Exceptional” rating for the Bourbon from the Beverage Testing Institute in Chicago.