We’re creating a genuine,
welcoming drinking experience.
The Distilling Process
Distillation is a process of guidance and recommendations from start to finish. We make careful selections of our sugar sources, alter mash temperatures and control fermentation time, alter the distillation path, and choose what goes into which barrels for how long all with the goal of creating delicious spirits. But all of these efforts are merely suggestions to the final spirit. During the aging process the weather, wood, and spirits all interact in ways that are beyond our direct control. Thus it falls to us to decide when the aging has completed and the best way to present the end spirit whether it will be blended, single barrel, and what proof works best for the spirit.
Most of our work prior to distillation is done in conjunction with The Blufftop at Rocheport as their grapes provide much of the sugar sources we need to distill our brandies. During the growing and harvesting of the grapes the winery takes extra care to create a wine that yields the highest quality brandy we can create. Most of the brandy we make is distilled from Vidal Blanc and Vignole grapes which create unique flavor profiles as they go through distillation.
Our still is a modular set up. It can run as a pot still to create more complex spirits, as a hybrid still to create spirits that are smooth and mellow with strong aromatic highlights, or as a column still to create high proof spirits with a clean nose and neutral flavor profile. Any combination of these configurations can be used to create spirits that will be aged for at least four years.
Through collaboration and collection we have a wide array of barrels. During selection of which spirits go into which barrels we consider where the wood came from, what was in the barrel before, how old the barrel is, and if they’re a good candidate for rejuvenation before filling. Once they’re filled we step back and let nature take its course, testing samples periodically to ensure all the work we put in before filling is helping to create a spirit we can be proud of.
Once the aging is done we evaluate the spirits for aroma, flavor, color, and texture. During this evaluation we also make decisions on if we want them to be single barrel or part of a blend and at what proof the spirit is at its best.
The RDC Story
In 2023, a distillery north of Rocheport was destroyed in a fire, leaving the future of its surviving whiskey uncertain. At the same time, The Blufftop at Rocheport was reinvesting in Rocheport Distilling Co., setting the stage for a new era.
RDC acquired the barrels that survived the fire, and these rare casks are now being released as the Reclamation Series. Our distiller has handcrafted our gins inspired by native botanicals, and we look forward to introducing new spirits in the coming years as this next chapter unfolds.
