Tenmile Distillery ‘Battle of Ridgefield’ American Single Malt

Limited edition small batch American single malt whisky produced by Tenmile Distillery in Wassaic, New York. The eleventh release in Tenmile’s Revolutionary Series, celebrating the semiquincentennial of the United States.

100% unpeated, floor-malted New York State barley sourced from Hudson Valley Malt in Germantown, New York. Water for production comes from a well on the Tenmile property. Fermented for 7 days in a temperature-controlled closed-top stainless steel fermenter. Twice distilled in Forsyths copper pot stills.

Aged for 5 years in 53-gallon ex-bourbon barrels. 1200 bottles produced.

Brand Tasting Notes: A pretty whiff of vanilla opens, followed by coconut, an enticing impression of candied orange, and a fresh slice of red apple. Easygoing on the palate, with stewed plums, some darker figgy notes, and the satisfying chewiness of grain leading to a fine impression of clove, a whiff of buttery pastry crust, and lingering, mildly spicy finish.

By no means an unqualified success, the battle of Ridgefield (the cannonball on the label is lodged still in a post at the Keeler Tavern) nonetheless galvanized local sentiment in western Connecticut, winning over the hearts and minds of the citizens who lived on what was then the frontier of the fledgling nation. For the inhabitants of the Oblong Valley in New York (up until 1731, owing to a disputed land survey, this strip of land was considered part of Connecticut), this was a neighborhood contest, amplified by the fact that the storage depot the British came to destroy supplied American troops operating in the Hudson Valley. This history still feels alive in the hills surrounding Tenmile’s home, and the distillery commemorates it with a transition in its own development: fully maturing a whisky in a 53-gallon ex-bourbon barrel.