This is the first Rare Release Batch from THE REVERIES. This is the final formulation of Raven in its current form, mirroring the conceptual composition of I and II with different lots of 9 year barrels (which actually ticked past 10 years old awaiting blending and bottling). The next Raven will look different, a major compositional shift as the season changes and daylight wanes. 

This batch has taken me longer to produce than both I and II combined and I couldn't find more satisfaction with the end result as I do in III. I feel a growing pressure each time I sit to make a new blend and I feel that each day blending, tweaking, letting the blend marry and checking in. I had hoped for more yield but the right combination of components leaves us with 588 bottles - more Raven than we've had before, though not by much. 

RETURN OF RAVEN

It's serendipitous. The relentless, punishing heat of summer has broken and with it, the Ravens return to the property. I haven't seen a number of the cabal in months. No doubt they preserve their active moments for the cool parts of the day when it is dark. Two weeks back a line of storms brought torments of rain and with it a respite from the heat and the humidity. Following this, I heard once more their familiar guttural caws in the distance. Harrowing, the largest Raven, had returned.

Perched high on a sickly, gnarled, tree, The Ravens were returning back for the fall and it was time to get this release done. 

Lower in proof, yet only slightly, Raven III is a viscous, brooding, whiskey, blended to broaden the spectrum of flavor to embody a richer nose, a deep expanse of a pallet and a more precise finish.

Three barrels from my select stock of 9 turned 10yr Indiana stock: one ISC, one Kelvin, one Seguin Moreau create the perfect microblend to kickstart the blend.  Next: an unreasonably creamy and rich structure from the 10 year component, and a reserved, yet generous, portion of 14 year old to pull each corner together. 

Raven's third appearance arrives in time for fall, a whiskey that's tolerable in the heat of summer's lasting days and fall's crisp and plummeting temperatures.