The Pot Still: Inaugural Edition
We build brands that change perception. Our distillates, distillers, home places, and stories are so distinctive that they invite you to reconsider what you think you know. Life is short. Why settle?
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
My name is Lyons Brown. I launched Altamar Brands on August 22, 2006. I left my corporate job to become an entrepreneur. A more accurate depiction is that I left my job to saddle up on a razor blade. Such is life in start ups. Why leave all that security? Why leave dental and 401-k matching contributions? Why leave a car and a travel and entertainment budget that funded visits to the coolest bars and the finest restaurants to build relationships for our brands? The short answer is I wanted to build something from scratch that is ruthlessly excellent. This is what Altamar stands for.
We stand for exceptional distillates, period. We aim for there to be zero confusion on this point across every single brand in our portfolio. We stand for “HHSF” - High Holy Shit Factor. If we can’t deliver HHSF, we won’t do it.
How do we measure this? Our friends in wine call it “complexity”. We call it flavors that go on and on. We deliver flavor bombs designed to make you say “holy shit!” and then go dead silent. Delivering complexity is very expensive. Our distilleries and our distillers are “inefficient" and we like them that way. They don’t teach inefficiency in business school but we embrace it for one simple reason: to produce complexity - to produce flavor bombs - everything must be done slowly. Anything done slowly is costly. We know there is extraordinary value in this approach and our stories are grounded in the supporting evidence.
We decided to launch this newsletter to infuse our brand stories with more energy and greater frequency. Our limited releases also demand that urgency be a part of our communications and so they shall. This will mostly be about Altamar, category education, our brands, our friends in great cities and small towns and the colorful characters that bring love and joy to the drinks business.
Life is short. Never settle.
BUILD YOUR BAR: INSIDE INFORMATION
Limited Releases (Available Now)
High N’ Wicked: Foursquare 2007 Single Grain Irish Whiskey
PROFILE
A Single Grain Irish Whiskey, originally distilled in County Cork, Ireland with a mash bill of 95% French Maize (Corn) and 5% Irish Malted Barley.
Matured first in Ex-Bourbon Barrels, and then finished for 6 months in Casks that previously held the Award Winning “Mark X 2007” Barbados Rum from Foursquare Rum Distillery in Barbados - from their “Exceptional Cask Selections” line. This produced highly expressive and complex barrels that married beautifully with this Single Grain Irish Whiskey. No Additives, and Non-Chill Filtered.
BOTTLE DETAILS
Suggested Retail Price: $79.99 (may vary by retailer)
ABV: 50% (100 Proof)
Bottles Produced: 15,000
ACCOLADES
Named “Best Single Grain Irish Whiskey” (Robb Report, 2024)
Named “Whiskey of the Year” (Cocktail Ambassadors, 2024)
98/100 Points from Tasting Panel Magazine, 2024
Available for sale on Curiada and at certain high-end retailers. Explore more on Curiada to find tasting notes, suggested serves, and production notes, or ask your favorite retailer.
Foursquare Rum: “Equipoise” Exceptional Cask Selection Mark XXV
PROFILE
Equipoise: “A State of Balance”
A 14 year, Double-Maturation Single Blended Rum, consisting of both Artisanal Pot and Traditional Twin Column Coffey distilled molasses rums. Aged first for 10 years in Ex-Bourbon Barrels, then 4 additional years in Ex-Calvados Casks.
No color. No sugar. No filtration. No flavor additives. Authentic Barbados Rum.
BOTTLE DETAILS
Suggested Retail Price: $159.99 (may vary by retailer)
ABV: 60% (120 Proof)
Bottles Produced: 3,900
ACCOLADES
Named “#1 Rum in the World by IWSC” with a score of 99/100 (Forbes, 6/18/24)
Available for sale on Curiada and at certain high-end retailers. Explore more on Curiada to find tasting notes, suggested serves, and production notes, or ask your favorite retailer.
Imminent Release (Arriving Next 30 Days)
Foursquare Rum: “Magisterium” Exceptional Cask Selection XXVI
PROFILE
Magisterium: “Mastery”
A blend of three distinct 16 Year Single Blended Rums, distilled in the copper Double-Retort Pot Still and the Continuous Twin Column Coffey Still of Foursquare. Two of the rums were double maturations, one aging 3 years in Ex-Bourbon Casks, then 13 additional years in Ex-Oloroso Sherry Barrels - the other aging 9 years in Ex-Bourbon followed by 7 years in Ex-Oloroso Sherry. The last was a Single Blended Rum matured entirely in Ex-Bourbon Casks for 16 years.
No color. No sugar. No filtration. No flavor additives. Authentic Barbados Rum.
Releasing the week of September 9th.
BOTTLE DETAILS
Suggested Retail Price: $159.99 (may vary by retailer)
ABV: 58% (116 Proof)
Bottles Produced: 4,200
PRESS RELEASE: ALTAMAR IN THE NEWS
Men’s Journal: Lagrimas Plata named “Best Craft Sipping Tequila” of 2024 (8/9/24)
“Lagrimas del Valle is a craft brand concerned with the terroir of tequila. Its expressions celebrate the distinct tonalities of a single agave ranch. In fact, each release is a vintage harvested from one specific field of the plant. This particular Lagrimas de Valle Plata sings soulfully with a true sense of place. It's mineral-forward, with slate, clay, and a tinge of metallic zing that struts along the sides of the mouth. Then, out of nowhere, a touch of tropical fruit flexes its muscles. It all makes for one memorable sip.” - Brad Japhe and G. Clay Whittaker (Men’s Journal)
Read the full article here. Lagrimas De Valle is available for sale on Curiada and Passion Spirits.
Forbes: “Break Up with Bourbon & Try Acclaimed Rum Instead” (4/30/24)
“Collectible rum deserves consideration among bourbon and whisky lovers. Rum is beginning to make waves the way small batch tequila did many moons ago—and the hottest rums in the market now are arguably the expressions from Altamar Brand’s Foursquare Rum Distillery. Brandon Cummins, Altamar’s director of education, has witnessed the product’s skyrocketing popularity. “The first three releases we had, in 2015 and 2016, took nearly three years to sell through and now we are selling an entire release before the container touches customs. It’s all pre-sold before it lands.”…The critical acclaim is there too. Foursquare’s wins include the 2021 IWSC Outstanding Spirits Producer, and *ISC Rum Producer of the Year six years running.” - Katie Kelly Bell (Forbes)
*Foursquare has been named Rum Producer of Year nine years running (2016-2024)
Read the full article here. Foursquare Rum is available for sale on Curiada and Passion Spirits.
Men’s Journal: “5 New Bourbon Brands You Need to Know” (3/5/23)
“Unlike many whiskeys, High N’ Wicked Kentucky Straight Bourbon is made using the sweet mash method instead of sour mash. Simply put, sour mash utilizes the backset (some of the leftovers from a previous distillation) to produce the whiskey, while sweet mash starts fresh with every distillation. The difference, according to the brand, is in the flavor. Aged for a minimum of five years at an undisclosed distillery in Kentucky, the whiskey comes in 104-proof and cask-strength versions.” - Jonah Flicker (Men’s Journal)
Read the full article from here. High N’ Wicked Kentucky Straight Bourbon is available for sale on Passion Spirits.
See more reviews on High N’ Wicked Kentucky Straight Bourbon:
95/100 Points from Wine Enthusiast - “Superb. A great achievement.”
90/100 Points from Ultimate Spirits Challenge - “Excellent, highly recommend.”
BRANDON’S EDUCATION CORNER
Brandon Cummins is the Director of Education for Altamar Brands and the Director of Barrel Projects for High n’ Wicked. He is a gifted bartender, story teller, and blender. He will be featured regularly in our newsletter.
Use of Additives in Spirits Production (view below or on Instagram Reels)
You can follow Brandon on Instagram for a more steady stream of spirits knowledge.
EVENTS
The Horseshoe Music Festival - Jackson Hole, WY (Aug. 30th - Sept. 1st, 2024)
“Join us once again this Labor Day weekend at The Virginian in stunning Jackson Hole, WY for a completely unique festival experience that celebrates art in music, fashion, culinary & wellness.”
Experience the High N’ Wicked Gambler’s Lounge for exclusive tastings of both existing and unreleased expressions.
Tasting Events with Brandon Cummins
KY Bourbon Festival - Bardstown, KY (Sept. 9th - 15th, 2024)
Boston Rum Week - Boston, MA (Sept. 16th - 22nd, 2024)
JOIN THE ALTAMAR FAMILY
Find Altamar Products: Altamar distillates can be found on Passion Spirits and Curiada. Due to limited releases, please check both online retailers for specific products.
Follow Altamar Brands on Instagram and X.
Engage with Altamar: Message us with inquiries about your closest Altamar retailer, tasting events with Brandon, or general questions about our distillates.
Grow The Pot Still: We’re excited to share our stories, and yours, with the world.
Get your Altamar Merch: Coming Soon…
Wonderful. #beverageindustry #winning
This is great stuff! Good work team - looking forward to continued reading!