West Virginia Fruit and Berry Launches 304 Mountain Bourbon to Celebrate Company's 25th Anniversary
By Trina Runner on August 17, 2020
The traditional gift for a 25thAnniversary is silver. For West Virginia Fruit and Berry, however, the hue is noticeably deeper: blackberry, to be exact.
What began as a berry-growing venture in 1995 has grown from offering preserves, jams, jellies and fruit butters to offering fruit wines for their 20thanniversary five years ago. Owners Becky and Bob Titchenal have now uncorked a barrel for their latest offering: 304 Mountain Blackberry Bourbon.
The bourbon is the first of three new creations, recently uncasked and bottled by the West Virginia Fruit and Berry owners. It will be released exclusively in West Virginia on Sept. 1, launching National Bourbon Heritage Month.
The Titchenals credit the blackberry for much of their business success. Reminiscent of many patron’s experience of picking them fresh off the bush, they are even rallying to make it the official state berry of West Virginia. By launching their first bourbon with blackberry extract, they are offering a unique bourbon aged right here in Bridgeport. With their son, Justyn, as the new Director of Operations, the family-owned business continues to expand its product line.
Unlike many artificially flavored whiskeys, 304 Mountain Blackberry Bourbon is a custom of 80 percent corn, 20 percent rye mash bill, aged four years in new American charred-oak barrels and infused with natural blackberry extract. The inaugural tasting will be at Rocko's Liquors in Bridgeport soon, but in the meantime, Fruit and Berry and Bourbon fans can pre-order the first release of fewer than 3,200 bottles through their local spirits retailers.
For a quarter of a century, the Titchenals have been known for harnessing local harvests to put into their product line that now includes 11 types of fruit perserves, four types of fruit butters, three flavors of jalapeno jams, five juice-sweetened preserves, and four flavors of wine, all available on their website, www.wvfruitandberry.com.
The new 304 Mountain Blackberry Bourbon will be the first of the new offerings to be launched, soon to be followed by 304 Rye Whiskey and 304 Heritage Bourbon.
The website also offers recipes using the wide range of West Virginia Fruit and Berry products and includes links for gift cards and gift boxes for friends and family out of the area. Additionally, the YouTube link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=Yr3svVdAvL4&feature=emb_title, showcases the bourbon launch and embraces the heritage of the company.
Leave a Comment
Log in or create an account to post a comment.