Long Road Distillers and Blandford Nature Center Partner on Release of Maple Bourbon

Limited-release bourbon aged in maple syrup barrels available beginning Wednesday, December 15

Long Road Distillers and Blandford Nature Center, separated by less than two miles on Grand Rapids’ west side, have again partnered together to produce a collaborative spirit: Long Road Blandford Maple Bourbon. Batch No. 2 of this limited-release spirit will be available for the first time on Wednesday, December 15, exclusively at Long Road Distillers’ Leonard Street tasting room, and is available for pre-order now for Blandford Nature Center Members and Long Road Distillers Wayfarer’s Guild Members. Last year, Batch 1 sold out in pre-sale to members.

This spirit is years in the making and required constant collaboration between the two organizations. It began with Long Road providing a used whisky barrel for Blandford to take and age some of its famous maple syrup, made on-site in an old-fashioned sugarhouse.

“This collaborative barrel-aged version of our maple syrup is a huge hit with our members and supporters.” says Jack Woller, President and CEO of Blandford Nature Center. “Sending the barrel back to Long Road for aging a whisky is such a great way to extend this partnership to create something truly unique and amazing.”

Once the barrel was emptied of syrup, it went back to Long Road where the distillers filled it with bourbon whisky that was already over 2 years old from a charred, new American Oak barrel. The final rest in the maple syrup barrel lasted nearly a year, contributing a rich mouthfeel and subtle sweetness.

The partnership goes deeper than creating a unique product, though, according to Jon O’Connor, Co-Owner and Co-Founder of Long Road Distillers.

“The amazing outdoor natural space at Blandford is something we love to explore with our families and we’re grateful to have them as a Westside neighbor,” says O’Connor. “By collaborating with them on Maple Bourbon, we not only get to make an exceptional and unique whisky, but we also get to financially support Blandford Nature Center during these challenging times.”

A portion of the proceeds from Long Road Blandford Maple Bourbon will be given to the Nature Center.

Less than 150 bottles of the collaborative spirit were produced. It will be available beginning at 4pm on Wednesday, December 15 from Long Road’s tasting room located at 537 Leonard St NW.

Pre-order here or visit the distillery at 4pm Wednesday, December 15.