Pictured above: Our crew of bottling volunteers from last fall.

Based on the success we experienced last year and the huge amount of inquiries on our website, we have decided to do another round of volunteer bottling this year. We will be holding two weeks of volunteer bottling: October 24-28, during the five-year anniversary of our first bottling, and November 14-18 as we start to bottle Batch 5. The work is easy and you get to meet some really nice and interesting people. Templeton Rye supplies pizza each day and everyone gets a free t-shirt and, of course, a sample of The Good Stuff.

To reserve your spot for this year, please review dates and sign up here. Please make a point to only sign up for a spot if you will be able to make it, to help us manage on our end.

Fans who have been awaiting the return of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire can celebrate the series return by attending a viewing party on September 25 (premiere night) hosted by Templeton Rye. Templeton Rye, from tiny Templeton, Iowa was a favorite of Capone, a major character in the series. “We have several videos and documentation linking Capone to Templeton Rye. It was said to be his drink of choice, ” says Scott Bush, co-founder Templeton Rye.

Not only was Templeton Capone’s drink of choice – it was also a leading favorite among other citizens during prohibition. According to a Chicago Tribune article dated January 16, 1933, the renowned Templeton was “second only in popularity to raw alcohol and near beer.”

The Boardwalk Empire viewing party will take place at the 50′ Star Theater at the Science Center of Iowa and all proceeds will benefit SCI. “We are very excited about the event. Templeton Rye is a great Iowa product and SCI looks forward to this partnership to help support all the exhibits and programs that Iowans experience every day at SCI,” said Susan Kloewer, Director of Development at the Science Center of Iowa.

The evening begins at 6 pm with cocktails and hors d’ouevres. At 7:30 pm, the theater will show some Templeton Rye videos as ‘Previews’. Then minutes before the season opener of Boardwalk Empire, Scott Bush along with Keith Kerkhoff, Master Distiller will welcome the crowd. “Everyone is so excited about the series this season. We have reason to believe Templeton Rye will be making a guest appearance in at least the first couple of episodes,” said Kerkhoff.

At the event, Templeton will be served in a cocktail called the Nucky, after Enoch “Nucky” Thompson, mayor of Atlantic City who is played in the show by actor Steve Buscemi. “We’re really elated that we could partner with The Star Theater at the Science Center of Iowa and help raise funds for this center that is so much a part of the community,” says Bush. Only 60 tickets are available for the event and will be sold for $25 each. To purchase tickets call Kelly Henry at the Science Center of Iowa at (515) 274-6868 x223.

Shelana Laing of Artemis Events Company in Des Moines, Iowa, sent us this recipe for her Iowa State Fair blue ribbon winning recipe for Smokey Lamb Chops with Templeton Black Cherry Sauce. We think her entrée sounds and looks delicious. Check out her recipe and cooking instructions below.

Smokey Lamb Chops with Templeton Black Cherry Sauce

Ingredients:
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup black cherry jelly
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 clove
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• ½ jalapeno, seeded, diced
• 1/2 cup Templeton Rye Whiskey
• 6 lamb chops
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Grilling Supplies:
• Charcoal Grill with Charcoal
• Lighter Fluid
• Matches
• Cherry Wood Chips

Directions:
1) Season lamb chops rubbing each side with olive oil and then with salt and pepper on both sides and<
let sit a room temperature for 30 minutes.
2) Soak a handful of wood chips in water for 30 minutes.
3) Heat oil in a small skillet over medium; add shallot and garlic. Cook until softened, stirring, about 2
minutes. Add jelly, honey, clove, cardamom, and jalapeno; whisk well to mix. Add Templeton; stir well.
4) Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced by half, stirring occasionally,
about 45 minutes. Keep warm on low heat.
5) Grilling the lamb chops on charcoal – there is an art in this. Start charcoal and allow burning for about
10-20 min, once charcoal is grayish, dividing it in half placing on each side of grill. Then drain the wood
chips and place on charcoal. Quickly place grate over charcoal, place lamb chops in the middle of the
grill. You are using indirect heat to cook the lamb chops and the cherry chips to enhance the smokey
cherry flavor. Cook 5 to 7 minutes per side, turning once.
6) Serve grilled lamb chops with warm sauce.

Kate Giannini of Highland Hideaway Hunting in Riverside, Iowa, sent us this photo of her German Shorthaired Pointer, Gauge. Kate tells us that Templeton is widely consumed at their hunting lodge, and clients often request that they have bottles on hand when they stay. The barrel that Gauge is guarding is from a recent Pheasants Forever meeting that was being held at the lodge and was awaiting the Washington County Pheasants Forever Chapter to pick it up.

Greetings from Templeton!

As most of you know, RAGBRAI will be coming past the Templeton Rye distillery on Monday, July 25. The entire Templeton Rye team is very excited to have the opportunity to showcase our product and our distillery during RAGBRAI. Yesterday, T.J. Juskiewicz, RAGBRAI Director, and several other riders stopped by the distillery on their pre-route inspection ride to check out everything at Templeton Rye. Click here to see what they experienced.

Mark your calendar for Rock & Rye in conjunction with the historic RAGBRAI event passing through Templeton on Monday, July 25th. Whether you are a spectator, support person, or rider, we would love to have you stop by the distillery. We will be conducting tours of the distillery and the town will be hosting a big party adjacent to the distillery with a beer garden, food, misters to cool you all down, and of course entertainment. Our team is anticipating a barrel of fun and the town of Templeton could grow a hundred fold that day. We will be taking a group picture at 1:00 pm in front of our large distillery sign for everyone wearing a Templeton Rye bike jersey.

Cheers,
Kevin Boersma, Distillery Manager, Templeton Rye

The exceedingly popular Templeton Rye smoking pieces and BBQ sauce are back. The smoking pieces are three pounds of our charred American white oak barrels that have stored Templeton Rye Whiskey for at least four years. The smoking pieces add great flavor to smoked fish or meat, or a sweet scent to your cozy winter fire. Both items are only available at Des Moines area farmers markets. Below are the upcoming dates for Valley Junction and Downtown Des Moines:

Thursday, June 30th – 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction
Saturday, July 2nd – 7 am – 12 pm – Downtown Des Moines

Come hang out with the Templeton Rye team and get special deals on select Templeton merchandise, including shirts, hats, barware, BBQ sauce, smoking pieces, barrel tops, used Templeton barrels, and furniture constructed from used Templeton barrels. We’ll also be holding drawings to give away Templeton Rye merchandise at each event.

What: Templeton Rye Garage Sales
When: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on June 18, July 9 and August 6
Where: 330 1st Street, West Des Moines, Iowa

Join us for the first Templeton Rye Garage Sale of the season on Saturday, June 18th.

The Templeton Rye team is pleased to welcome our new summer intern, Laura Underwood. Laura hails from New Hampton in Northeast Iowa and is going to be a senior at Iowa State University this fall, majoring in Agricultural Studies.

Laura will be responsible for several marketing related projects as well as helping with Farmer’s Market and RAGBRAI. She has a very outgoing personality and has already brought some great new ideas to the team. Her recent Agronomy class also proved quite useful in our distillery landscaping efforts.

We are excited to have Laura as a part of the Templeton team and look forward to her contributions over the summer.

It’s farmers market season again! Be sure to stop by and say hello to the Templeton Rye team at the Des Moines and West Des Moines farmers markets throughout the season. While you’re there, pick up some Templeton Rye BBQ sauce, made with Templeton Rye Whiskey, and some smoking pieces. We’ll also have a variety of Templeton t-shirts and other merchandise available.

We will be at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers’ Market and Valley Junction Farmers Market on the following dates:

Thursday, May 5th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Thursday, May 12th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Thursday, May 19th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Thursday, May 26th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Thursday, June 2nd: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Saturday, June 4th: 7 am – 12 pm – Downtown

Thursday, June 9th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Saturday, June 11th: 7 am – 12 pm – Downtown

Thursday, June 16th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Thursday, June 23rd: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Thursday, June 30th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Saturday, July 2nd: 7 am – 12 pm – Downtown

Thursday, July 7th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Thursday, July 14th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Saturday, July 16th: 7 am – 12 pm – Downtown

Thursday, July 21st: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Thursday, July 28th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Saturday, July 30th: 7 am – 12 pm – Downtown

Thursday, August 4th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Thursday, August 11th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Saturday, August 13th: 7 am – 12 pm – Downtown

Thursday, August 18th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Saturday, August 20th: 7 am – 12 pm – Downtown

Thursday, August 25th: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Saturday, September 3rd: 7 am – 12 pm – Downtown

Saturday, September 10th: 7 am – 12 pm – Downtown

Saturday, September 17th: 7 am – 12 pm – Downtown

Thursday, September 22nd: 4 pm – 8 pm – Valley Junction

Saturday, October 15th: 7 am – 12 pm – Downtown

Saturday, October 29th: 7 am – 12 pm – Downtown

Erica and Jake Hennes of Humboldt Park, Illinois, sent us this great photo of their cat and dog, Templeton and Rye, after we ran into them at the 11th Annual WhiskeyFest in Chicago. Erica and Jake are such big fans of Templeton Rye whiskey that they named their beloved cat and dog after The Good Stuff.

Erica’s love for whiskey has inspired more than her pets’ names. She also creates handmade whiskey and wine bags and home accessories through her company HenBec Decor, drawing inspiration from the rustic elements of distilling and wine making and her love for finely made spirits. Be sure to check out her designs in the HenBec Decor Etsy shop.