Four Kings Whiskey Collaboration
Four Kings is an annual whiskey collaboration between four of the Midwest’s top craft distilleries: Corsair Distillery in Nashville, Tennessee, Few Spirits in Evanston, Illinois, Journeyman Distilling in Three Oaks, Michigan and Mississippi River Distilling Company in Le Claire, Iowa
These four distilleries each contribute 30 gallons of whiskey to be blended and released as “Four Kings” each spring in Chicago as part of the Chicago Whisky Week celebration. The whiskey is available exclusively in the Chicago market. It is not sold at the respective distilleries and only 500 bottles of each collaboration are produced.
The collaboration extended from 2014 to 2024 and each year produced a different whiskey:
2024: Malt whiskey finished in tawny port barrels at 101.4 proof
2023: Rye whiskey finished in vermouth barrels at 101.4 proof
2022: Bourbon finished in cognac barrels at 101.4 proof
2021: Blended whiskey (corn, rye, what and malt) finished in Martinique rum barrels at 101.4 proof
2020: Malt whiskey finished in Islay scotch barrels at 101.4 proof
2019: Rye whiskey finished in Portuguese brandy barrels at 101.4 proof
2018: Bourbon whiskey finished in used tequila barrels at 101.4 proof
2017: Blended whiskey (corn, rye, what and malt) at 101.4 proof
2016: Malt whiskey at 101.4 proof
2015: Rye whiskey at 80 proof
2014: Bourbon whiskey at 80 proof
Our difference is our grain to glass approach
We’re surrounded by some of the finest grain fields in the world. It only makes sense to make the finest spirits from that grain as well. We purchase farm fresh grain, directly from the farmers who grow it. 100% of our grains come from within 25 miles of our distillery. Take our tour and you can see the entire process of spirit making from beginning to end. We’re one of a handful of distillers in the U.S. who take the “grain to glass” small batch distillation approach.
What “grain to glass” means is that we handle every step of the process ourselves, taking our fresh grain and make it into your favorite liquors. We sort and clean the grain and then mill it into a flour-like consistency. We cook the grain to make our mash and then add yeast to let it ferment. We distill the fermented mash and then filter it and blend it to proof. From there, it either goes into a barrel or a bottle. We bottle our spirits by hand. The important thing is that it is all done under our watchful eye, under one roof. We don’t outsource anything. It’s not always efficient but we pride ourselves on inefficiencies that result in a premium product. We know you’ll grow to appreciate our “grain to glass” approach once our spirits go from that glass onto your taste-buds!