Arcane Distilling Launches Flagship Whiskey, Arcane Alpha
Arcane Distilling in Brooklyn, New York has announced the launch of its flagship whiskey, Arcane Alpha.
Arcane initially launched back in 2017 with a very limited vacuum-distilled whiskey and fernet run out of a small space in Brooklyn. The brand has since relaunched under new leadership – King’s County Distilling alum Phil Morgan and beer entrepreneur and CEO Brian Thompson – with a brand new distillery in Bushwick, Brooklyn that will open to the public in early 2023.
More about Arcane Distilling, direct from the source:
Though complicated in practice, the Arcane approach is simple: make great beer and distill it into great whiskey. While all whiskey is made from a type of beer, Arcane comes from fresh, locally brewed craft beer designed to showcase exceptionally bold but familiar flavors. Beginning with IPAs and stouts, Arcane is the only whiskey that truly retains the essence of the craft beer, which shines with ripe, tropical flavors, notes of hops, and nutty malty aromas.
Beer is at the core of Arcane’s process, and as such, they take great care to source specific ingredients that produce precise flavors every step of the way. The entire approach to brewing differs greatly from a traditional whiskey distiller, where the goal is often to maximize the alcohol content in their ‘distiller’s beer.’ Rather, the Arcane approach is to make the most flavorful craft beer possible to produce the most flavorful whiskey possible. Using only premium malted barley and hops – the same ingredients you would find at a craft brewery – and fermenting with a particularly flavor-forward yeast called kviek, they brew beers that not only transform into great whiskey, but also taste great on their own.
Because so many of the aromas and flavors of beer are delicate and volatile, traditional distillation would all but destroy them when boiling beer to evaporate the alcohol. Under vacuum, however, alcohol evaporates at a much lower temperature. Arcane’s custom-designed vacuum still operates at room temperature, allowing the system to preserve and collect those volatile aroma and flavor compounds. Further, Arcane’s still is equipped with three auxiliary condensers, one of which operates at -30 degrees Celsius, and is designed to capture exceptionally flavorful but extremely volatile compounds that cannot be captured in a traditional still.
Arcane Alpha is distilled from a triple IPA loaded with bright, citrusy hops and rested in large oak foudres to add mouthfeel, color, and flavor without overwhelming the beer notes with too much wood character. Bottled at 93 Proof (41.5% ABV), Arcane Alpha is described as having “intense aromas of Cascade and Mosaic hops, balanced by light malt notes and a mild oak finish,” and “tasting notes reflecting flavors of citrus, red berries, and baking spice.”
Arcane Alpha is available at ArcaneDistilling.com, which offers shipping to nearly 30 states, and at retail for a suggested price of $45.99 for a 750 mL bottle.
Photo credit: Arcane Distilling.
Source: Arcane Distilling.