Iron City releases first local bourbon

Iron City Distilling in East Deer, Pennsylvania, will begin selling its first bourbon later this month.

The Bessemer Single Barrel Bourbon will be available for purchase in the distillery gift shop on Nov. 20.

This marks the first bourbon produced at the facility since it opened in 2023.

The spirit was bottled from three specific barrels.

Iron City Distilling president Peter Katz stated that the bourbon proof ranges between 115 and 117.

Katz described the flavor profile as featuring caramel, nutmeg, vanilla, coffee grounds, and balanced oak notes.

Master distiller Matt Strickland led the project using a four-grain mash bill.

The recipe includes corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley.

Katz said the team focused on achieving a balance between grain and oak.

He noted that the final product offers a balanced set of flavors.

The distillery will host a ticketed event on the evening of Nov. 19 to mark the release.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. and include a question-and-answer session with Strickland, a tasting, and a dinner service at the facility on Ferry Street in Creighton, Pennsylvania, which is part of East Deer Township. Tickets cost $103 and are available on the company website. Katz said additional tickets will be added as the date approaches. The bourbon will remain available in the gift shop starting the day after the event. This new release follows the launch of the Bessemer Heritage Rye, which is the first spirit in the line to be sold year-round. That rye whiskey was designed to mimic pre-Prohibition Pennsylvania styles. Strickland and his team consulted historians and studied documents to recreate methods from more than a century ago. The Heritage Rye uses a mash bill of 50 percent raw rye and 50 percent malted rye. Those grains are heirloom varieties of danko and rosen grown in Pennsylvania. The spirit was distilled in pot and chamber stills to mirror 1800s techniques. It matured in new high toast, heavy char oak barrels. The entry proof was 101 to balance the wood and grain characters. Barrels rested in a steam-heated warehouse where temperatures stayed above 70 degrees. The Heritage Rye is bottled at 100 proof. It is currently sold at the gift shop and online, with plans to place it on shelves at certain Fine Wine & Good Spirits locations in the coming weeks.