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CRAFT
This week featuring • Old World Spirits

Wine, Views, Good Compay; Weddings and Events.
2 CRAFT WINTER 2017

contents
5 Barrel Aged Gin?
page 2
7. THE GREEN FAIRY
8 IT’S NOT QUITE YOUR
page 12
GRANDMOTHER’S LIQUOR
9 MAKING A WHISKEY
page 18 page 10
LIKE AN EAU DE VIE
10-11 Tour of the STill
page 24
12 The gang all together
WINTER 2017 CRAFT 3

welcome to the
New STyle
of
BLADE
GIN
4 CRAFT WINTER 2017
An upclose look at the raw Blade mix. The dozens of spices coating the juniper berries and
what citrus are dried have remained a secret for all 8 years of it’s distribution.

Blade Gin and Rusty
Blade, the barrelaged
brother, are the
pride and joy of Old
World’s Master-Distiller
Davorin Kuchan; earning
90 and 93 points, respectively.
Blade’s bold
fruit forward flavor with
hints of ginger, cilantro
and black cardamom accompanying
the juniper
gained a Gold Medal at
the San Francisco World
Spirits Competition.
Rusty Blade with a
warm, caramel flavor
will forever be renowned
amongst spirit makers as
the first barrel-aged gin
allowed to be sold in the
United States and in this
writer’s experience the
best.
The juniper and citrus
notes already present
in the Blade gin became
aromas of baking spice and
cloves, with hints of vanilla
and a rounded flavors of the
holiday season, and just in
time! The result is so good
we’re not sure if we want to
sip it or mix it, or both simultaneously
Blade Gin Cocktails:
Basil Gin Gimlet
5
-10
Muddle basil leaves.
fresh basil leaves
1
.5 oz. Blade Gin
3
/4 oz. Lime juice
1
/2 oz. Agave Syrup
oz BLADE Gin
1
/2 oz Maraschino Liqueur
1
/2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1
/4 oz Creme De Violet
oz Rusty Blade Gin
1
/2 oz sweet vermouth
2-3 dashes of OWS Bitters.
oz Rusty Blade Gin
Strain.
1
oz OWS Pelinkovac*
1
oz sweet vermouth
1
/2 oz Noccino
with Campari if not available
Blade Aviation
2
Rusty Blade Cocktails:
Rusty Manhattan
2
Rusty Negroni
1
*
replace
Add the gin, lime and Agave.
Fill the shaker with ice, stir for 10
seconds. Strain. Garnish with basil.
Pour into pint glass, add ice.
Stir with cocktail spoon.
Strain. Garnish with Black
Maraschino cherry.
Pour into pint glass, add ice.
Stir with cocktail spoon.
Strain.
Pour into pint glass, add ice.
Stir with cocktail spoon.
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6 CRAFT WINTER 2017
DAMN.

A. The Green Fairy, drawn by Maya Kuchan for her father’s new absinthe, when she was only
12 years old. He loved it so much he made it the logo and for 10 years it’s stayed the logo.
B. Dried wormwood
C. Star Anise
WINTER 2017 CRAFT 7

Its not quite
Your Grandmother’s
Liquor.
The story of the Kuchan
Nocino black walnut liquor
begins in Croatia in
the early 1970s when a 5
year old future Master Distiller
Davorin Kuchan’s
Grandmother would let him
try a small amount of her
walnut liquor with his dessert.
Using the still pictured
above she would use
up any extra walnuts that
fell to prevent waste and
made black walnut liquor
for the
family to
enjoy.
F ortyyears
later a much older Davorin
is giving his uncle a taste
of the walnut liquor he
made in America,
“Ehh, it’s pretty good
but it’s not quite your
grandmothers”
Well a year and a half later
Davorin made a bunch
of different recipes trying
to nail down what could
have been her secret. He
came back to Croatia with
a new batch one he really
thought he nailed and his
uncle said,
“Ehh, it’s pretty good
but it’s not quite your
grandmothers”
Davorin thought his uncle
was just leading him on
because he wanted to see
him every year. However,
two years later he used
agave as a sugar, which
lead to a much smoother
product. It’s similar
to the thick molasses
sugar basses his
grandmother would
use but much purer.
This time his uncle
said,
“Hmm, that’s
pretty good”
The rest is history.
8 CRAFT WINTER 2017

Why work with
100% Rye?
In Lawrenceburg,
Indiana there is a
distillery known
locally as LDI
(Lawrenceburg
Distillers Indiana)
owned by
a company that
goes by the name
of Midwest Grain
Products (MGP).
They produce a
rye whiskey of
two kinds.
A lot of larger
distilleries buy
from this place,
combine to their
desired amount
of rye to corn and
age it in “their
own barrels.”
When I say a lot,
I’m not just exaggerating,
here’s
a short list of Rye’s
that are Rye Whiskey
from LDI:
Anchor Distilling’s Old
Potrero, Templeton Rye,
Redemption Rye, Bulleit
Rye, Willett Rye, Jim Beam,
Knob Creek, Old Overholt,
Sazerac, Pappy Van Winkle
Family Reserve Rye, Wild
Turkey, Russell’s Reserve,
WhistlePig, Jefferson’s,
Rittenhouse, Pikesville Supreme,
Black Maple Hill,
Mitcher’s Rye, etc.
Davorin works with a mix
that is:
100% Rye
That’s it. An Old World
twist on a product genre
that has become increasingly
commercial and become
one of the top rated
whiskeys in the country.
WINTER 2017 CRAFT 9

Tour of
From design to creation, take an inside
2Next is the botanical infusion
basket a one of a kind
feature which restults in an
extra boost of flavor.
1The first piece is the alambic
still especially designed by a
german copper worker and still
designer.
10 CRAFT WINTER 2017

the still
look at the newest version of old world macheniery.
3
nest comes the distilling power
house of a revolutionary collum
still with its six layers and heating
secialty creates the temperature
specificity needed to process
the heads and tails.
4after this is where the still gets
really stpecial, davorin can run the
process back to the alambic and create
a cycle for an average of thirty filtration
cycyles.
5Last is the cooling, filtration and
collection of the idea cut, the now
180 proof liqour is aged in barrels or
stored for later bottling.
WINTER 2017 CRAFT 11

The Old World Line-Up
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
1
St.
Blaise Vodka
2
Blade Gin
3Rusty Blade Gin
4Kuchan Eau Die Vie
5La Sorcierre
6Goldrun Rye Whiskey