Whiskey fans are familiar with MGP as being the massive Indiana distillery that supplies other well-known brands with bourbon and rye, including Dickel, Smooth Ambler, and Bulleit. But MGP, now owned by the whiskey company Luxco, also puts out some excellent whiskey under its own brands under the name Ross & Squibb, including Remus Bourbon. The latest release is called Babe Ruth Reserve, a blend of three bourbons that is a tribute to the baseball legend.
We’ve covered some other premium expressions from Remus before that have been superb, specifically the 15-year-old Remus Gatsby Reserve. We haven’t had a chance to try the new Babe Ruth Reserve yet, but if it’s anything like Gatsby whiskey fans are in luck. Babe Ruth Reserve is younger than Gatsby at about six to seven years old, and it’s also about $100 cheaper. The whiskey is a blend of three high-rye bourbons produced at MGP (a tribute to Ruth’s uniform number), each with a different mashbill containing 49 percent rye, 44 percent rye, and 36 percent rye. According to the brand, the result is a bourbon with brown sugar and fig on the nose; mint, brown sugar, fennel, and candied pecans on the palate; and warm rye spice and cinnamon on the finish. The final blend was bottled at 111 proof.
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This new whiskey was produced in collaboration with the Ruth family, and there’s further tie-in given that Ruth was a star during Prohibition, the same time that the whiskey’s namesake George Remus was busy bootlegging. “Remus Babe Ruth Reserve is a special collector’s release inspired by one of the most iconic figures in American history, the immortal Babe Ruth,” said Ross & Squibb Distillery brand manager Allison O’Brien in a statement.
Remus Babe Ruth Reserve will be available this July in a run of exactly 10,624 bottles (one for each of Ruth’s plate appearances, according to the brand), with an SRP of $150. Like Remus Gatsby Reserve, the bottles have an art deco design, and the cork is supposed to resemble the knob of a baseball bat. You can also enter a sweepstakes at the Remus Bourbon website for a chance to win a trip to the 2024 All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas, and the rest of the Remus Bourbon lineup is available to purchase now from ReserveBar.
