I had a pretty amazing childhood but what would have elevated it to epic is to have a spirits brand named after me.

Enter Francesco S. Viola and his son Luca Mariano. Francesco is the founder and Luca is the namesake of Luca Mariano Distillery.

The company was founded in 2013 and is based out of Plymouth, Michigan. However, the company is currently producing products in Kentucky. They have a 300 acre farm in the state that will be the future home of their distillery and tasting room. For now, they are working with a partner distillery in Kentucky to produce the products they want.

Earlier this 2019, they released their Old Americana Bourbon. The current batch (#4) is aged over 4 years, clocks in at 41.5% ABV and has a mash bill of 85% corn, 10% barley and 5% rye.

Their new Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey launches October 18th in Michigan and they are throwing as big party to celebrate. The rye is also aged over 4 years and comes in at 41.5% ABV while it’s mash bill is 95% rye, 4% corn and 1% Barley.

Full disclosure, I have not tried either of the products yet and for those of you in the same boat, here is your chance. The rye release party is on October 18th at the Majestic Theater in Detroit. For $25, you’ll get to try both the rye and bourbon as well as enjoy some live entertainment. The brand is a big fan of country music and has assembled a six-piece band featuring Jordan Kirkdorffer of The Voice and Rachel Lynae (local Nashville celeb). The first 100 people at the door will get a chance to meet the band and the first 500 will get a t-shirt or hat.

As Nick Drinks fans, we have a pair tickets to giveaway. Leave a comment on this post with your favorite way to enjoy rye or bourbon. I’ll pick a random winner Sunday (10/13/19) at 9pm EST.