Templeton Rye Cocktail Demonstration at Fizz Bar & Grill

Last night, the Templeton Rye team was at Fizz Bar & Grill (3220 N. Lincoln Ave.; 773-348-6000) as part of Chicago's Whiskey Week festivities. TR brand manager, Michael Killmer took center stage in front of Fizz's packed house. After showing a short film about the history of the rye whiskey, Killmer demonstrated how to make several classic cocktails using Templeton Rye, including the Sazerac, Old Fashioned and Manhattan. Guests were treated to mini samplings of the cocktails while watching a second short film about the Templeton Rye Distillerly, located in the small town of Templeton, Iowa.

Also on hand were Templeton Rye President and Founder, Scott Bush, along with Assistant Master Distiller, Keith Kerkoff. Bush's great grandfather, and Kerkoff's grandfather both made Templeton Rye whiskey decades ago. Bush and Kerkoff got together, using the Kerkoff family recipe, to create Templeton Rye as we know it today. Although TR is currently only available in Iowa and Illinois, expect a nation-wide launch in the next three to five years.

Miss last night's event? The TR team is back in action tonight, March 31, at Binny's Beverage Depot (1132 S. Jefferson St.; 312-768-4400) 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Meet the team and get an autographed bottle of Templeton Rye whiskey.

These Whiskey Week events are the kickoff to the 9th Annual WhiskyFest Chicago, put on by Malt Advocate magazine. WhiskyFest is this Wednesday, April 1 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago (151 E. Wacker Dr.), 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Visit http://www.whiskyfest.wordpress.com/ for more information.

To learn more about Templeton Rye, visit http://www.templetonrye.com/.

(Photos: Stephanie DeMeester, Kurman Communications, Inc.)

Templeton Rye wins Gold Medal at SF Spirits Competition Tasting

Templeton Rye Whiskey was awarded the Gold Medal at the San Francisco Spirits Competition, held March 21-22, 2009 at the Hotel Nikko. The competition was founded in 2000, and is the first comprehensive, international spirits judging ever held in the United States on an annual basis.

Want to try this award-winning rye whiskey for yourself? There are plenty of opportunities in the coming days as Chicago celebrates Whiskey Week as the kick-off to WhiskyFest Chicago, held next Wednesday, April 1 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

Saturday, March 28

5 p.m.-11 p.m. Classic Cocktail Bar and Junior League Poker Night at Germania Place (108 W. Germania Pl., 312-573-1968)

Sunday, March 29
Meet the Templeton Rye Team at Bar de Ville (701 N. Damen Ave., 312-929-2349)

Monday, March 30

5 p.m., Tasting Event at One North Kitchen and Bar (1 N. Wacker Dr., 312-750-9700)
6 p.m., Rye Education with Templeton Rye founders Scott Bush and Keith Kerkoff at Five-Star Bar (1424 W. Chicago Ave., 312-850-2555) RSVP info@fivestarbar.com

8 p.m., Classic Cocktail Demonstration with Templeton Rye representatives at Fizz Bar & Grill (3220 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-348-6088)
8 p.m. American Whiskey Night at Delilah's with $5 shots of Templeton Rye (2771 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-472-2771)

Tuesday, March 31

5 p.m.-8 p.m., Templeton Rye Bottle Signing at Binny's South Loop (1132 S. Jefferson St., 312-768-4400)

About Templeton Rye
When prohibition outlawed the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages in 1920, enterprising residents of tiny Templeton, Iowa, population 350, came together to create an American classic known as Templeton Rye Whiskey, or “The Good Stuff” to those in the know.

Over the course of its storied history, Templeton Rye became Al Capone’s whiskey of choice, quickly finding its way to the center of his bootlegging empire. Speakeasies in Chicago, New York and as far west as San Francisco, poured Templeton Rye as the "Best Whiskey in the House." Later legends suggest that a few bottles even found their way inside the walls of Alcatraz to the cell of prisoner AZ-85.

Available legally for the first time, the infamous small batch rye whiskey returns. Aged in charred new oak barrels and produced from the original Prohibition Era recipe, Templeton Rye provides a smooth finish and a clean getaway. Find out more at www.templetonrye.com.

About WhiskyFest Chicago
Malt Advocate’s 9th Annual WhiskyFest Chicago 2009 will be at the Hyatt Regency Chicago (151 E. Wacker Dr.), from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. April 1. General admission tickets are $95. Business or business casual attire is preferred. yFor more information, please call the hotel at (312) 565-1234 or visit WhiskyFest’s blog at www.whiskyfest.wordpress.com.