sourcing spirits A LOOK AT THE PRACTICE, BENEFITS, AND THE NECESSITY OF TRUTH IN LABELING
WRITTEN
s
BY
CHRIS
LOZIER
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PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
AMANDA
JOY
CHRISTENSEN
ourcing spirits from large beverage alcohol producers
were looking for at MGP, and began working closely with them
has been and continues to be a common practice in
to produce the base for their vodka and their Temperance Trader
the distilling industry for large and small labels, alike. While misleading advertising about a spirit’s production is receiving
bourbon line. “MGP was a great fit for Bull Run for a few key reasons,”
a lot of ridicule, as it should, there are potentially reasonable
explains Bernards. “They had ample inventory of appropriately
benefits to transparent sourcing for both the distiller and the
aged spirits (3-8 years old), they had blends that were of high
consumer.
quality and were unique, and they were willing to work with us on
Distillers and bottlers are able to work in different capacities
our own mash-bills going forward. We invest time at MGP to work
with large-scale alcohol producers. For many vodka, gin and
on our bourbon and our peers at MGP have been to our place
liqueur distillers, sampling several different offerings from a few
to see our production processes - the level of collaboration is
Neutral Grain Spirit (NGS) producers will often suffice to select amazing. While we’re not distilling our Temperance Trader line the spirit base for their product because they are going to alter it
through our stills, the relationship we have with MGP allows us
further at their distillery.
to be involved virtually every step of the way.”
For whiskey distillers and bottlers, a good relationship needs
MGP was founded in 1941, employs 290 people, and vice
to go farther than that. Patrick Bernards of Bull Run Distilling
president of alcohol sales and marketing David Dykstra says they
in Portland, Oregon, says he and co-owner Lee Medoff requested
are one of America’s top multi-line producers. They make white
samples from all of the whiskey producers they could find, tasting
spirits at their Atchison, Kansas plant and brown spirits, including
and comparing the products until they found some they would
bourbons and other whiskeys, along with white spirits, at their
be proud to put their label on. Eventually they found what they
Lawrenceburg, Indiana plant, formerly owned by Seagrams and
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