Availability
The Rye Project, Volume One
Volume One of the Rye Project is in collaboration with Willett Family Estate. The Volume One blend consists of a very low-rye (51%) whiskey aged for 6 years in new American oak, blended with a more aggressive 6 and 7 year Rye (74%) whiskey distilled by the Willett Distillery. By design, this Rye blend reads sweeter than most Rye whiskies, while still being layered, spiced, and elegant on the back palate. The custom cork top was inspired by the knob of a baseball bat that is a family heirloom of Jon Buscemi. The textured label was created in partnership with a bespoke wine label producer in Sonoma County. More info available in Special Projects.
Batch One: 103 Proof
Nose: Oak, vanilla, pepper, dried fruit, copper, floral, spice
Palate: Oak, dried dark fruit, vanilla, butterscotch, oily
Finish: Medium-short, warm vanilla, rising spice
Bottles purchased through this website arrive in a custom canvas sleeve.
6 bottle limit per customer.
The Quail Best of Show 2021
Alongside Rolex, Wolves was tapped to create an award for Best of Show at the Quail, A Motorsports Gathering. The Quail is the pinnacle of automotive excellence. To develop the award, we ripped the driver seat out of a rare, 1974 Porsche Carrera RS “Ducktail,” and made a label from its leather. We wrapped this one-of-one label around a bottle of Wolves 24 year brandy. The bottle was presented to Heinz Keller, who took home 2021 Best of Show honors for his immaculate 1938 Mercedes Benz 540K Special Roadster.
The Quail
Wolves was invited to pour our whiskey at the Quail, A Motorsports Gathering in Carmel, California. The Quail is the pinnacle of automotive excellence. For the event, Wolves produced 250 bottles of our signature blend, titled “The Quail Run,” and wrapped each bottle in the same Napa leather used by Porsche in their interiors.
Spring Run
Spring Run is a variation of Wolves signature blend, consisting of (1) whiskey distilled from Stout craft beer, aged in French Oak for 10 years, (2) whiskey distilled from Pilsner beer, aged in New American Oak for 6 years, (3) a Rye selected for its back palate spice, and (4) a single malt American whiskey distilled from two-row malted barley and aged in used French Oak for 10 years
Nose: Honeysuckle, citrus, hops, black cherry, warm vanilla.
Tasting Notes: Tangerine, dark chocolate, hops, oak, citrus, nutmeg.
Finish: Long and warm on the front pallet, rising space on the finish.
Winter Run
In November of 2019, Wolves released Winter Run as it’s second release of its signature blend, this time with the addition of American single malt whiskey, aged 9 years in used French Oak. The 1338 bottles sold out almost immediately.
Nose: Warm vanilla, cherry cola, honeysuckle, hops, citrus, Christmas cake.
Tasting Notes: Toast almonds, chocolate, oak, hops, orange marmalade.
First Run
First Run was Wolves’ premier release. It is a blend of California whiskeys distilled in a rare copper Alambic still imported from Cognac, France. 898 bottles of First Run were released online in May of 2019 and sold out online within days.
In December 2020, a small collection of First Run was re-released for $385 per bottle and sold out within seconds.
Nose: Slightly sweet, toasted vanilla, citrus.
Tasting Notes: Dark chocolate, citrus, tobacco, oak, allspice, creamy mouth-feel.
Story
Wolves is American whiskey made in California from an equally creative group of founders, also based in California. Wolves is distilled in Sonoma County by 13th generation Master Distiller Marko Karakasevic using an old, slow, brandy still that was imported from Cognac in 1983.
Uniquely, Wolves signature blend consists of whiskey created from refined craft beer, and Rye whiskey. The flavor profile is unlike anything else on the market.
Process
Master Distiller Marko Karakasevic creates a small batch (10 barrels) of distillate over a 10-day period, sleeping in four hour shifts so that he alone can make each cut, selecting “the heart of hearts” for double distillation in the small still. The distillation process is far less efficient than an industry-standard column still, but the end result is whiskey with more body, flavor, and viscosity.
In between each release, the Pilsner, Stout, and Rye whiskeys continue to age and change in the Oak. The Wolves team recreates the blend for each release, adjusting the percentages and proofs of the Stout, Pilsner, and Rye whiskeys to find the right balance for that particular moment in time. This process takes more than a dozen attempts and a few weeks to get right.
The full blend is finally cut with the mineral rich water from the Russian River.
Presentation
Each bottle is wrapped by hand with auto-grade vinyl and finally with Italian sheepskin. The glass is heavy and French-Cut, allowing the sheepskin label to lay flush against the glass. The cork top is made of maple wood.
Each bottle is numbered and dated by hand.
Allocation
Wolves is digitally native. We are not available in stores except in rare cases.
Enter your email below to secure placement on the Allocation List. Allocation List members enjoy priority access to Wolves limited releases.
Heresay
Special Projects
Wolves takes on special projects and collaborations where we find alignment. We are category agnostic and fit best with creators that produce things with their hands and do things deliberately over a course of time.
The Quail
Wolves was invited to participate at the Quail, A Motorsports Gathering – the pinnacle of automotive excellence. Our tasting experience was next to the classic Ferrari collection. For the event, we produced 250 bottles of our signature blend, titled “The Quail Run,” and wrapped each bottle in the same Napa leather used by Porsche in their interiors.
Wolves was also tapped to create an award for Best of Show at the Quail 2021. For this, we ripped the seat out of a rare 1974 Porsche Carrera RS “Ducktail,” made a label from the leather, and wrapped it around a one-of-one 24 year aged California brandy.
The Rye Project
The Rye Project is a series of Rye expressions anchored by a very low-content (51%) rye whiskey aged for 6 years in new American oak. We are starting from a place of sweet more than spice, and going from there. No barrel finishes, no gimmicks. We aim to deliver straightforward and balanced Rye collaborations in a low-rye format.
Volume One of the Rye Project is in collaboration with Willett Family Estate. Wolves and Willett Master Distiller Drew Kulsveen selected barrels of 7 and 6 year straight Rye whiskey with a 74% Rye mashbill from House A, South Rick 14, and House H, South Rick 6. Between the the 51% Rye and the Family Estate Rye barrels, we found balance in a Willett-dominant blend and at 103 proof for Batch1.
Batch 2 will be allocated in the Spring and bottled at barrel strength.
Rolls-Royce
There is no more finely detailed, bespoke automobile in the world than Rolls-Royce. Wolves has partnered with Rolls on the rollout of the Black Badge edition of the Rolls Royce Ghost. Working with Rolls, Wolves designed and produced a run of whiskey titled “The Black Badge” to celebrate the release of one of the finest automobiles in the world, and will be pouring the whiskey at private Rolls-Royce events around North America. The collaboration is a celebration of bespoke, handmade product.
The Peninsula Hotel
Wolves has partnered with the Peninsula Hotel, the only 5 Diamond property in Southern California, to release a hotel collaboration whiskey and host a dinner of friends and family in Los Angeles. More will be coming out of this partnership in 2022.
