Le Claire, Iowa, April 30, 2012 - Fans and whiskey enthusiasts will soon be able to find another Mississippi River Distilling Company whiskey on store shelves. Queen Bee Honey Whiskey will be released for sale this Friday, May 4. This is a corn whiskey infused with fresh honey from beekeepers near Preston, Iowa, just 30 miles north of the distillery. The use of fresh honey is unique says owner and distiller Ryan Burchett.
"There are several honey whiskey products on the market, but if you look closely at the label you'll see that they are actually labeled as liqueurs and not whiskeys," Burchett comments. "That's because once you add sugar to a product, you can't call it whiskey anymore. Queen Bee is whiskey with real honey added to it, nothing else, which provides a nice smooth sweetness without overwhelming the palate."
Queen Bee Honey Whiskey is the latest seasonal product to be released by MRDC. Each seasonal product is a limited bottling, usually 3,000 - 4,000 375-ml bottles total available for distribution. The idea behind each seasonal spirit is to bring some unique products to the market and also partner with other local businesses to incorporate new local ingredients.
The distillery is limiting production to 6,000 bottles of Queen Bee Honey Whiskey. "It's our biggest seasonal yet," said owner and distiller Garrett Burchett. "We did 3,200 bottles of our seasonal rye whiskey in February and distributors were sold out in six weeks. We're making a little more of this one, so hopefully it will last a bit longer."
Friday, May 4 will also be MRDC's "First Friday" with a Cinco de Mayo celebration from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The First Friday feature event is a free open house and May marks the one year anniversary of these monthly evening socials. Chef Stephanie is preparing a honey mustard sauce with the new Queen Bee Honey Whiskey and celebration the fiesta night with fried bananas. The bar will feature a couple different kinds of margaritas prepared with River Baron Artisan Spirit and River Rose Gin.
