Tom's Town launches Machine range of spirits

A new line of craft spirits has been unveiled by Tom's Town Distilling Company, from Kansas City. The new line, named The Pendergast Machine series for Tom Pendergast's political organisation, is a one-off, with limited supply exclusively at Tom's Town.

Tom’s Town plans to release one new spirit quarterly, starting now and continuing through 2018 and beyond.

The first release in the series is an antique barrel-aged gin, scheduled for early March. Additional products include alternative styles of gins, whiskeys, liqueurs and collaborations with some of the region’s notable craft breweries to create.

The Pendergast Machine series will be bottled in 375ml bottles with branding reflecting the Pendergast era and the no-nonsense attitude of the political machine.

Steve Revare, co-founder Tom's Town says: “We’ve been working with the most creative minds in the industry to come up with a line of exceptional and unique spirits. This series takes advantage of our distiller’s creativity and passion for pushing the boundaries of craft spirits. And it allows us to produce excellent spirits that might never make it to the shelf otherwise.”

The Pendergast Machine series is allowing Tom’s Town to test market a variety of unique approaches in its tasting room, which draws in members of the public.

David Epstein, co-founder, says: “If one of these spirits takes off in the tasting room, we know we’ve got a hit on our hands. When that happens we’ll incorporate it into the family of brands we’ve already created and sell it to our thirsty public.”

2017 releases include the following:

• Machine No1: Antique Gin - Tom’s Town Corruption Gin finished in Oak barrels
• Tom’s Town Corruption Gin finished for at least six months in Pendergast’s Royal Gold bourbon barrels. A robust and flavorful gin that takes on the best whiskey characteristics and aroma from the barrel.
• Machine No2: Brewer's Series/Torn Label - Distilled Spirits Specialty
• Whiskey distilled from Torn Label’s seasonal Quad-Jillo Belgian Quad brewed with guajillo peppers. Aged in new American oak barrels at Tom’s Town for 11 months.
• Machine No3: Navy Strength Gin
• Tom’s Town’s own expression of a proper high-proof London Dry gin. Navy strength gin, bottled at a minimum of 114 proof, gets its name from the 18th Century tradition of giving British sailors a ration of gin.
• Machine No4: Bourbon Whiskey finished in white port casks
• High-corn Indiana bourbon aged for seven years and finished for 10 months at Tom’s Town in white port casks.

2018 releases will include four spirits in the Brewer’s Series produced in partnership with Crane Brewing in Raytown, Double Shift Brewing in Kansas City, 4 Hands Brewing in St. Louis, and Cinder Block Brewery in North Kansas City.

13 March 2017 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor