Former Burgundy Grand Cru Winemaker Redefines Kentucky Bourbon With Saint Cloud Kentucky Bourbon
Ray Walker recently launched Saint Cloud Bourbon. Once known for leaving behind a life in finance to move to Burgundy, France, to make Grand Crus, he is redefining the Kentucky Bourbon landscape by focusing on quality and refinement in his Bourbon and groundbreaking packaging. His time in France included being the first African-American (bi-racial) to make wine in Europe as well as writing his best-selling memoir 'The Road to Burgundy,' as well as features in NYT, Bloomberg, USA Today and Anthony Bourdain's 'No Reservations.'
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Dec. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ray Walker has hit the ground running with SAINT CLOUD BOURBON, setting his sights on redefining the Kentucky Bourbon landscape. Once a Merrill Lynch financial consultant, he made a name for himself producing wine in one of the world's most hallowed wine regions, Burgundy, France. While in France, he became the first American to produce wine from the famed Chambertin Grand Cru vineyard. The wines produced at Maison Ilan were routinely considered amongst the higher rated and most coveted wines in the region due to their aromatic beauty and grace. Notably, the wines were made using non interventionist methods commonly practiced hundreds of years ago. The winery produced Grand Cru and Premier Cru pinot noir for seven vintages.
Fast forward four years, and Ray Walker is back with Saint Cloud Kentucky Bourbon. The focus with Saint Cloud is to distill all of the lessons that were learned in French winemaking, while creating a unique entry into the storied ranks of Kentucky Bourbons' finest bourbons. The distillery was created in 2016 with sourced barrels with an aim to spotlight distinctive bourbons showcasing a perfect combination of power and elegance. Each bourbon is selected using upmost care. Science is completely left out of it. This is bourbon as art, as pleasure, and a defiant push against compromise of any sort.
Launched with a blended, under 4-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon. In June, Saint Cloud shifted to exclusively producing Single Barrel bourbons with a minimum age statement of 6 years old. The goal is to produce bourbons that place a spotlight on their natural individuality, free from interventions such as filtering, proofing down or secondary finishing. When you drink a glass of Saint Cloud, you are truly getting the same extraordinary experience you'd have from a tasting from the barrel.
Saint Cloud recently began crafting its own bourbon from the ground up. This wheated Kentucky Bourbon will have a long time in barrel prior to release. Saint Cloud is distributed in 10 states across the United States. The distillery recently launched both its 13-year and 7-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Single Barrels that are both bottled at Barrel Proof and Unfiltered.
Saint Cloud is a bourbon for anyone that is looking for an exceptional experience. For more information, including where to find Saint Cloud bourbon, visit www.SaintCloudBourbon.com or email [email protected].
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Ray Walker on Anthony Bourdain's 'No Reservations'
SOURCE SAINT CLOUD BOURBON Inc.
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