One of the things most people love about whiskey is the history. There is so much history steeped into Whiskey, that it almost always crops up in a conversation about whiskey. Fables, Legends, Myths, Truths, you name it. There is always something that comes up.
So, when we stopped into Quincy Street Distilling in Riverside, Illinois, I was not expecting to find a whiskey that was built on history as much as it was. And, talking to Derrick Mancini (Founder and Owner) who is well versed in the history of the area, as well as his whiskey, well…talk about a surprise!
The distillery is small. They only have room for about 100 barrels. The tasting room / bar looks like something from the turn of the century. I half expected a soda-jerk to come out and offer me a shake. It wouldn’t have surprised me.
Usually, for a micro distillery, they only have a few expressions that they are concentrating on. However, Derrick being a scientist and a lover of cocktails, has over 20 spirits that they are making. And they keep making more. It could take 3 episodes just to cover all the spirits they are making. Luckily, we are concentrating on Whiskey so that limits us. Even then, I don’t think we covered them all.
But here’s the thing that really stuck out to me about Quincy Street Distillery. They are not marketing their whiskey as something it’s not. Meaning, Quincy Street is making turn of the century whiskey, and aging it the way it would have been aged back in 1900. They are not trying to hide or white wash what they are making.
One of the products, Bourbon Spring, is a 4 month old whiskey. Why? Because in talking to Derrick, he has some pretty good history to explain why it was likely only aged for about 4 months in the 1890’s. So the flavor profile is on purpose. It’s deliberate. As are all of his whiskey’s. To see the video short about Bourbon Spring click HERE.
Quincy Street Distillery is also doing a 100% malted Rye whiskey. It's not just a "Rye" whiskey. It's 100% Malted Rye. You can see our tasting video of this whiskey HERE. I can see why Derrick likes it.
So….if you want to try what the trappers and pioneers were likely drinking in 1900, Quincy Street has a whiskey for ya. Care to try something pre-prohibition. Quincy Street has it.
You can taste through history, and Derrick will walk you through the decades of the evolution of Whiskey. And, you get to learn some pretty cool history along the way. For instance, did you know that Peoria, Illinois was a major whiskey producer?
I’m telling ya, Derrick is a walking encyclopedia of history when it comes to the region, whiskey and the evolution of it all.
To say that we had a difficult time cutting down all the content into a workable episode is an understatement. Derrick is a storyteller, and one story just leads to another. Before you know it, you will have tasted 4 whiskeys and spent an hour.
However, don’t miss that Quincy Street also has some nicely aged whiskey. It’s not all young. There is a Bottled In Bond Bourbon, a 7 year Bourbon, and a Malted Rye. Including a 9 year Malted Rye whiskey.
Stop in to Quincy Street Distillery in Riverside, Illinois and let your taste buds decide.
Check out some of the behind the scenes pics below. The full YouTube episode can be seen HERE. You can also see our tasting of their flagship malted rye whiskey HERE. If you want to see the full unedited ShopTalk video, along with the un-edited Distillery tour and some other tasting videos along with some outtakes, hit our PATREON page and subscribe or log on if you are already a member.
Comments