Rusty Bucket Restaurant & Tavern announced it is now offering two exclusive bourbons, Woodford Reserve Personal Selection Gary’s Blend No. 14 and Old Forester Single Barrel, at all locations in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Colorado and Florida.

“A great bar is the heart of any tavern, which is why we’re excited to partner with two of the top bourbon distilleries to offer our guests an unparalleled experience,” says Gary Callicoat, president, Rusty Bucket Restaurant & Tavern. “Each one of these barrels is a private selection and is truly unique. Once the barrel is empty – that’s it. It can never be re-created.”

Woodford Reserve Personal Selection Gary’s Blend No. 14

Callicoat’s love and appreciation for the craft of bourbon led him to a partnership with Woodford Reserve’s Master Distiller Chris Morris called the Woodford Reserve Personal Selection. Rusty Bucket’s leadership team has visited the Woodford Reserve distillery twice every year since 2010 to create custom blend bourbon barrels that are exclusively served at Rusty Bucket locations.

This is the 14th exclusive blend that has been created with Woodford Reserve. The bourbon is a full-bodied barrel, full of caramel, vanilla, dark chocolate, and hints of baking spice.

Old Forester Single Barrel

To carefully select the Old Forester Single Barrel, Callicoat and team traveled to Kentucky in fall 2018. They tasted from three different barrels of Old Forester, each with a distinctive character to make their final selections.

While Old Forester has the same grain combination as Woodford Reserve, the grain is sourced from different farms, Old Forester is distilled in 100% column stills, and Old Forester’s yeast strain is a historic strain which differs from Woodford. Finally, the Old Forester spirit enters the barrel at a different proof, and the barrels which age Old Forester are uniquely crafted to provide a different flavor experience.

Brown-Forman is proud to be the only distilled spirits company to own their very own cooperage and is able to make 100% of their barrels themselves. Brown-Forman is able to carefully handcraft the vehicle which creates 100 percent of a bourbon’s color and 60 percent of its flavor. “The unique spirit offerings, large selection of craft and local beer, and the fresh, hand-crafted cocktails are what sets Rusty Bucket apart from others,” says Ryan Valentine, director of beverage, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, a sister company of Rusty Bucket. “Our partnership with Woodford Reserve and Old Forester will continue to an exclusive experience to our guests as we create our own custom blend of whiskey.”

Rusty Bucket has an award-winning beverage program. In 2017, Rusty Bucket was honored with two VIBE Vista Awards in the Multi-Unit Chain segment in two categories: Best Sprits and Best Overall program.

Rusty Bucket is an ideal neighborhood gathering place to enjoy happy hour or a night out with friends and family. Happy hour is available Monday-Friday from 3-6 p.m. In addition to its daily drink features, which includes Whiskey Wednesday, the Bucket offers $1 off all beer, wine and cocktails. Guests can also enjoy half-priced artisan pizzas and appetizers and $5 Juicy Lucy Burgers.