Andrew J. Nelson / World-Herald staff writer wrote:TEMPLETON, Iowa — Gov. Terry Branstad affixed a bar code and a label to the 1 millionth bottle of Templeton Rye on Wednesday.
“This is a startup company. ... It started up right here in Iowa, and it's really taken off,” Branstad said. “We want to encourage more of this in Iowa.”
Templeton Rye's 1 millionth bottle will be sold somewhere in Iowa, according to company officials.
Andrew J. Nelson / World-Herald staff writer wrote:TEMPLETON, Iowa — Gov. Terry Branstad affixed a bar code and a label to the 1 millionth bottle of Templeton Rye on Wednesday.
“This is a startup company. ... It started up right here in Iowa, and it's really taken off,” Branstad said. “We want to encourage more of this in Iowa.”
Templeton Rye's 1 millionth bottle will be sold somewhere in Iowa, according to company officials.
My dad was born and raised in Templeton and his older brothers actually ran sugar for the original distillers. The whole town was pretty much in on the enterprise, including law enforcement who gave a heads up when the revenuers were coming. There was a story that my grandmother would sneak some whisky while helping with a funeral luncheon (the whisky was sometimes stored in the basement of Sacred Heart Church).
Rumor has it that Al Capone called it "The Good Stuff". It allegedly was his favorite. Oh, and Seventh Brat, it was the basement of the funeral parlor. There was a cellar and a sub-cellar. The cellar was for embalming & the sub-cellar was for the still.
Twenty-five pigs mill around in open pens on a tiny farm in Woodward, Iowa.
They are fat, robust and being raised to taste of rye whiskey.
Small-batch distillery Templeton Rye is feeding them the mash used in making its distinctive American whiskey, hoping that the rich taste of the grain will grab consumers' attention.
Templeton is especially long on rye, with more than 90 percent of its mash coming from the high-protein grain, and malted barley for the remainder.
The spent mash is folded into the pig feed, making up 20 percent of the ingredients, as advised by a swine nutrition specialist.
The pigs seem to like it, digging into their feed with happy grunts and snorts.
"It smells very good, almost like candy," said Scott Bush, founder and president of Templeton Rye Spirits.
David Hendee / World-Herald staff writer wrote:Templeton Rye Spirits kicked off a $26 million expansion project with the ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday for a distillery and a warehouse for aging the rye.
David Hendee / World-Herald staff writer wrote:Templeton Rye’s upgraded home will consist of a 34,500-square-foot distillery at its current 20-acre facility on the edge of the town. The new complex, including a museum and 55,000-square-foot barrel aging warehouse, is expected to be completed within 18 months.
The new distillery will be able to produce 500,000 proof gallons of rye whiskey annually, but initial production will be 250,000 gallons. The aging warehouse will be able to store 40,000 barrels.
My Dad's hometown. I have stories of the bootleg whiskey Prohibition days! There is a company in Templeton that makes furniture & decor items out of the used whiskey barrels. Schoepner Designs.