Good Deeds Malt Whiskey, the collaborative benefit whiskey released in 2021, is now available for purchase online with shipping across the U.S. through Big Thirst Inc., the spirits industry’s most comprehensive e-commerce sales and marketing company. Big Thirst is providing its services to Good Deeds Spirits at no cost to ensure 100% of proceeds from the sale of the whiskey will benefit The Spirits Training Entrepreneurship Program for Underrepresented Professionals Foundation, Inc. (STEPUP), the diversity and inclusion initiative founded by the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA).
Good Deeds Spirits was established in 2021, with the intention of creating interesting, collaborative spirits releases with the goal of raising money to benefit important industry causes. Good Deeds Malt Whiskey, the inaugural, limited-edition malt whiskey was created as a blend from ten of the most respected craft distilleries, all of whom donated a barrel of whiskey for blending, with the purpose of increasing inclusion and diversity in the drinks industry. Fellow distilleries and industry suppliers including Saxco and Tapi provided donations of materials and expertise to contribute to the mission of helping to diversify the industry.
“Collaborating with other distillers on Good Deeds Whiskey is our way of pulling our community together to raise funds and awareness for a program we’re all incredibly excited about,” says Johnny Jeffery, industry consultant, previously General Manager, Bently Heritage Estate Distillery. “Expanding our reach by partnering with Big Thirst will better enable people all over the country to purchase this limited-edition whiskey for a good cause. We know this partnership will help us continue to generate revenue for STEPUP and other programs we support.”
“The Big Thirst team shares Good Deeds Spirits’ values of diversity, equity, and inclusion and we’re thrilled to be able to help contribute to STEPUP,” says Matt McGinnis, CEO of Big Thirst. “We are eager to provide our time, and energy, and to offer our online sales platform free of charge to help further the mission of increasing diversity in our industry.”
Margie A.S. Lehrman, CEO, ACSA and President, STEPUP added, “As we gear up for our immersive internship program’s second year, we continue to be humbled by the generous contributions across the industry as together we remain united on an imperative cause: recruiting more diverse perspectives in drinks. Good Deeds Spirits and the release of their inaugural whiskey has been a testament to this mindset, and it’s created a tangible way for spirits enthusiasts and those outside our industry to get involved. We’re grateful for their efforts and grateful for the work of partners like Big Thirst who are helping to spread the word.”
To connect with the community,Sailor Guevara, a 2022 STEPUP mentor, will host three Virtual Tasting events with the first one held on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, at 8:00 PM EST. Guevara, who is also donating her time to process shipping requests for Good Deeds Spirits, will be joined in the virtual tasting events by Erin Lee and Yakntoro Udoumoh, 2022 interns, Paul Hletko, founder of FEW Spirits a participating STEPUP distillery, Tracie Franklin, founder of Spirited Tracie, and members of Good Deed Spirits. The tasting is free to all who have purchased a bottle, or $25 for people who have not. Tickets include samples of Good Deeds Malt Whiskey and are online at Sailor Guevara Cocktails.
ABOUT GOOD DEEDS MALT WHISKEY
Good Deeds Malt Whiskey is a blend of 10 donated whiskeys from Triple Eight Distillery (Nantucket, MA), Balcones Distilling (Waco, TX), Bently Heritage Estate Distillery (Minden, NV), FEW Spirits (Evanston, IL), Headframe Spirits (Butte, MT), Rogue Spirits Distillery (Newport, OR), Santa Fe Spirits (Santa Fe, NM), Sonoma Distilling Company (Rohnert Park, CA), State Line Distillery (Madison, WI), and Thornton Distilling Company (Thornton, IL). Blenders Johnny Jeffery (Bently Heritage Estate Distillery), Randy Hudson (Triple Eight Distillery), Reade Huddleston (Headframe Spirits), and John McKee (Headframe Spirits) blended over the course of two days in Butte, MT. All of the whiskey was blended on-site, then returned to used Bourbon barrels to marry for five months before proofing down to 46% for bottling and release.
The result of this unique blend is a whiskey with a medium amber color highlighted with flashes of gold and copper. It has gorgeous scents of dried apple, brûlée sugar, brown butter, toasted walnut, biscuit, hay, and golden raisin, with notes of dried cherry, orange peel, and warming spice. It is silky, confident, and broad, with balanced earthy, savory and dry, candied notes. Its flavors of dried apple, dried cherry, heather, toasted brioche, toasted walnut, savory leather, and black tobacco leaf evolve in the glass showing hay, caramel, singed cinnamon, and orange. It has a long finish, with evolution on the back palate.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY
Good Deeds Malt Whiskey is available for purchase exclusively online for a retail price of $75.00, with 100% of the bottle price benefiting STEPUP.
ABOUT GOOD DEEDS SPIRITS
Good Deeds Spirits is a passionate collective of distillers and friends, committed to supporting causes that lead to positive change. From coast to coast, our distilleries have shared their spirits, time, and energy in an effort to raise funds for causes that share our values and mission: to be a force for good.
ABOUT STEPUP
The Spirits Training Entrepreneurship Program for Underrepresented Professionals (STEPUP) is a diversity initiative that aims to provide underserved and underrepresented individuals with training, encouragement, and opportunities to enter the craft spirits community through a comprehensive year-long, immersive internship program. Created by ACSA, STEPUP will engage diverse applicants with an interest in the beverage sector and help those of different races, color, national origins, genders, and sexual orientations to acquire the skills and experience they need to succeed in the industry.
ABOUT BIG THIRST, INC.
Big Thirst, Inc. is a three-tier compliant integrated e-commerce platform for spirits brands to conveniently expand sales and ship products to consumers in more than 40 states. Big Thirst is the spirits industry’s most comprehensive e-commerce sales and marketing company powered by a compliance, distribution and sales consultancy, Big Thirst Consulting, and a full-service marketing agency, Big Thirst Marketing. It is a one-stop shop for spirits brands and distilleries to accelerate e-commerce sales to consumers with an online sales solution, website and website store design, distribution management, customer service, digital advertising, email marketing, business analytics, and retailer partner relations for order fulfillment. Connect with Big Thirst on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
