Sebago Brewing Company & Liquid Riot Bottling Company Unveil Partnership Spirit

The first of its kind to be released in limited supply — will be available at six locations in southern Maine. Sebago Brewing Company and Liquid Riot Bottling Company partnered to unveil Bonfire Spirit, a 90-proof “whiskey-style” spirit made from distilling Sebago’s Bonfire Rye Ale and aged in charred oak barrels for two years.

“The idea came from a conversation three years ago with Eric Michaud,” said Kai Adams, co-founder of Sebago Brewing. “It’s been a long wait, but we’re extremely excited for people to finally try this ‘whiskey’ — it’s truly unique to Maine’s craft beer and distilling landscape.”Bonfire Spirit, which is 45 percent alcohol, looks and tastes like whiskey, but doesn’t meet the federal definition of whiskey. Distilled just once a year and barrel-aged for two, the first batch produced a total of 200 12-ounce bottles that will be available in limited supply at Sebago’s four brewpubs, Liquid Riot Bottling Company and Novare Res (both in Portland and owned by Michaud). Customers will have the opportunity to purchase this special distillate. More of the spirit will be released in August alongside Bonfire Rye Ale’s next release.

“It’s these kinds of partnerships and collaborations that make what we do fun,” said Michaud. “Much of our business has been built on collaborating and figuring out a way to make something different. The fact that we can offer this limited supply spirit to our customers is extremely rare.”

Bonfire Spirit will be available starting April 28, while supplies last. The first batch of 200 bottles is not expected to last for more than a few days.