Calwise Spirits is excited to unveil its latest neighborhood collaboration with Firestone Walker Brewing Company—a special-edition “Axe Hole” Single Malt Whiskey, distilled from a mash of traditional brewing grains and aged for three years in American oak barrels.
Only 100 cases of Axe Hole Single Malt Whiskey ($75) were produced from a total of three barrels. It is available at the Calwise Spirits tasting room in Paso Robles as well as online at CalwiseSpirits.com.
The Axe Hole Single Malt Whiskey comes from an all-barley sour mash fermented by Firestone Walker and distilled by Master Distiller Aaron Bergh at Calwise Spirits, which is located just a mile from the brewery in Paso Robles. In keeping with the requirements of American single malt whiskey, it was aged in all-new American oak barrels prior to blending and bottling. Bergh also held some additional barrels back for a second bottling to come in 2025.
“A lot of people associate single malts with the peaty character of traditional Scotch, but ours is closer to a bourbon with these vanilla and caramel notes that you get from the charred American oak,” Bergh said. “I love how smooth and unique it turned out, with these beautiful fruit and cola notes that can only come from the sour barley mash provided by Firestone Walker.”
Bergh added, “The brew side often gets overlooked when it comes to distilling, but it’s foundational. It was fun to get out of the way and let the masters of brewing handle that side of things, and it’s why this whiskey tastes so good.”
This is the second collaborative spirit created by Calwise Spirits and Firestone Walker, following the limited release of “Old Tom” gin in 2022.
“These collaborations are another way for us to deepen our artisanal roots and share what we do with a friend and neighbor,” said Nick Firestone. “We’ve been working with spirits barrels for nearly 20 years to create our barrel-aged strong ales, and we see this as an extension of that tradition.”
For more information about Firestone Walker, visit http://FirestoneWalker.com
For more information about Calwise Spirits, visit http://CalwiseSpirits.com
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