When you think of Weeki Wachee the mermaids probably come to mind, right?
Well, the small Hernando County town is getting some national attention for a different reason. One word, whiskey.
At the end of a long, dirt road, nestled in the Weeki Wachee Preserve, there's some distillery magic going on. They make a fine, rye whiskey.
Kevin Goff and his wife Natalie are the owners of NJoy Spirits Distillery. Kevin made just about all of his own equipment and over the past few years he has perfected his craft. A lot of care goes into each bottle of craft whiskey.
"We fill our own bottles by hand and we label by hand," Natalie said. "We sanitize the bottles by hand, cork them, put the cap seals on. Everything, just the two of us."
All the hard work and dedication has paid off. Their Wild Buck American Rye Whiskey just won the American Distilling Institute's 2015 bronze medal. Third place out of 457 entries. It's a national award and it's a big deal.
"We were so excited," Natalie said.
They grow their own rye grain and use purified rain water.
Kevin says making the craft whiskey is a labor of love and he's hoping pretty soon everyone can enjoy it.
"I'd like to be able to walk into any liquor store, ABC or Total Wine, and see the bottle on the shelve and know that's my bottle on the shelves," Kevin said.
A local distillery with a lot of heart, that's getting some nationwide attention.
Their Wild Buck American Rye Whiskey will be hitting some store shelves in Hernando County very soon and then the plan is to expand.
9 facts about whisky you need to know
Make whisky your Mastermind chosen subject with these 9 facts that every whisky drinker should know...
- The world’s oldest whisky is over 150 years old Rumoured to have been bottled between 1851 and 1858, a 400ml bottle of Glenavon Special Liqueur Whisky holds the Guinness World Record for ‘World’s Oldest Whisky’. Owned by an Irish family for generations, the bottle was auctioned at Bonhams in London and fetched a staggering £14,850.
- Whisky – Just for the Scots? To ‘e’ or not to ‘e’, that’s the question. When it comes to spelling, only refer to Scottish / Scotch whisky without the ‘e’…if its origins are rooted elsewhere, opt for ‘whiskey’.
- Rare Macallan ‘M’ – the most expensive whisky ever sold A Lalique decanter of Macallan ‘M’ whisky scooped the prestigious title of ‘world’s most expensive whisky’ when it sold at auction in Hong Kong for £393,109 earlier this year. The luxury decanter contains 6 litres of whisky which were drawn from Spanish oak sherry casks dating from the 1940s to the 1990s.
- Whisky means ‘water of life' Whisky in Gaelic reads ‘uisge beathe’, which translates as ‘water of life’. What more do you need to know?
- Scotch whisky generates £135 a second The export of whisky generates a healthy £135 a second for the Scottish government with just under 2,500 bottles of whisky being exported from Scotland every minute.
- The Angel’s pinch 2% a year Whisky stored in barrels gradually evaporates at a rate of 2% a year. This is referred to as the famous ‘angel’s share’.
- Life begins at 40 for whisky! Scotch whisky has to be bottled at a minimum strength of 40% ABV, meaning life really does begin at 40. Some whiskies can reach strengths of over 60% ABV…always read the label.
- Three’s the magic number when it comes to whisky Scotch whisky can only be called Scotch whisky when it has been left for a minimum of three years to age in casks, in Scotland. Some distilleries hold casks of whisky which are a grand 70+ years old.
- Who invented whisky? The debate goes on… Some say the Egyptians. Others say the Romans. In truth, no one is quite sure who invited whisky however the first documented evidence of whisky in Scotland refers to Irish monks and an order of ‘eight bolls of malt to Friar John Cor to make aquavitae’ which is listed in the Scottish Exchequer Rolls of 1494.
Courtesy: WorldWhiskyDay.com