Glass Stopper Cherry on Top of 18-Year-Old Whiskey
Vermont Business Magazine Burlington, Vermont’s, Art District industry AO Glass, has partnered with Nationally renowned Vermont distillery WhistlePig to create an exquisite glass stopper that is now being sold with WhistlePig’s newly released, double malt rye aged in barrels for 18 years. Faced with the challenge to create a unique piece that would reflect the quality and heritage of WhistlePig product, AO Glass went on a quest to find a solution that was both classic and unique.
AO Glass salvaged an antique glass press from an historic factory in West Virginia and installed it at its Burlington glass factory –- on the same week in March that WhistlePig installed its second at its Shoreham distillery.
"We tracked down our salvaged press at the Fenton Glass factory in West Virginia, where everyone was really helpful and excited that it was going to be in operation again," says AO Glass co-owner Rich Arentzen. "And our custom-made mold was crafted by the skilled folks at Island Moulds, also in West Virginia, an area that used to be the center of pressed glass in the United States."
The restored glass press, labeled "101", is now in daily operation, with each stopper pressed and finished by hand. The finished stoppers are included in gift box, along with a bottle of WhistlePig's oldest spirit to date, and information about the two companies' collaboration and history of the press.
"The WhistlePig relationship has allowed us to reach a national audience and develop relationships in new industries, as well as develop future capabilities in the factory," says Arentzen. "We're fortunate that WhistlePig supports local Vermont companies."
“Each individual stopper for this 18-year rye is unique and pressed by hand on one of the last remaining 19-century glass pressing machines right here in Burlington. Pretty cool to be part of this launch!” enthuses Arentzen.
Founded in 2007, AO Glass is one of the most innovative and sophisticated hot glass studios in the country. High-quality glass products are designed and produced at the AO workshop in a converted manufacturing plant on Pine Street in Burlington, VT. With the opening of the new glass factory in 2018, AO Glass became a leading producer of hand-made glass lighting components. In addition to lighting fixtures, AO Glass also produce bar-ware, home goods, and custom gifts for businesses and individuals.
www.aoglass.com
Founded in 2008, WhistlePig is the premier aged rye whiskey, featuring the bold and often untapped flavor of rye. WhistlePig is leading a surge of innovation in the emerging field of NorthAmerican whiskey. As the most decorated rye whiskey – having received the coveted ‘Best in Show Whiskey’ title from the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, WhistlePig is widely viewed as the world's finest Rye. With the opening of its distillery on its 500-acre Vermont farm in the fall of 2015, WhistlePig has also become one of the leading farm-to-bottle rye whiskeys in the world. www.whistlepigrye.com
Source: Burlington VT (August 2019) Burlington, Vermont, AO Glass