Blue Run Spirits is a relatively new whiskey brand that’s already made quite a splash. Even for collectors, their ryes and high-rye bourbons get snatched up rather quickly.
So quickly, in fact, that you may only have minutes to get their latest release: Blue Run Golden Rye Whiskey Batch 2, which goes on sale today at 3 p.m. online and in some select domestic retailers and is expected to sell out in minutes, as the company claims.
Per Beverage Dynamics, this is a contract distilled whiskey (via Kentucky’s Bardstown Bourbon Company) that’s taken from 102 barrels and is 95 proof. And it’ll certainly be worth more than $100 MSRP if you find it on the secondary market (online, it’s $110).
So, who and what is Blue Run? Formed in 2020, the company touts itself as “a new kind of spirits company, creating a unique luxury proposition by tapping into the deep heritage and craft that makes a truly great whiskey, then elevating it through a modern design and marketing lens to reach a younger, broader and more diverse whiskey drinker. The company’s founders include a Nike designer, the first director-level employee at Facebook, a hospitality executive, a political advisor, and a philanthropist.”
They’ve certainly have racked up awards: Blue Run 14-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon grabbed a Double Gold and Best Small Batch award at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and their spring 2021 release, Blue Run 13.5-Year-Old Single Barrel Bourbon, was awarded Best Single Barrel Bourbon – 11 Years & Older at the SFWSC.
Besides awards and marketing prowess, there’s also a real pedigree here: The company’s Liquid Advisor is Bourbon Hall of Famer Jim Rutledge (formerly of Four Roses). And earlier this year, Blue Run hired Shaylyn Gammon, formerly of Wild Turkey/Campari Group, as its first Whiskey Director.
If you want to try the second batch of Blue Run’s inaugural rye release, it’ll be available online today, July 20, at 3 p.m. here.
Every Thursday, our resident experts see to it that you’re up to date on the latest from the world of drinks. Trend reports, bottle reviews, cocktail recipes and more. Sign up for THE SPILL now.