BLANCO, TEXAS (PRWEB) – Milam & Greene Whiskey was recognized as a producer of the finest whiskies in the world with two Double Gold medals bestowed by the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Milam & Greene Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Casks won a Double Gold in its first year on the market, and Ben Milam Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon has been recognized with a Gold or Double Gold medal for three years in a row.
e 20th annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition is the world’s largest competition of its kind, with almost 3,000 entries and judges from all over the world. The 51 judges of the 2020 Competition are well known spirits-industry experts who evaluate entries in blind tasting formats. The Double Gold designation is awarded when every judge on the panel declares the entry as a Gold Medal winner. Only a very select few of the finest products in the world ever earn this recognition.
“The San Francisco World Spirits Competition is considered to be the most influential spirits competition in the world and is a clear endorsement for whiskey drinkers to know that our bourbon and rye are among the best on the shelves today,” says Heather Greene, CEO and master blender of Provision Spirits, makers of Milam & Greene Whiskey and Ben Milam Whiskey. “We believe that our combined 58-years of whiskey-making among us and innovative approach in the independent whiskey space creates some of the finest American Whiskeys available.”
The Milam & Greene Whiskey team distills both in their hometown of Blanco, Texas and in master distiller Marlene Holmes’s home state of Kentucky. Milam & Greene Whiskey casks, grains and people come from all over America. In addition to distilling on-site and off site, the team blends, batches, sources, finishes, and hand-bottles. In 2020, the team will be sending casks to various parts of the US to study the effects of U.S. geography on whiskey. The team plans to sell its award-winning bottles across the nation in the coming months.
“We think of Milam and Greene as a truly American Whiskey experience strengthened by our renegade Texas heart,” says master distiller, Marlene Holmes.
The Blanco, Texas based Milam & Greene Whiskey distillery has currently turned its attention to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic by producing hand sanitizer for the healthcare community and first responders. In addition, it is supporting local charities and providing assistance to service industry employees directly impacted by the closure of bars and restaurants.
About the Whiskies
- Milam & Greene Port Finished Straight Rye Whiskey is a gorgeous ruby colored whiskey with luscious aromas of cinnamon, chocolate, and dark fruits such as black currants and blackberries. Robust flavors are carried in a rich, velvety whiskey with a long warm finish. Casks are brought from Indiana to Texas where they are first batched in the Blanco rickhouse and then finished in old Port wine casks from Portugal. The casks are meticulously curated, vatted for consistency, and monitored for flavor. The Texan sun and varied humidity levels influence the rate and strength of flavor imparted into the 94-proof whiskey, making this a tricky whiskey to produce.
- The Ben Milam Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon is an expertly batched combination of aged Tennessee whiskeys that sparkle with notes of toffee, candied nuts, oak, and baking spices. It is a rich and complex Bourbon bottled at cask strength, 114.6 proof, allowing whiskey fans an opportunity to play with water and ice to find the perfect balance for their palates.
Pricing and Availability
Milam & Greene Whiskey is soon to be distributed nationally and is currently distributed statewide in Texas at the finest liquor stores and at the distillery itself. Milam & Greene Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Casks retails for a suggested retail price of $47.99, while the Ben Milam Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon is available for a suggested retail price of $79.99. Find the nearest retailer with https://milamandgreenewhiskey.com/find-our-whiskies/.
About Provision Spirits
Provisions Spirits was founded in 2017 and produces both the flagship brand of Milam & Greene Whiskey and Ben Milam Whiskey. The distillery is led by an all-star team of whiskey experts with more than 58 years of American whiskey making experience including CEO, partner and master blender, Heather Greene, veteran Kentucky master distiller Marlene Holmes and chief brewer Jordan Osborne. Provision Spirits Milam & Greene is named for the partnership formed between Texas entrepreneur Marsha Milam and whiskey expert Heather Greene. Provision Spirits believes brilliance in independent whiskey making requires the integration of the highest quality distilling, aging, blending, batching, proofing, sourcing, finishing and bottling practices to achieve complexity and balance to please the most demanding palate. For more information visit: http://www.milamandgreenewhiskey.com.
This is the first BRIT/FIVS co-branded and co-managed competition since the event began in 2010. The new partnership engages FIVS’s global membership of regional wine associations, wine producers and distributors to support and promote the competition.
“Last year’s inaugural event was such a success that we outgrew our venue – so we’re hosting this year’s Festival at the much larger Star Hill Ranch outside of Bee Cave, Texas,” said event co-founder Jake Clements. “This amazing venue is a classic old west town that’s served as a set for Hollywood films, and its main street and many air-conditioned buildings provide the perfect setting for the food, music, and of course the whiskey that we’ll present and share with all in attendance.”
Freeman topped an impressive field of 25 other competitors in a rigorous three-part wine examination involving service, blind tasting and theory. An elite panel of Master Sommelier judges named Freeman the 2018 TEXSOM Best Sommelier at a ceremony on Monday evening. The competition is a traditional part of TEXSOM. To participate, candidates must be a current resident of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, or Texas and must not have passed the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Advanced Sommelier Examination or won the competition previously.
AVV is one of an elite group of wineries recognized as a Bay Area Green Business. They became a member of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program in 2006 and achieved vineyard certification in 2014. AVV bottled their first wine produced from organic certified grapes in 2008, today the family organically farms over 30 acres and offers two wines from 100% California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) grapes. A second family vineyard will receive CCOF certification in June 2018. Other AVV sustainable initiatives include solar arrays that supply about half of the winery’s power; cover crop plantings to minimize pesticide use and control erosion; drip irrigation for precise water management; 25,000 square feet of underground, naturally cooled caves that reduce the winery’s carbon footprint; and installation of variable speed drives on all winery equipment to decrease energy waste.
The following is a timeline with corresponding entry fees:
Whiskies are judged on a 100-point basis with a concentration on appearance, aromatics, flavor, mouthfeel and finish. Blind judging was performed by a panel of eighteen Texas tastemakers who are all influential figures in the state’s beverage industry. The panel included: David “Bart” Bartlett – Whisky Guru at Beverage World; Jeff Boley – Beverage Manager Townsend; Jeramy Campbell – Assistant Manager Seven Grand Whisky Bar; Carly Dunavant – Bartender; Aisling Gammill – Lead Bartender Whisler’s; Dennis Gobis – Co-Owner The Roosevelt Room and Eleanor; Mike Groener – CEO Genius Liquids; Jennifer Keyser – Beverage Director Holy Roller; Justin Lavenue – Co-owner The Roosevelt Room and Eleanor; Lana Lindsley – Bulleit Whiskey Ambassador; David Maguire – Co-owner The Austin Shaker; John McEntire – Spirits Consultant Twin Liquors; Florian Minier – Bartender Small Victory; Adrian Montanez – Manager Twin Liquors; Purav Patel – Owner Village Liquors; Mike Raymond – Owner Reserve 101; Ken Seeber – Spirits Consultant Twin Liquors; Kevin Stein – Regional Manager Twin Liquors
Leading the culinary team is celebrated 