Well, this isn’t really new if you follow city council or keep up with downtown happenings, but I’ve not posted here so I thought I’d wander their Facebook page and grab some facts for you. The John Emerald Distilling Company will be in operation in early 2014 with a location in the old Penn Montgomery Cotton Warehouses. From the pictures, it looks to be where Richard Patton has hosted several music shows in past month. I’ve not had a chance to chat with the owner, but look forward to getting more of the story.
Here is the proposed label for their single malt and a brief description of the spirit. John’s Alabama Single Malt Whiskey is named after the company’s name sake. The signature spirit will be a flavorful smoked single malt whiskey in a new Southern style. The barley will be smoked with there own blend of southern pecan and peach wood giving the whiskey an excellent mouth feel with refined and well-rounded smoke notes. John’s Alabama Single Malt will be matured first in new charred white oak barrels then finished with Alabama Norton wine staves to add a slight fruit finish to the spirit. A sip will reveal a slight upfront sweetness developing into vanilla notes from the oak barrel followed by a fruity finish from the wine staves while a backdrop of Alabama smoke favor binds all the favor notes together to make a true southern spirit experience.
“We think the spirit of John Emerald will reside in each and every bottle of John Emerald Single Malt. A spirit like John Emerald that’s smart, adventurous, playful and brings out the best in life.” ~ John Emerald Distilling Company, Opelika, AL
From the Archives — originally published on the Opelika Daily News on October 7, 2013. View the original page.
