Sons of Liberty Spirits Co. Wins “Best Flavored Whiskey” in World Whiskies Awards
25 Mar 2014 --- Sons of Liberty craft distillery located in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, has brought home the most prestigious award a craft distillery can receive from this year’s World Whiskies Awards in London, England.
Sons of Liberty Founder, Mike Reppucci, accepted a “World’s Best” award on Thursday, March 20th in the category of “Best Flavored Whiskey” for its seasonal Pumpkin Spice release at this year’s annual awards presented by Whisky magazine.
First held in 2007, the World Whiskies Awards are Whisky Magazine’s product awards searching for the very best whiskies in the world. This year’s competition saw more than 350 whiskies put through their paces during three rounds of rigorous tastings to win the coveted titles of “World’s Best.” Only 10 “World’s Best” awards were given out.
“A little known fact, even among regular whiskey drinkers, is that all whiskey starts as beer,” says Sons of Liberty Founder Mike Reppucci. “For years, craft brewers have been producing outstanding seasonal brews, and we saw the opportunity to advance the trend to American craft whiskey.”
Exuding a true pumpkin flavor lacking the sugary, saccharin taste common to flavored spirits, Pumpkin Spice is aged in American Oak barrels and each batch is infused with over 2,500lbs of fire roasted, locally grown pumpkins and a toasty mix of seasonal New England flavor. Pumpkin Spice comes on the heels of Sons of Liberty’s Summer Release – Hop Flavored Whiskey, quenching a craft lovers summertime thirst with light, citrusy notes of lemon and grapefruit, born from a traditionally brewed IPA.
“We founded Sons of Liberty to redefine American craft whiskey from a corn-based bourbon to complex whiskies distilled from flavorful beers,” says Reppucci. “It is a tremendous honor to receive the ultimate recognition for our efforts with this year’s “World’s Best” award, not only for us, but for everyone who helped make this whiskey. From grains to bottle and all the pumpkins in between, so many Rhode Islanders are part of this win.”
Sons of Liberty’s Pumpkin Spice will be available again this fall in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
An Ivy League college graduate of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, Reppucci became accustomed to drinking high-end Scotch while attending London Business School and was inspired to create something as drinkable in the U.S. with a uniquely American flavor. Reppucci has spent the past 5 years changing the question from “Why can’t America make great craft whiskey?” to “What took so long?”
